Once again set in the late 18th century, after the events of Samurai Shodown V and prior to the events of the original game, Samurai Shodown will see the return of thirteen classic characters, including Haohmaru, Earthquake and Galford, who will be joined by three brand new characters to the series.

Developed in-house at SNK by the same team that brought us King of Fighters XIV, Samurai Shodown features a host of modes, such as Story, Practice, Online Battle and multiple offline battle modes. The new game will also debut an innovative new asynchronous online mode called “Dojo” that uses deep machine learning to create a CPU-avatar that learns from players’ actions during offline modes and creates a Ghost AI character. Players will be able to upload their Ghost to the leaderboards and also download Ghost data from other players. Players can take on Ghosts in 1v1 battle, or take on the Ironman Challenge and attempt to take down up to 100 ghosts in one go.

Previous only available through the Epic Games Store, SNK Corp. Revealed the Steam release for Samurai Shodown on June 14th, 2021.

On the same day, the third character from Season Pass 3 also joins the fray both on PC and consoles. Shiro Tokisada Amakusa appeared in the very first Samurai Shodown game as the final boss back in 1993. Their menacing legacy has made an impact on the series as they’ve also appeared in Samurai Shodown III (1995), Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge (1996), and Samurai Shodown V Special (2004). Now, the boss that defined the series has returned to Samurai Shodown.

Season Pass 3 characters Cham Cham and Hibiki Takane are already available, with the fourth character, a fighter from Guilty Gear, appearing later this year.

SNK has also introduced another team for the upcoming The King Of Fighters XV, with its own story and endings. Team Art Of Fighting reunites Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, and King, who have not been on the same team since KOF 2000, 21 years ago.

RYO SAKAZAKI

Ryo is the son and entrusted owner of Takuma Sakazaki's dojos for the Kyokugenryu school of Karate. As a child, Ryo spent his time training his body, and eventually became so powerful that he was nicknamed The Invincible Dragon. Naturally, he is extremely strong-willed, and will spare no effort getting things done. Even to this day, he continues to train himself to his maximum potential.

ROBERT GARCIA

Robert is the assistant instructor at Ryo's dojo. Legitimate heir of the Garcia Foundation in Italy, Robert joined the Kyokugenryu dojo against the wishes of his father and quickly became Ryo's best friend and training partner. Robert excels at kick attacks with his long legs. Robert also has not-so-secret feelings for Ryo's sister, Yuri.

KING
King's fighting style is her own form of Muay Thai. She's the owner of the bar Illusion, and her tall stature allows for her legs to really pack a punch. She joins team ART OF FIGHTING thanks to Ryo's invitation.

Key Features:

• Exhilarating Weapons-Based Combat – Samurai Shodown carries on the legacy of the tense battles the series is known for, where players are always one strike away from death, and one powerful attack away from victory.
• Evolving the Presentation – Using the power of Unreal Engine 4, SNK is able to modernize the unique atmosphere and setting of past titles in a gorgeously artistic package that achieves a detail and graphical quality like never before.
• Unique Cast of Returning and New Warriors – Samurai Shodown welcomes back iconic characters from past iterations, including the swordsman Haohmaru, his rivals Ukyo and Genjuro, the shrine maiden Nakoruru, and fan-favorite Galford. The starting roster will include a total of 16 characters - 13 veterans and three newcomers to the franchise.
• All New Gameplay – Carrying on some of the key fighting mechanics that made the series popular, such as the Rage Gauge, Rage Explosion, Sword Clash and more, Samurai Shodown will also include several new techniques, including a powerful, one-time use attack from each character called the Super Special Move.
• Revolutionary New AI System – Titled Dojo Mode, SNK has developed a proprietary AI system that learns from player patterns and creates a specific Ghost clone from that data. With this system, players can fight against their own Ghost or take on the Ghosts of top players in mock battles.

Currently available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series XSS and PC (Epic Games Store), Samurai Shodown will be coming to Steam on June 14, 2021.