Samurai Spirits Role Playing Game
Character Guide- Version 0.1
By: LBL Copyright 1999.
6/29/99
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. CHARACTER BASICS
III. CAST
IV. GENERAL STRATEGIES
V. SUGGESTED PARTIES
VI. CLOSING
I. INTRODUCTION
Samurai Spirits Role Playing Game (aka Samurai Shodown RPG) is a
traditional RPG developed by SNK for the Sony Playstation. It was
originally released on the Neo Geo CD in 1997, but was translated to
both the PSX and Saturn. Unfortunately, it never reached western
shores and remains just an import. However, I highly recommend
everyone who is into the Samurai Shodown series to try and pick up a
copy. The option of playing an awesome game you don't fully understand
is always better than the option of never playing it at all. I
purchased my new copy from www.buyrite1.com for $15 and received it
fine. However, I caution you that I have heard stories of the
questionable reputation of Buy Rite, so if you're more comfortable
importing from another store, check there. (Just don't go to Gamecave,
I hate those bastards!)
The Samurai Shodown series is my favorite fighting game series, mainly
because the characters have so much more personality than the
Streetfighter cast, and the artwork is better too. Anyway, Samurai
Shodown RPG is based loosely on the plot presented in the first and
second arcade games. The game itself consists of 2 separate quests,
known as scenarios. Both scenarios are relatively short; the Amakusa
scenario can be finished in a day or two. The Mikuzi scenario can be
completed in 4-5 days max. Despite its brevity, the game is quite fun,
and there is a lot of replay value in it because of the various parties
you can form.
The graphics in the game are spectacular. The battles and character
sprites are well detailed and drawn. There's quite a lot of voice
acting too, most of which sound exactly like those found in the arcade
game... too bad I don't have a clue what they're saying. There's a
small amount of FMV, but it's only used in the intro and ending, and
kinda skimpy. The music is basically weird Japanese tunes, with the
occasional character theme thrown in. Battles are interesting, but
kinda long and slow-paced. You can input your special moves by command
(a la Sabin in Final Fantasy 3US), but although innovative, it quickly
becomes annoying and you'll probably opt to just change the setting to
be able to select the moves by menu. Be warned that the load times are
pretty bad, so if you're not the patient type, I doubt you'll be able
to tolerate the sometimes 7 seconds of load time before each battle.
Well, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on a copy, I'm pretty
sure you'll enjoy what's presented. Check Gamefaqs for the
walkthroughs. They're decent, but don't expect them to give you a full
plot synopsis, they only give you the gist of what's going on. They'll
get you through the game, but you'll have to use your imagination for
the rest. If you have any gameplay questions, you can e-mail me and
I'll be happy to help out, but I won't be able to explain anything plot
related because I don't know Japanese.
II. CHARACTER BASICS
ELEMENTS
Each character has a default element associated with their weapon and
defense. The seven elements possible are Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning,
Holy, Darkness, and Neutral. For example, Nakoruru's element is Holy.
This means her weapon will do Holy type damage, and her defense (when
equipped with no armor) is Holy associated. Your weapon's element can
be changed by a weapon smith, and your defense element will change
depending on what armor you are currently wearing. Antagonistic
elements will cause and receive more damage towards each other (fire
vs. ice, wind vs. lightning, holy vs. darkness); neutral is not
antagonistic with anything.
SLASH OR BUST COLOR
Slash/Bust was a concept introduced in Samurai Shodown 3 where there
were 2 different versions of a character. Well, the slash/bust concept
isn't in here (sorry to lead you to believe so), but slash/bust is how
I describe the different character colors. You can change your
characters' outfits for $100 by going to a tailor shop. You can also
do a code that will allow you to change your main character's outfit
from the start. At the character select screen, motion B, F, DF, D +
Triangle to switch from slash colors to bust colors. Do the reverse
motion (F, B, DB, D + Triangle) to revert back.
SPECIAL MOVES/POW MOVES
Most special moves are gained through leveling up. Each character has
6 "sets" of moves. Each set contains 2-3 attacks, usually 3. Think of
each set of moves as containing a Level 1 version, Level 2 version, and
Level 3 version. Generally, Level 1 moves will consume the least
amount of MP and is used for single opponents, while Level 2 and 3
moves use a lot of MP and are for attacking enemy groups. POW moves
(and certain special moves) can be obtained through training sessions
at various locations. Simply talk to the trainer, who will ask you if
you want to fight, win the battle, and you'll be rewarded with a new
technique for each of you characters (sometimes the training is just
for fun with no rewards afterwards). POW moves do tremendous damage (a
little too much IMO), and can only be done when your POW bar is
flashing. The POW bar increases each time you're hit (like the Limit
meter in Final Fantasy VII), but it doesn't carry over between battles.
A full POW bar will also increases the amount of damage your regular
attacks and special moves inflict.
III. CAST
There are a total of 9 playable characters in the game (Technically 11
if you count Hion and Bizuki). You can hold a party of any 3 in
Amakusa's scenario and any 2 in Mizuki's scenario. The exception is
Genjuro, who travels alone. Reon is a mandatory character in Mizuki's
scenario.
MAIN CHARACTERS
You must chose one of the following as your main character. The
analyses of the characters are purely my personal opinions, so you
might think otherwise. Also keep in mind that the names of the special
moves I mention are purely ones I've made up, and are not the official
names.
HAOHMARU
ATTACK: A
SPEED: C-
TECHNIQUES: C
ELEMENT: Wind
SLASH COLOR: White
BUST COLOR: Grayish-Brown
STYLISHNESS: C-
OVERALL: C+
Haohmaru is the poster boy of the Samurai Shodown series as well as its
central character. He's quite strong with some powerful single hitting
techniques (his Level 1 Sword Uppercut will get you through almost
every boss). He also has high HP, which makes him a great front line
character who will take the brunt of the damage. However he does have
some handicaps. First, he has only average speed, which isn't really
noticeable early on, but towards the end of the game, most of the
enemies will attack before he does. Second, he has below average MP,
and if you're the type who constantly uses techniques, you'll find
Haohmaru's MP will drain quickly. Lastly, Haohmaru lacks any real full
range special moves. Most of his specials only affect 1 or 2 enemies
and only three of his specials will affect all enemies. Of those, his
Level 3 Hurricane is easily dodged by most enemies, his Level 2 Rushing
Uppercut uses up too much MP (70) for average damage, and his he won't
get his Level 3 Death Drop until it's too late in the game. Mostly use
him to do regular attacks on enemies that will finish off those already
weakened by the faster characters. Keep him up front so that he will
take most of the damage, fill his POW bar, and unleash powerful
strikes.
STRENGTHS of Haohmaru:
Good HP
Powerful fighter
WEAKNESSES of Haohmaru:
A bit slow
Low MP
Few techniques that hit all enemies
Kinda boring (main characters tend to be)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GENJURO
ATTACK: A
SPEED: C
TECHNIQUES: C+
ELEMENT: Darkness
SLASH COLOR: Pink
BUST COLOR: Silver
STYLISHNESS: C+
OVERALL: D
The reason I gave Genjuro a low overall grade is because he travels
alone, with no partners. This seriously hampers the fun of Samurai
Shodown RPG. I've played him halfway through Amakusa's scenario and
got bored with him. So my analysis isn't really complete. He plays
basically like Haohmaru with slightly more speed and MP. If I ever
decide to play him again, I'll make this analysis more complete. He's
a bit cooler looking than Haohmaru; I'll give him style points for his
badass nature.
STRENGTHS of Genjuro:
High HP
Powerful fighter
Is a badass
WEAKNESSES of Genjuro:
Has to travel alone
Sorta slow
Is kinda an a$$hole
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NAKORURU
ATTACK: D+
SPEED: B+
TECHNIQUES: B
ELEMENT: Holy
SLASH COLOR: Red (brown hawk/gray wolf)
BUST COLOR: Purple (blue hawk/tan wolf)
STYLISHNESS: B+
OVERALL: B-
Samurai Shodown's cute defender of nature. Actually, Nakoruru isn't
bad. She has stereotypically low HP and strength to complement her
high MP and speed. The best thing about her is her ability to heal
your party members quickly. Since she has above average speed, she
will usually get a chance to attack before your enemies do. Her
offensive special moves are mediocre at best though. Her Level 2 Cape
Flick will help you against most bosses. Her Level 1 Ground Blade
Runner can nicely weaken a row of enemies to be killed by a later
teammate. Other than that, her other special moves generally do
average damage, but cost more MP. If you choose Nakoruru as your
leader, you have a choice of choosing her hawk (Mamahaha) or her wolf
(Shikite). It's up to you which pet partner to take, you can switch
between them if you talk with the pet you left behind (one of them is
usually hanging around most towns). If she's not the leader, then she
will automatically come with her hawk. Keep her in the back if
possible to protect her limited amount of HP. She gets style points
for having that cute anime-girl-next-door look and her pets are cool.
STRENGTHS of Nakoruru:
Can heal single members and entire team
Above average speed
High MP
Is an anime babe
WEAKNESSES of Nakoruru:
Weak fighter
Low HP
Doesn't hook up with Galford like in SS2
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
UKYO
ATTACK: A
SPEED: C+
TECHNIQUES: C+
ELEMENT: Fire
SLASH COLOR: Blue
BUST COLOR: Orange
STLYISHNESS: A
OVERALL: B+
Ukyo was the best characters in Samurai Shodown 2, so it's no surprise
he functions well in the RPG. He has the strength of Haohmaru, but has
better speed, which is a huge advantage. His HP is less than Haohmaru,
but he has slightly better MP to counter that. He gains very powerful
techniques early in the game. His Apple Slicer does a good number of
hits and damage and will work well in the beginning of your quest.
Towards the middle, he'll gain his insanely powerful Level 2 Two-hit
Strike, which does usually as much damage as most other characters' POW
move and later the Level 3 version will cut through just about
anything! Like most fighter-type characters, he lacks any good all-
enemy hitting attacks, and the one he has (Air Discs) are easily dodged
by most opponents. Put him up front so he can charge his POW bar
quickly and land some devastating attacks. This guy is all about
style. Even though he's dying, he's debonair enough to find the
world's most beautiful flower for his girlfriend.
STRENGTHS of Ukyo:
Powerful fighter
Decent speed for a fighter
The "Austin Powers" of Samurai Shodown
WEAKNESSES of Ukyo:
Lacks good all-enemy hitting attacks
He's dying :(
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GALFORD
ATTACK: B-
SPEED: B
TECHNIQUES: C-
ELEMENT: Lightning
SLASH COLOR: Blue
BUST COLOR: Green
STYLISHNESS: B-
OVERALL: B-
Galford is best described as the "good-overall" character. He has good
speed and decent attack power, average HP and MP, and a few noteworthy
specials. But still, he's just kinda plain to me. I used him through
about half of Amakusa's scenario, and found him to be pretty good, but
still lacking the personality that the other samurais have. His speed
is a great asset, and will usually allow you to make a nice dent in an
enemy's health bar so that the next character can finish it off. His
Spinning Piledriver is his best special for bosses or a single enemy
because it inflicts solid damage. Poppy's just not as cool as the
other pets IMO, although her puppies are cute. If you're a
Galford/Poppy/Dog fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy having Galford in your
adventuring party. I give him style points for his cool, blonde,
American ninja thing, but it's not enough to make him stand out.
STRENGTHS of Galford:
Pretty good HP, MP, power, and speed
Poppy's puppies
WEAKNESSES of Galford:
Kinda plain
Doesn't mention that he's Nakoruru's boyfriend (until the Omake)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CHAM CHAM
ATTACK: B
SPEED: A+
TECHNIQUES: B
ELEMENT: Neutral
SLASH COLOR: Green hair/Yellow Outfit
BUST COLOR: Blue hair/White Outfit [choose the Bust color, it's better]
STYLISHNESS: B+
OVERALL: B+
Cham Cham is like a cuter Galford. They basically have relatively the
same attack power, HP, and usefulness in specials, but somehow I'm more
inclined to have this cute little cat-girl in my adventuring party.
She's really fast (the fastest character in the game), so she'll almost
always get to attack before enemies do. Her strength isn't that shabby
either, and she can hold her own in battles as a front line character.
Her Level 1 Jumping Scratch does great damage against a single enemy or
bosses. Like Haohmaru, Cham Cham doesn't get a good technique that can
hit all enemies until later in the game. Her Level 2 Boomerang Attack
can hit all enemies and she gets it relatively early, but most enemies
can dodge her Boomerangs so it's not that useful. Her Level 3 Paku
Paku Attack (the one where her monkey twirls around) can consistently
hit all enemies though with little chance for them to dodge it, but she
gets it kind of late in the game. Her Sonic Meow is good for dizzying
all enemies for decent damage, but again she gets it kind of late. The
other Paku Paku Attacks are mostly lame and easily dodged. Yet another
bonus for using Cham Cham is her ability to heal teammates. Although
not quite effective as a healer as Nakoruru or Rimururu, Cham Cham's
Level 1 Banana Cure is still handy on its own. The Level 2 Banana Cure
can heal the entire party. Cham Cham's biggest disadvantage is her low
MP, as she has probably the lowest MP value of all characters.
Therefore, conserve you MP in battle if you're about to face some boss.
Cat-girls always score big in style.
STRENGTHS of Cham Cham:
Good strength and HP
Lightning fast speed
Can heal party members when needed
Paku Paku/Tam Tam is really cute
Cham Cham is really cute
WEAKNESSES of Cham Cham:
Low MP
Doesn't get good all-hitting techniques until late in the game
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
These characters can join your party; but you can't choose them as
leaders.
CHARLOTTE
ATTACK: C
SPEED: D
TECHNIQUES: D-
ELEMENT: Neutral
SLASH COLOR: Blue
BUST COLOR: Red
STYLISHNESS: A
OVERALL: D
I can't believe I could give such a low score to my favorite Samurai
Shodown character. But I can't be partial to any characters so I'll
have to put my personal opinions aside. Truthfully, it pains me to
give Charlotte a D-rating; she is THE character I use in Samurai
Shodown 2 (second in the arcade rankings only to Ukyo). But in this
game, she sucks. She has average HP and MP values. She has turtle
speed and will almost always be your last character to go (the only
slower character is Kyoshiro). She's not that powerful either (less so
than Cham Cham). Her special moves are practically useless. Although
her Level 1 Splash Fount can hit a row of enemies, it is weak overall.
It can be used to finish of a row of already weakened enemies though.
She has no real damaging technique to use against bosses or a single
foe. Her Level 1 Power Gradation is okay, but it isn't multi-hitting
so it does very unimpressive damage. The Level 2 version is a bit
stronger and can hit a group of enemies, so use it to finish off
weakened opponent groups. She lacks all-enemy-hitting specials too.
Her Level 2 Splash Fount does hit all enemies for decent damage, but
she gets it kind of late. Her Tri-Slashes (all versions) are dodged
80% of the time (they do dizzy often though). Her Violent Lunge is
pathetic (doing 1 point of damage?!?), maybe I haven't found its "real"
use? Her strongest special is her Super Splash Fount (it is in its own
"set" of moves and is NOT a Level 3 Splash Fount). It does tremendous
damage and hits all enemies, usually killing them outright.
Unfortunately, once again her speed will make it so that you'll have
few occasions where you can use it effectively. Despite all the
negative aspects of Charlotte, I still enjoy putting her in my party
just because she's so cool. She's one of the classiest lady-fighters
in any fighting game, not to mention one of the sexiest. She can out-
style any of the Samurai characters any day.
STRENGTHS of Charlotte:
Is stylish and sexy
Cool sword
Nice hair
Pretty rose...
Okay, I can't think of any GAMEPLAY strengths, but she is cool
WEAKNESSES of Charlotte:
Slow like a turtle
Unimpressive strength
Not very useful specials
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KYOSHIRO
ATTACK: B
SPEED: F
TECHNIQUES: C+
ELEMENT: Fire
SLASH COLOR: Red
BUST COLOR: Purple
STYLISHNESS: D
OVERALL: D-
Basically a slower Charlotte. I never really liked Kyoshiro in the
arcades, don't know why though. His techniques and strength are better
than Charlotte's, but he's just as slow if not slower. Again, I used
him briefly in Amakusa's scenario when my party consisted of him,
Galford, and Charlotte (what was I thinking?). He has some good
techniques that effect an area of enemies. Style-wise he's too goofy
and weird looking to score any higher than a D.
STRENGTHS:
He can dance?
WEAKNESSES:
Slow as molasses
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RIMURURU
ATTACK: F
SPEED: A
TECHNIQUES: A
ELEMENT: Ice
SLASH COLOR: Blue
BUST COLOR: Yellow
STYLISHNESS: B+
OVERALL: A
Rimururu is potentially the best character in the game. How can such a
weakling be the best character you ask? Simple, she has excellent
speed (second only to Cham Cham) and can do big damage with her
specials. It will be difficult to survive as her early in the game
(I'm referring to the Mizuki scenario whenever I mention "early in the
game"), but she'll prove her worth once you get her Level 3 Glacier
Drop and Level 3 Repeated Icicle Attack. The Glacier Drop is won
through training (at Nicotine's house in Amakusa's scenario and at
France in the Mizuki scenario) so it can be acquired fairly early on.
It costs a whopping 60 MP to use, but it can usually end a battle in
one turn. Plus Rimmy has a large amount of MP so she can use
techniques liberally. Once you get the Level 3 Repeated Icicle Attacks
(the REALLY noisy attack where she screams, "Yada yada yada yi!"), you
can ignore the Glacier Drop because it does the same damage but is more
economically efficient at 45 MP (I believe you gain it in the early
level 40's). Rimururu can heal quite effectively too. She gains
powerful single healing spells really early, and later learns spells
that will heal the entire party. Some of her specials even stun
opponents like her Ground Ice Flowers. Of course all of these benefits
are countered with the fact that she is the weakest samurai in terms of
physical strength and has the lowest HP value in the game. She is cute
though, and I can't help at liking her sentient ice crystal thing (I
believe its name is Konril) always floating around her. Me like shiny
things. :)
STRENGHTS of Rimururu:
Great speed
Useful specials
Great MP
Can effectively heal teammates
Konril is cool
Cute as the dickens
WEAKNESSES of Rimururu:
*LOW* attack power
Low HP
Hard to survive early on
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
REON
ATTACK: C
SPEED: B
TECHNIQUES: B-
ELEMENT: Wind
SLASH/BUST COLOR: White (You can't change Reon's outfit)
STYLISHNESS: A-
OVERALL: B-
Reon is a character shrouded in mystery. The real mystery is
determining what gender Reon is. At first I thought Reon was
definitely a boy, but his voice is very ambiguous. It sounds like
Sailor Uranus' voice, masculinely-feminine, and it is therefore
difficult to tell what Reon is. After much thought, I've decided that
Reon is in fact male, simply on the basis that he can't equip with the
Ribbon accessory (an item only women can use). Play and decide for
yourself if you agree. Anyway, back to the game, Reon is a mandatory
character you must have in your party in the Mizuki scenario. He's
pretty weak overall, but he does have good speed. He starts out with a
Level 3 Whirlwind Disc special that hits all enemies. It's pretty
good, but about half the enemies can dodge it easily. He has one
healing move that can heal the entire party for 80 HP; useful in the
beginning of the adventure but quickly becoming outdated further along
the quest. His most useful technique is his Level 1 Sword Uppercut
since it does multiple hits on a single enemy for good damage.
Although his Level 2 Sword Uppercut can hit an enemy group, it does
significantly less damage than the Level 1 version and cost more MP to
use. He doesn't really gain useful specials until late in the game.
By then, he will have his Level 3 Sonic Scream that hits all enemies
and confuses them often. His Level 3 Sword Uppercut does massive
damage on all enemies, killing or severely wounding most of them; but
it is the last technique he'll gain and it costs major MP to use. He's
quite stylish though, even if he has a Pat-thing going for him ("Pat"
is the androgynous character in Saturday Night Live back in the early
'90s).
STRENGTHS of Reon:
Good speed
Can hit all enemies early on
Gains some powerful attacks
WEAKNESSES of Reon:
Gains the powerful attacks late
Overall weak strength
Feminine voice
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HION
ATTACK: C
SPEED: B
TECHNIQUES: B-
ELEMENT: Wind
SLASH/BUST COLOR: Gold (You can't change Hion's outfit)
STYLISHNESS: A-
OVERALL: B-
You only get to play Hion for a brief while towards the end of the
Mizuki scenario. She plays exactly like Reon with the same moves
except she doesn't have POW moves. However, she'll probably won't have
as many moves available to her since your characters will probably be
at a much higher level than she is. She gets the same style grade as
Reon because they both look identical.
STRENGTHS of Hion:
Good speed
WEAKNESSES of Hion:
Just like Reon
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BIZUKI/MIZUKI
ATTACK: D+
SPEED: D+
TECHNIQUES: D
ELEMENT: Holy
SLASH/BUST COLOR: Pink (You can't change Bizuki's outfit)
STYLISHNESS: A
OVERALL: D
Like Hion, you only get to play as Bizuki for a short while. Too bad,
even though she sucks, I wouldn't mind having her in my party
permanently. Being able to play as the last boss of Samurai Shodown 2
is always a cool thing. Well unfortunately, she's not that powerful.
She's very slow and her attacks are weak. Her special moves are
unimpressive and mostly useless and she lacks POW moves (I would have
loved to be able to use the Hell Tempest on enemies). She has one
healing move that only heals herself for 70 HP. Her best special is
her Level 1 Dog Chomp. It does multiple hits for good damage on one
opponent. She's very stylish and pretty and you've gotta love her pet,
Haoh.
STRENGTHS of Bizuki:
Bizuki's really stylish
Haoh is one cool pet
WEAKNESSES of Bizuki:
Slow
Weak fighter
Mostly useless specials
Only get to play as her for a short time
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CPU CHARACTERS
Often when fighting bosses, the CPU will add a 4th non-controllable
character to aid your party in fighting. Unless a CPU character is
part of the story, which character the CPU chooses to aid you is
completely random (it may have to do with your party composition). I
can't really rate their usefulness because they only appear for a
battle or two, but I'll list them here.
JUBEI
The only character that fits the "true" definition of a samurai. He'll
aid you in a few battles in the Amakusa scenario. You can fight him at
his dojo after getting through the Reverse Castle to get your first POW
move.
NICOTINE
He'll randomly help you in the Amakusa scenario, and he'll help you in
the beginning and end of the Mizuki scenario. You can fight him at his
house north of Edo towards the middle of the Amakusa scenario to get
your most powerful regular special move. He'll give you your first POW
move in the Mizuki scenario at the beginning of the game.
WAN FU
You will fight him towards the middle of the Amakusa scenario, and
he'll aid you in China in the Mizuki scenario. After helping him, you
can fight him at his house to gain your second POW move.
SIEGER
He'll aid you randomly in the Amakusa scenario, and he'll join you in
France and Green Hell in the Mizuki scenario. You can fight him in the
Hotel Etoilles (Star Hotel) in France to learn your most powerful
regular special move.
BASARA
He can join you randomly in the Amakusa scenario, and towards the end
of the Mizuki scenario at the Phantom Tower in Kyo. You can fight him
in the small, destroyed village south of Kyo to put his soul at rest.
HANZO
Randomly in Amakusa's scenario, towards the end of the Mizuki scenario.
GAIRA
Randomly in the Amakusa scenario, helps you in Kyo towards the end of
the Mizuki scenario. You can train with him in Kyo to get your last
super move.
KUROKO
You wish. No, this is a joke. Kuroko will never join you. The red
Kurokos act like an inn, while the more common black Kurokos serve as
save spots.
IV. GENERAL STRATEGIES
SPEED OR POWER?
As you can see after reading my character analyses, I put a lot of
emphasis on the speed of the character. This is because speedier
characters in the long run, are better than their slower, but more
powerful counterparts. The battles in this game are drawn-out and can
become very tedious. Towards the end of the game, you'll want to be
able to have your quick fighters attack all the enemies with a powerful
special move and end the battle in 1 or 2 rounds. Generally, powerful
characters are very useful in the beginning of the quest when none of
your characters have good techniques/high MP. But powerful characters
quickly lose their effectiveness towards the end of the game when
quicker characters can finish most battles by themselves.
HEALING TECHNIQUES
The effectiveness of healing can be compared to the usefulness of
powerful characters. You will find that healing techniques are very
useful in the beginning and middle of your journey, but towards the
end, you'll probably never use them. By the end of the game, your
quick characters will probably be ludicrously powerful, and will kill
all enemies before they even get a chance to move, therefore
eliminating the need for healing.
USING ITEMS
Don't be a cheap ass and never use healing items. I admit, when
playing games like Final Fantasy, I would rarely use cure potions or
antidotes because I could always use magic for "free." But in this
game, you'll most likely be using special moves in every battle in
order to end it quickly, so you'll often find yourself short on MP.
Stock up on healing supplies before you in each town and use them
instead of healing techniques. It will stretch your MP usage a little
longer.
USE SPECIALS
I also developed a habit of not using magic in Final Fantasy because I
didn't like "wasting" MP. Well forget it in this game. If you tried
to win every battle with just regular slashes, you'll probably die of
frustration. Battles are very slow-paced in this game. You want to
end a battle as quickly as possible, so always use techniques when
necessary. Obviously don't use some 70 MP technique when the monster
has just a sliver of life left in his energy bar, use your judgment on
when to use your special moves. But characters like Rimururu and
Nakoruru, who have high MP values and low attack power should be using
their techniques basically every turn.
LEVELING UP
Don't spend a lot of time leveling up in the early and middle parts of
the game, since there will ALWAYS be a better place to gain experience.
Towards the end of the game, I do suggest you invest a few moments of
you time to power-up your characters. In the end of the Amakusa
chapter, there's a guy in a jail cell who will restore you if you keep
asking him to. You can level up in the Portal Cave after Kyo and
return to the town's inn when you need a recharge on MP. Basically
when leveling up, you want your quick characters to use their most
powerful all-enemy-hitting techniques to win as many battles as
possible in the quickest amount of time, recharging when necessary.
The amount of EXP points needed for a level up in this game is pretty
low, so you can accumulate a lot of levels if you decide you want to do
so.
BOSS FIGHTS
Boss fights are unfortunately rather simple in this game. There are
really only a couple of bosses in the entire game that will prove any
kind of remote challenge. Generally, you want to use a technique that
hits a single enemy multiple times. Haohmaru's Level 1 Sword Uppercut,
Nakoruru's Level 2 Cape Flick, and Cham Cham's Level 1 Jumping Scratch
are good examples. Don't waste your MP on Level 2 or 3 attacks that
hit enemy groups since they'll probably do just as much (maybe even
less) than the single-targeting Level 1 version. Use your POW moves
whenever possible since they probably take off 60%-90% energy of the
boss's health (yes, POW moves are ridiculously strong). But don't just
intentionally wait for your POW bar to fill up, let it fill up
naturally and if it does, then unleash your super.
V. SUGGESTED PARTIES
Truthfully, you can choose any party in the Amakusa scenario and do
fine. The Amakusa scenario is disappointingly easy, and party
composition doesn't really matter. The Mizuki scenario is a bit more
challenging in the beginning relative to the Amakusa scenario, but it
too gets simple towards the end. Basically when choosing a party, you
want at least one fast character who can finish battles easily towards
the end of the game (two fast characters is better). However, fast
characters are generally weak and difficult to survive with in the
beginning of the Mizuki chapter. Healing techniques aren't really
necessary in the Amakusa scenario, but are useful in the Mizuki one.
These are just suggestions, and obviously you should create a party
that includes your favorite samurai.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ AMAKUSA'S SCENARIO PARTIES+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GOOD ALL-AROUND
Cham Cham/Ukyo/Rimururu
This party is very well balanced and will complete the Amakusa chapter
quite quickly and effectively. Ukyo will be the main power fighter in
the party, but Cham Cham can serve well as a fighting back up.
Rimururu can heal early on, and towards the end of the game can use her
powerful specials to finish entire battles by herself. Rimmy and Cham
Cham are both very fast and can strike before most enemies do. Ukyo
has better speed than most fighter-type characters. Plus, if you
change Cham Cham's outfit to her Bust color and keep the other two in
their Slash color, your party will consist of all blue-garbed
characters. If you're a fan of the color blue, or just want a well-
balanced party, I suggest you try this combination.
LADIES OF SAMURAI SHOWDOWN 2
Nakoruru/Cham Cham/Charlotte
Kind of like the one above, but Cham Cham will have to be the "Ukyo"
and Charlotte will serve as back up. Nakoruru can heal early in the
game, and team up with Cham Cham in the end of the game to each blast
enemies with their all-targeting techniques. Charlotte can be semi-
useful in the beginning of the game, finishing those enemies weakened
by the quicker Nak and Cham, but she'll probably hardly attack at all
towards the end of the game. Both Nakoruru and Cham Cham are fast and
can usually do a sizable amount of damage to enemies before they get a
chance to attack.
PET LOVERS
Galford/Cham Cham/Nakoruru
Hey, if you love animals, why not go for an all-pet team? If you put
Nakoruru as the leader, you can choose whether to you want to travel
with the bird or wolf. If you love dogs, choose Shikite so you can
have 2 canine pals along for the adventure. All these characters are
quick and you should have little trouble at the end of the game
finishing battles quickly. Cham Cham and Galford can provide the
fighting power early on, while Nakoruru heals.
SAMURAIS OF JUSTICE
Haohmaru/Charlotte/Nakoruru
This was the first party I used. Practically speaking, this
combination isn't as good as the previously mention parties. Haohmaru
and Charlotte are both slow, and Nakoruru's usefulness will wear out a
bit towards the end of the game. But I don't know, there's just a
certain chemistry between this group of characters that just justifies
them being put together. It just feels right to have these characters
fighting along side each other. Plus Charlotte and Haohmaru make a
good couple, but too bad he already has a girlfriend.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Haohmaru/Charlotte/Kyoshiro
Do you like turtles? Well this party definitely fits the definition of
"turtle." This is obviously a joke combination, but the Amakusa
chapter is so easy, you'll probably be able to finish with this party
with very few problems. The biggest downside to this party is the lack
of speed will make the battles at the end of the game seem very LONG,
since basically all the enemies will attack before these characters do.
Another problem is the lack of healing. You'll have to buy some
healing items before you leave each town.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+MIZUKI'S SCENARIO PARTIES+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All parties will include Reon since he is mandatory.
BEST
Ukyo/Rimururu/Reon
IMO, this is the best party to tackle the Mizuki scenario with. Ukyo
will be strong enough to carry the party up until the middle of the
game. Rimmy can heal early and finish enemies quickly later. Reon
will provide back up in fighting for Ukyo and can also heal when
necessary too.
ALTERNATIVE 1
Haohmaru/Nakoruru/Reon
This would work to. Haohmaru will be the main fighter while Nakoruru
provides the healing necessary. This party is basically like the one
above, but Nakoruru starts of better than Rimururu; and Rimururu will
end up better than her sister.
ALTERNATIVE 2
Cham Cham/Nakoruru
If you wanted more speed. A little harder to survive with early in the
game, but more useful towards the end in respect to ALTERNATIVE 1.
All the other combinations don't provide as many benefits as the three
above. Basically for the Mizuki chapter, you'll want a strong fighter
to help you out in the beginning (Haohmaru or Ukyo) as well as a solid
healer (Nakoruru or Rimururu). One of your characters should be quick
too. Characters like Cham Cham and Galford can kind of fit into more
than one of these categories (Cham Cham is quick, kind of strong, and
kind of a good healer). It's up to you again. This is just what I
think will help you most.
VII. CLOSING
Well, I hope this guide has helped you out a little. I always liked
reading character analysis, I hoped you enjoyed reading this too. Have
fun playing the game and write back with any feed back or questions at:
lelbx@hotmail.com
THANKS
ChaRles- His walkthrough helped out immensely on getting me through the
game. It provides the generally gist of what's going on so you'll at
least have some idea of what's going on. Thank you very much.
C.K.Gan- His walkthrough compliments ChaRles' walkthrough, by catching
some of the stuff ChaRles missed. It's very good too. Think of it as
a concentrated version of ChaRles' walkthrough.
These are the only English walkthroughs for Samurai Shodown RPG. So
I'm truly thankful these two were thoughtful enough to write one for
such a cool game.
RANT
Samurai Shodown characters are better than Streetfighter characters.
LEGAL STUFF
Samurai Spirits/Samurai Shodown and all its characters are trademarks
of SNK.
