Samurai Riot Switch Review

Here we have a game that was first released 5 years on the PC, so it is now great to see it getting a release on consoles. Samurai Riot is a side-scrolling beat-em up that has an old-school feel with modern graphics. If you enjoyed games like Streets of Rage or Double Dragon then this is the game for you. So let us look at the game in more detail below.

Publisher: Hound Picked Games
Developer: Wako Games
Release Date: 1 June 2022

Thanks to PR Hound for the review code.

Fight!

Samurai Riot at the start sees you get to choose between two characters Sukane or Tsurumaru, who are two warriors belong to The Clan of True Honour. After you have picked your protagonist, you then need to choose which school you want to belong too. You only have four to take your pick from at the start. Choose your starting school wisely as they each give you different bonus point on your stats.

The part of the game that interested me the most was the combat side. Being old enough to remember the arcade side-scrolling beat’em ups of the day, it was interesting to see if it was recreated authentically. And I will say that Wako Factory got it nailed. The animation is very smooth and with the modern graphics looks very nice. By using the right combination of two buttons, you can string together some great combos in which to take out the on-screen enemies.

Choose Your Weapon

You will need to use a joypad like the Xbox One controller to play the game. It is possible to play on a keyboard, but the experience is just unplayable and you will find yourself dying, a lot. The enemy A.I. is very good and provides the right amount of challenge. You will be able to tell which skill level the enemies are by the colour of the suits they wear. I don’t like it when the A.I. is weak and does often spoil a game, whereas here it is done just right.

Each of the characters that you can choose has their own style. Sukane is the female and she is very agile with only her fists and a cute fox sidekick to help out. Tsurnmaru on the other hand has swords and grenades, which are very effective against enemies. The game has the option to play in co-op, but sadly it is only local and there are no online features, which is a great shame as it would have made it even more awesome.

Looking Good to Fight

Besides the game having great visuals, it also has a rocking soundtrack to compliment it. This is one of the few games that I have played that don’t really have too many major flaws to ruin it. If you don’t use a joypad, then the game is pretty unplayable. Not a problem for me as I love playing these on controllers. Also there should have been an online co-op mode besides the local co-op, but these are only minor issues which does not affect the game.

Final Thoughts

Samurai Riot is a good old-fashioned side-scrolling beat’em up game with modern looking graphics. If you loved arcade games like Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, then is for you. Grab a friend and have 2-player co-op fun. Buy this game.