Samurai Riot

49%
Game Brain Score Based on 34 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Samurai Riot Game Cover
Samurai Riot Definitive Edition doesn’t reinvent the sidescrolling slapper genre, but it’s fun and cheap enough to make it as worthwhile of a purchase as any. ‍
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Samurai Riot is a 2D cooperative Beat’em up Arcade game with a twist! Playing as Sukane or Tsurumaru, two charismatic warriors torn between their duty and beliefs, follow your own way of honor through multiple scenarios and story endings!

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

49%
Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews
story4 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features an interesting story with meaningful choices that affect the gameplay and endings.
  • The art style and music are well-received, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Co-op gameplay is enjoyable, and the game has high replayability due to branching paths and unlockable character styles.
  • The enemy variety is lacking, with many identical-looking foes and repetitive AI behavior that can become tedious.
  • Controls can feel clunky, and there are issues with remapping and responsiveness, leading to frustration during gameplay.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and performance problems, which detract from the overall experience.
  • story12 mentions

    The game features a compelling and non-generic story that offers significant player agency, with choices leading to multiple endings and high replayability. While the narrative is engaging and well-integrated with gameplay, some levels lack story elements, and there are minor issues with hit-boxes. Overall, the story enhances the game's atmosphere and complements its pacing.

    • “The game has an interesting story with endings that you earn with your actions, changing almost everything.”
    • “The story makes sure the choices you make are hard ones.”
    • “The story doesn't feel generic and has enough variety to keep me wanting to replay.”
    • “The enemies themselves never change regardless of the story.”
    • “Not all levels are given story components, some issues with hit-boxes.”
    • “Also, the story makes sure the choices you make are hard ones.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to complement the theme and art style, with some reviewers describing it as "really nice" and "cool." However, there are mixed feelings as some players find it underwhelming or even sleep-inducing, overshadowed by frustrations with other aspects of the game. Overall, while the soundtrack stands out positively, it does not fully redeem the game's other shortcomings.

    • “The control scheme is great; the theme and art style are complemented by a cool soundtrack.”
    • “Music is really nice.”
    • “Clunky controls, cringey writing, and the music puts me to sleep.”
    • “The music especially.”
  • graphics6 mentions

    The graphics are praised for their appealing art style, which is complemented by a fitting soundtrack and sound effects, showcasing the developers' dedication to the project. Many users find the visuals reminiscent of classic beat 'em ups like Double Dragon and Battletoads, but with improved controls and overall presentation.

    • “The art style is quite good, the sound effects are competent, and you can tell the devs really care about this labor of love.”
    • “I wouldn't say it's similar, but it definitely reminded me of playing games like Double Dragon or Battletoads back in the day, just with better controls and nice artwork.”
    • “The control scheme is great, and the theme and art style are complemented by a cool soundtrack.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with some expressing frustration over the simplistic core gameplay and the lack of clear indicators for breakable objects, which complicates the process of finding health and power-ups.

    • “Easy enough to get around, but it becomes really tedious to deal with constantly.”
    • “The core gameplay feels too simplistic, and the background could do a much better job at indicating what is breakable, making the search for health and one-ups less tedious.”
  • gameplay3 mentions

    The gameplay effectively complements the story's vibe and pacing, but some users find it overly simplistic. Additionally, improvements in the background design could enhance visibility for breakable objects, making the search for health and one-ups less tedious.

    • “It perfectly suits the vibe of the story and the pace of the gameplay.”
    • “However, the core gameplay feels too simplistic, and the background could do a much better job at making it easier to see what is breakable or not, and thus make finding health and one-ups less tedious.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers high replayability through its strong arcade experience, particularly in co-op mode, featuring unlockable character styles, multiple routes, and a focus on high scores and speed runs. Players can explore branching storylines and optimize their gameplay for better performance, enhancing the overall replay value.

    • “High replayability value due to branching story, well-drawn style of characters and movements, built-in high score and speed run tracking.”
    • “The arcade experience is very strong, especially in co-op, as the studio has nailed what people want in such a title down to the letter, with unlockable alternative styles for characters and multiple routes for higher replay value and routing for points to figure out where it is easier to rack up a neat high score.”
    • “Once you complete the game, there’s little incentive to go back. The story doesn’t change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
    • “While the game offers a variety of characters, the core gameplay loop becomes stale after a few runs, making it hard to stay engaged for a second playthrough.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users note that while the game has some annoying glitches, addressing these issues could enhance its stability and make it a strong choice for fans of the genre.

    • “If the developers fix a couple of annoying glitches, it’ll be a solid option for genre fans.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

57% average critic score

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