Bushido Blade 1997

Is it still worth playing?

In this 1997 fighting game for the PlayStation, a single hit can kill, and there is no health gauge or time limit. Hits can also wound: an arm injury slows a fighter and rules out two handed attacks and throws, and a leg injury forces a crawl. Each fighter picks one of eight weapons, among them the katana, nodachi, saber, rapier, naginata and sledgehammer, each with a fixed weight, power and reach. Attacks are high, mid or low, each weapon has three stances, and blocking is a timed parry. The arenas are large and outdoors, where you can run, climb to higher ground, hide behind trees or throw snow at an opponent's eyes. There are six characters, and the modes include a story mode with four bosses and a mode against 100 ninja. There is almost no music. One strike that can end a fight still makes every exchange a risk.