is a fighting video game developed by Lightweight and published by Square for the PlayStation. The game features one-on-one armed combat. Its name refers to the Japanese warrior code of honor, bushidō.
Upon its release, the realistic fighting engine in Bushido Blade was seen as innovative, particularly the game's unique Body Damage System. A direct sequel, Bushido Blade 2, was released on the PlayStation a year later. Another game with a related title and gameplay, Kengo: Master of Bushido, was also developed by Lightweight for the PlayStation 2.
Gameplay
left|thumb|Utsusemi striking Red Shadow with his sword, with visible blood, in Bushido Blade
The bulk of the gameplay in Bushido Blade revolves around one-on-one third-person battles between two opponents. Unlike most fighting games, however, no time limit or health gauge is present during combat. Most hits will cause instant death, while traditional fighting games require many hits to deplete an opponent's health gauge. It is possible to wound an opponent without killing them. With the game's "Body Damage System," opponents are able to physically disable each other in increments with hits from an equipped weapon, slowing their attacking and running speed, or crippling their legs, forcing them to crawl.
The game features eight weapons to choose from in many of its modes: katana, nodachi, long sword, saber, broadsword, naginata, rapier, and sledgehammer. giving each one fixed power, speed, and an ability to block. A variety of attack combinations can be executed by the player using button sequences with the game's "Motion Shift System," where one swing of a weapon is followed through with another.
One day, a Kage member escapes the confines of the dojo with its secrets. Several other members of the society, under penalty of death, are sent to dispatch the defector, only catching up to him (or her) within the ruins of the surrounding Yin and Yang Labyrinth Castle. In single player mode the players take on the role of the escaped assassin (independent of whatever character they choose), fighting their way out by killing their comrades one by one. Elements of the game story differ with each character selected.
Development
Bushido Blade was the first title developed by Lightweight, a partially owned subsidiary of the game's publisher Square at the time of its release. The project was directed by Shuhiko Nakata, who wished to add tension to the traditional fighting game formula by having the possibility of a one-hit kill. However, Nakata stated that hit detection was implemented for the torso, head, and limbs to make the game more of a "swordsmanship simulator" rather than a fighting game. The director explained that the bushidō code of honor present in the game was not strictly the warrior's "way of dying" like that found in the Edo period's famous Hagakure guide but emphasized the concept of one's own survival as found in teachings of earlier Japanese time periods.
The musical score for Bushido Blade was created by Namco and Arika composer Shinji Hosoe with contributions by Ayako Saso and Takayuki Aihara. Much of the audio utilizes the flute and violin, as well as a traditional Japanese instrument, the shamisen. The music was released with the soundtrack for Square's Driving Emotion Type-S, also composed by the trio, on a two-disc set in 2001. The Bushido Blade disc contains 23 tracks. Unlike many other Square soundtracks of the era which were released by DigiCube, the music, copyrighted by Hosoe, was published by his own Super Sweep Records company. Bushido Blade was presold in convenience stores in Japan prior to its release, similar to Square's decision to presell its hit Final Fantasy VII in Lawson stores.
The North American release of Bushido Blade had one minor graphical change: blood was added, replacing the yellow flash that appears during a fatal blow. Despite the North American-exclusive inclusion of graphic violence, the ESRB rated the game Teen, while the ELSPA gave the European release a more restrictive 18+ rating.
Reception
In Japan, Bushido Blade was the 25th best selling game of 1997 in Japan, selling nearly 387,937 copies. The game was later reprinted, along with a handful of other Square Enix titles, under the developer's "Legendary Hits" label. The game was also added to the PSone Classics roster on the Japanese PlayStation Store in 2008. In the United States, the game sold 324,083 units , adding up to units sold in Japan and the United States .
Bushido Blade was critically well received, primarily for the innovation of its combat system. However, most reviewers soundly approved of the fighting system. IGN said it was "extremely innovative, yet still not so ambitious as to have lost the point." GameSpot similarly opined, "Bushido Blade is a bold undertaking, but a remarkably successful one." Next Generation stated that "Given that Square has chosen to take a much more realistic approach to blade combat than most fighters, it could be argued that Bushido Blade is the kind of game you either love or hate. However, while it may not offer the same arcade-style button mashing or twenty hit combos of other 3D brawlers, it does offer the closest you can get to the real thing without actually getting cut."
Other subjects of praise for the game were the detailed graphics, In November 2000, Bushido Blade was voted by the readers of Weekly Famitsu magazine as number 85 in its top 100 PlayStation games of all time. In 2006, the game was ranked number 190 on 1UP.coms list of The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time. In 2010, GamesRadar included Bushido Blade on the list of the seven "'90s games that need HD remakes".