Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context VideoGame / BushidoBlade

Go To

1[[quoteright:316:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bushidobladegame.PNG]]
2->''Not everyone can be a {{samurai}} warrior. Not everyone can live by the power of the sword! Not everyone can die with honor.\
3''I'', for example, make '''kazoos'''!'' ''*honk!*''
4-->-- '''[[Creator/{{Mako}} Blacksmith]]''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3d5HS_FTQk U.S. TV ad]] for ''Bushido Blade''.
5
6A series of two {{Fighting Game}}s released by [[Creator/SquareEnix Square Soft]]. Both games were released for the Playstation. ''Bushido Blade'' was released in 1997 and its sequel ''Bushido Blade 2'' was released in 1998.
7
8The games' plot focuses on two rivaling schools: the Narukagami and the Shainto. The Narukagami has its own dojo, the Meikyokan, and a secret assassin team known as Kage. The first game deals with Tatsumi's [[ContractOnTheHitman attempt to leave the Kage]] after its leader became insane due to a [[EvilWeapon cursed sword]]. The second game starts with the Shainto's raid of the Meikyokan in an attempt to recover said sword, and then use it to end their enemies once and for all.
9
10These games differ from traditional {{Fighting Game}}s in many ways. A quick list: no [[HitPoints life gauges]] (a well-placed attack can be a OneHitKill!), ability to injure ([[SubsystemDamage slashing an arm or a leg cripples the opponent]]), everyone has a real weapon (mostly melee, but a few characters use guns) and use them fairly realistically, easy-to-use simple specials that are typically just a different type of attack (stabbing as opposed to slashing), hitting a critical spot can make an opponent slowly bleed out, and other more realistic features that are rare in the genre.
11
12After its second game, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork arguments between developer Light Weight and Squaresoft]] ended in the franchise's demise.
13
14There was a spiritual successor with ''Kengo'' (''Kengo: Master of Bushido'' in the West) developed by Light Weight and Genki, and published by Crave and Majesco Entertainment, which also became it's own series of games. Kengo also featured highly strategic fighting, one hit kills, crippling limbs, and forcing an opponent to bleed out, however it introduced life and "spirit" gauges, training mini games, and a leveling system.
15
16[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not related]] to the 1981 film of the same name.
17----
18!!Tropes:
19
20[[foldercontrol]]
21
22[[folder:General]]
23* AnachronismStew: The game is actually set in the modern day, so the anachronism isn't the guy with the gun on the helipad -- it's that you're fighting him with a sword dressed like you came out of the Edo period.
24* ArbitraryGunPower: Averted; a single shot to the torso will almost always put you down, through if you're lucky and get winged in a limb instead you can survive.
25* {{BFS}}: A ''nodachi'' and broadsword are among the pool of weapons available to your characters.
26* BottomlessMagazines: Averted with the gunslingers. To balance out their limitless range and power, they need to reload after running out of ammo.
27* {{Camp}}: Katze, what with his high-pitched voice, mannerism and rather pintoresque choice of wardrobe.
28* CaptainErsatz: Black Lotus is basically an Irish [[Franchise/{{Zorro}} Zorro]] that doesn't wear a hat.
29* ChekhovsGunman: Mikado's sensei, Genyou Sakaki, is mentioned in the first game's worst ending. In the sequel, he's the FinalBoss (the one that counts) of the Shainto story side. The Narukagami princess also appears in the first game, being the girl that hands the characters their weapons on the character selection screen.
30* {{Deconstruction}}: With the battle system that allows instant kills along with precise attacks, this game can be considered one for weaponized FightingGame genre.
31* EyeOpen: Happens when you continue after being killed.
32* FaceHeelTurn: As noted above, Hanzaki in the first game. Black Lotus sorta as well, when he changes allegiances to the Shainto under a new identity, Highwayman. "Sorta" because the Shainto are only Heels from the perspective of the Narukagami and vice versa.
33* GlassCannon: [[RocketTagGameplay Even by the standards of this game]], gun-wielding characters qualify for the inherent range, power, and attack speed of their weapons. However, they have the worst recovery of all the characters: their reload time makes them sitting ducks to their opponents, whom are given more than enough time to land a successful killing blow. And if you wing them, they'll no longer be able to reload. In the first game, attacking Katze's legs is enough to beat him.
34* GreyAndGreyMorality: The Narukagami and the Shainto are fierce rivals, but there is no good/evil dichotomy between them. Both clans have many noble characters in them and both have legitimate grievances to justify their ongoing conflict.
35* GunsAreWorthless: Hahaha, '''[[AvertedTrope NO]]'''. The two gun-wielding characters are some of the toughest opponents you'll face. The only thing that makes it fair for the player is that both take a relatively long time to reload, and they're defenseless while they do it.
36* AHandfulForAnEye: You can do this in both games by using the subweapon button without any subweapon. In the first game, though, this was considered [[NonstandardGameOver dishonorable]].
37* InASingleBound: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]; no character can jump higher than their own height, and heavy weapons reduce this considerably.
38* MacGuffin: The Yugiri, an AncestralWeapon created by the Shainto clan that was stolen by the Narukagami's ancestors. Said weapon is also implied to be an EvilWeapon that winds up possessing then-Narukagami leader Hanzaki in the first game. The Shainto characters' main objective in the second game is to recover it.
39* MadeOfIron: A notable aversion due to the lack of a LifeMeter mechanic. Unlike other weapon-based fighters where characters can regularly shrug off fatal blows, like ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'' or ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', in ''Bushido Blade'' a character can be killed with a single clean hit.
40* MarathonLevel: Slash Mode in both games.
41* McNinja: Red Shadow is a ''Russian'' ex ninja, while Black Lotus is an ''Irish'' one.
42* {{Miko}}: Mikado.
43* MultiMookMelee: "Slash" Mode, renamed "Chambara" Mode in the sequel. How fast can you take down 100 {{mooks}} with just your trusty katana before getting killed?
44* MultipleEndings: The first game has a different ending for each character depending on how well you upheld the Code of Bushido (and how little damage you took along the way). The sequel has 2 endings for the Shainto-side characters, which depends on [[spoiler:whether you kill or spare the last descendant of the Kagami]].
45* {{Ninja}}: Red Shadow/Hotarubi. Nightstalker joins her in ''Bushido Blade 2''.
46* OneHitKill: An inherent part of the combat system.
47* PressXToDie: In both games, there's the option to surrender by pressing Select. In the first game you need to wait for your foe to finish you off; while the second activates a cutscene after a short time (allowing for a sneak attack if you cancel it before it kicks in). In the first game, you can only surrender if your legs are crippled, though.
48* ProfessionalKiller: Katze has been contracted in both games to kill the main guys.
49* RocketTagGameplay: [[JustifiedTrope Given that this is a more realistic take on swordplay]], combat amounts to who lands the killing blow first; in many cases, it's [[SingleStrokeBattle the first one]]. The first game even requires the player to complete a NoDamageRun in order to face off against the TrueFinalBoss and view the GoldenEnding of their character.
50* {{Ronin}}: Matsumushi from the sequel.
51* RoyalRapier: A selectable weapon in the first, and Highwayman's subweapon in the second.
52* {{Samurai}}: The majority of the playable cast.
53* SecretCharacter: Katze (both games) and Tsubame (second only). The second also has two nameless kabuki-themed characters to unlock, one for each clan.
54* ShowsDamage: In the story mode, after each fight, areas that were injured will be if you continue after being killed, areas injured prior to your defeat will be bloodied or bandaged.
55* SingleStrokeBattle: A very possible scenario in any battle if one can get in a well-placed clean strike on the enemy. See OneHitKill, above.
56* StanceSystem: A central part of the game system. The first game has three different stances to choose from, while the sequel included a few extra stances like [[IaijutsuPractitioner sheathed]] and DualWielding.
57* SubsystemDamage: One of the game's unique features. Arms and legs can incapacitated in the first game, while the second only retained arm incapacitation. A broken arm would lead to weaker (and slower) striking force and defense, one broken leg would force the fighter to hobble around on one knee, while both broken legs meant they could only crawl (which meant almost certain defeat).
58* TrueCompanions: Tatsumi, Kannuki and Mikado seem to be very close. This is specially noticeable in their ''Bushido Blade 2'' endings.
59* WeaponSpecialization: While any character can use any weapon (besides guns of course), each character has a weapon they specialize in that they have a larger move-set with. In 2 in particular, this leads to entirely new fighting styles such as dual wielding or iaijutsu quickdraw attacks.
60* WouldntHitAGirl: Black Lotus is clearly distraught with having to kill female combatants.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Bushido Blade]]
64* AKA47: Closer inspection of Katze's gun (especially its silhouette on the weapon selection screen) reveals that it is actually a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_C96 Mauser C96]], which is simply referred to as the "Pistol" in-game; this is [[AnachronismStew especially strange]] considering Mauser halted production of the gun in ''the early 60s'', and the main storyline occurs long afterwards.
65* AwesomeButImpractical[=/=]JokeItem: The sledgehammer is a good weapon to use for incapacitating your enemies, but good luck actually killing anyone with it. Since it's not a bladed weapon, you can't get away with simply slashing or stabbing them. The game treats blunt attacks as non-lethal hits for the most part, so only a very specific blow to the enemy's head will actually kill them. And if you try to use it with a lightweight character (like Tatsumi), some of the attacks will actually cause them to stumble and fall.
66* DrivenToSuicide: Black Lotus in both his endings. The only difference in his true ending is the reveal of a woman back in Ireland who mourns his passing.
67* GratuitousEnglish: After talking like an old-fashioned samurai for the majority of the game, Black Lotus's last words in his regular ending are "This is the Bushido!"
68** Red Shadow's normal ending has Hanzaki referring to her as a "killing machine," which he says in Japanese as 殺人マシン (''satsujin mashin''), or literally "murder machine."
69* GuideDangIt: Getting the best ending in the first game seems NintendoHard because of the stringent [[HonorBeforeReason honor requirements]] that you aren't told about. But it turns out that one element that you would ''think'' is part of the honor rules isn't: [[spoiler: You are allowed to run away from opponents. The stages are not separate, but form a connected chain, and if you enter the next stage without killing your current opponent, they will simply follow you and no new opponent spawns. By crippling your first opponent's leg, you can easily run all the way to the well and jump into it, where you face the last four opponents after the one you ran away from. So you can get the best ending by handicapping yourself against every opponent… or by simply running away and avoiding most of them. Incidentally, if you're going to cut their legs, wait until you reach the well, or else you'll have to wait for them to drag themselves to you on every screen transition.]]
70** There is a "clue" in the explanation for the story mode: [[spoiler:the premise of the story mode is that your character is trying to escape, and the other characters — your friends — have been sent to assassinate you. So the logic seems to be that you get the best ending by ''actually escaping'', while sticking around to kill all your friends is dishonorable]]. But while there's some sense to be made, it's still a major case of this trope.
71* HonorBeforeReason: It's a ''gameplay element'' in the form of the Bushido Code. Acting dishonorably results in a NonStandardGameOver.
72** Taken to an extreme when fighting Katze. He has the [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard gall to bring a gun to a sword fight]] and you must wait for him to finish speaking ''and aim the gun at you'' before attacking him. Doing otherwise [[NintendoHard will fail the story and give you the bad ending]].
73* TheManBehindTheMan: Kindachi is hinted to be the one behind the BigBad's FaceHeelTurn.
74* NintendoHard: It's nigh-impossible to get the [[MultipleEndings good endings]], both because you can't get hit once including non-lethal hits (if you're wearing a bandage during the next fight, you're already disqualified), and you have to do a series of [[GuideDangIt tasks the game never hints at]] to even get the normal ending.
75* NonStandardGameOver: In Story mode, you must abide by the Bushido Code and fight honorably. Using low tactics like throwing dust in your opponent's eyes or attacking them in the back will abruptly cut your playthrough short, with a random message berating you for it.
76* OldMaster: Utsusemi, the oldest Narukagami-side character at 56, is the master for both Red Shadow and Tatsumi (as well as MrExposition in the latter's case) and was the former leader of Kage before Hanzaki.
77* ParentalSubstitute: Utsusemi to Tatsumi.
78* ResignationsNotAccepted: The Kage works with this code in the first game, which is what sets things into motion.
79* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Kannuki in the first game: he's out to get revenge for his hometown being slaughtered under Hanzaki's orders. Midway through, he realizes that not everyone's involved and decides to just kill those that stand in his way.
80* TalkToTheFist: The story mode let you stop your opponent in the middle of their PreAssKickingOneLiner, though it counts as [[NonstandardGameOver breaking Bushido]].
81* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Technically averted as there's nothing physically stopping you from walking up and killing your opponent during their opening lines at the start of a fight. That said, if you wish to see either of the actual endings, you cannot do so as it breaks Bushido and leads to a NonstandardGameOver.
82* TrueFinalBoss: After going through the [[NintendoHard needlessly hard]] Code of Honor handicaps [[NoDamageRun unharmed]], you get to fight each character's TrueFinalBoss: Kindachi (Mikado, Utsusemi, Red Shadow), Hongou (Black Lotus, Tatsumi), and a severely wounded Black Lotus (Kannuki). As a bonus, your character's true ending is guaranteed regardless of how many rematches or dishonorable tactics you employ at this point.
83* WhatTheHellPlayer: Among the NonStandardGameOver messages that chew you out for breaking the bushido code, one is especially blunt and to-the-point: "Cowards can go no further."
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:Bushido Blade 2]]
87* AttackItsWeakPoint: Hiragi Taina, the Shinto side's FinalBoss, must be hit on the back to be killed. Attacking any other part results in a rebound due to his armor.
88* CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown: Black Lotus, in his new persona as the rival Shainto "The Highwayman" in the sequel. Obviously, none of his former Narukagami allies are fooled for long.
89* CombatPragmatist: Since the Bushido code is no longer enforced in this game, some fighters have a few cheap tricks up their sleeve. For example, Isohachi can startle his opponent by yelling loudly, making them drop their weapon for a moment and allowing him a free slash. Chihiro can throw a ''frog'' at the enemy, making a few female opponents (like Red Shadow, for one) freak out and giving [[PronounTrouble him]]/[[ShesAManInJapan her]] a very huge opening.
90* ContemplateOurNavels: Pretty much all Shainto-side characters do this in their endings.
91* DistinctionWithoutADifference: The Shainto are [[InsistentTerminology very insistent]] that they do ''not'' hold a grudge against the Narukagami. They merely intend to destroy the Narukagami as revenge for the way that the Narukagami wronged them in the past. ''Totally'' different.
92* DominoMask: Used by Highwayman to [[PaperThinDisguise hide his true identity]].
93* TheDragon: Gengoro. Besides being utmost loyal to the Shainto and Taina, he's usually the one fought before him.
94* DualWielding: A few characters (Tatsumi, Utsusemi, Matsumushi, Hotarubi, and Highwayman) can dual-wield with a specific weapon and their subweapon.
95* FeudingFamilies: The backstory for the second game states the ancestors of the Narukagami (Kagami) and Shainto (Sue) were feudal families under the same Daimyo, which after his fall entered in conflict, spawning a secret war for over 800 years.
96* FunnyForeigner: Suminagashi, a [[TheBigGuy large]] American that [[{{Malaproper}} speaks broken Japanese]] in the original version (and [[TranslationConvention broken English]] in the localization). Also Tony Umeda, a [[DiscoDan disco-styled]] [[ButNotTooForeign half-African half-Japanese]] "black ninja" whose main goal is to create his own style… based on ''dancing moves''. Lastly, there's "Highwayman" who dresses like ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', but has a thick Scots accent…
97* GenkiGirl: Jo.
98* IaijutsuPractitioner: Gengoro, Kaun, Tony, and Utamaru makes use of the "sheathed" stance in the sequel. It's also a mild case of AwesomeButImpractical, as performing just one slash in that stance results in a time-consuming (but pretty damn cool) animation where they twirl the sword around for a while before sheathing it back again.
99* ICannotSelfTerminate: In the second game's ending for both Kannuki and Mikado, [[spoiler:Tatsumi forces them to kill him, since after discovering his Shainto roots, he feels that the feud will never end until the last Shainto is dead]].
100* IslandBase: The Shainto's HQ.
101* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:Tatsumi]], the Shainto leader Hiragi Daina is your father!
102* OldSoldier: Isohachi, a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII veteran.
103* PromotedToPlayable: Sazanka, Tsubame, and Hongou were originally computer-controlled only characters in the first game, but were re-introduced in the second game as playable characters, though not before getting ''radically'' redesigned ([[MoreDakka Tsubame]] and [[DualWielding Hongou]] in particular).
104* RingOut: Implemented in a few stages. There are no {{Bottomless Pit}}s though, so one can see the poor sap fall to his/her demise. In Versus mode, for a laugh, you can position your character near a ledge to make them fall as they do their win-pose (if their pose doesn't just have them standing still); the game will cut to the loading screen before they hit the ground.
105* RiskStyleMap: The story mode has one.
106* TheRival: Hongou considers Tatsumi his rival after his defeat in the first game. Utamaru seems to consider Kaun his rival, even though they are on the same side.
107* {{Seppuku}}: You can end a fight by giving up; this causes your character to commit seppuku. See PressXToDie, above.
108* ShesAManInJapan: Chihiro is clearly female in the Japanese script, but was given a male dub-actor and is referred to as a male with pronouns consistently in the English version.
109* ShoutOut: Jo takes her VictoryPose from Cloud in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.
110* TheSiege: In the story mode, Shainto's forces have sprung an attack on the Narukagami's HQ believing their forces are reduced after the first game's ordeal.
111* TheStoic: Kaun.
112* TeleportSpam: Sakaki, the last opponent in the Shainto storyline. Every time the player strikes, he is instantly teleported away from you. The catch is that every successive teleport places him closer to the character, and leaves him vulnerable for a few seconds.
113* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Certain characters have a sword subweapon that can be thrown and, on clean shots, {{One Hit Kill}}ing the enemy.
114[[/folder]]
115

Top