82: Second Samurai

Number 82
(72.8 points)
Second Samurai
1994: 19 (49.2)
1995: 79 (17.6)
1996: 95 (6.0)

So much for naming the original game as a play on The Last Ninja, now there are two of them.

Following on from the First Samurai, your titular hero can run, jump, punch, kick, and wield a sword, as well as using other techniques like throwing knives or casting magic spells. You collect those throughout the levels, and need to keep up your spiritual power to acquire and keep hold of your sword. Compared to the first game, there are more bonus rooms to find, and you no longer need to activate pots to respawn, but you have lost the ability to scale walls, making the levels a little more linear.

It's interesting to compare this to the first game, and the fact that the Amiga Power team clearly preferred this one since it replaced it in the Top 100 lists. Personally, I think I'm more fond of the first game: it doesn't seem quite as hectic, it seems a bit easier to keep hold of your sword, and the decision to remove the ability to climb is a bit weird. I'm not sure which one is harder, but it's tough to say which one is better. Might as well try both. Oh, and there is an AGA version, but the difference is negligible.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Second Samurai (1993)(Psygnosis)(Disk 1 of 3)[cr FLT]
Second Samurai (1993)(Psygnosis)(Disk 2 of 3)[a]
Second Samurai (1993)(Psygnosis)(Disk 3 of 3)
Second Samurai (1994)(Psygnosis)(AGA)(Disk 1 of 3)[cr HLM]
Second Samurai (1994)(Psygnosis)(AGA)(Disk 2 of 3)
Second Samurai (1994)(Psygnosis)(AGA)(Disk 3 of 3)