The
Last Blade
STORY: The Last Blade is set in 1863 during the
Bakumatsu, the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate where a clash of
ideologies were fighting to decide Japan's new society. Long before
humanity existed, in a far off time of myth, death was an unknown, equally
distant concept, but when death first came to the world, the "Messenger
from Afar" was born. With time, the Sealing Rite was held in order to seal
Death behind Hell's Gate. At that time, two worlds, one near and one far,
were born. Thus the history of life and death began.
Half a year
has passed since Suzaku's madness, and the underworld is still linked by
a great portal. Kagami's great sin is still heard as if ringing from the
heavens. Our world has been called upon. Legends of long ago told of the
sealing of the boundary between the two worlds. The Sealing Rite would
be necessary to hold back the spirits of that far away world. However, the
Sealing Rite brings together the power of the Four Gods and Sealing Maiden,
for the first time properly completing the ritual.
To find the Sealing Maiden,
Genbu began searching in the center of the world, from which all things
begin. At the same time in the underworld, in the depths of darkness, many
spirits conspired, plotting to hinder the Sealing Rite. They had but one
wish, to be reborn into our world.
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Classy selection screen.
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REVIEW:
Following in the footsteps of SNK's highly
acclaimed Samurai Shodown series,
The
Last Blade presents a brand new cast of samurai-style characters inspired by the Bakumatsu period
in ancient Japan. The Last Blade was one of the only 2D weapon based fighting game around
at the time of its debut. Although it didn't become as popular as other SNK franchises,
the series becames known among NeoGeo fans for its interesting character
designs, superb animation & graphics (some of SNK's best to date), and solid gameplay.
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Things are about to get
ugly.
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Besides Last Blade's slick
graphics and cool characters, the innovation lies within its unique gameplay.
Players can choose between two different
"styles" per character: "Speed" and "Power". Speed Mode
enables speed
combos, chain combos, and desperation moves, while Power Mode increases damage
potential but limits combos, requiring more strict inputs, and also gives
the character the ability to do a Super Desperation Move.
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Gorgeous
backgrounds... in case you didn't notice.
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Overall, Last Blade's gameplay system includes deep systems for those that put the time in,
but is also rather
easy to pick up for beginners. For the advanced players, the gameplay engine
features a deflecting or parrying system, allowing for quick countering
and, not to mention, some pretty epic-looking sword battles. While the first Last
Blade is a very solid 2D fighter, I personally don't find it as fun or
replayable as other SNK titles. In terms of both characters and gameplay, I
think Samurai Shodown installments still have the edge (pun intended). 
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| Page Updated: |
December
6th, 2022 |
| Developer(s): |
SNK |
| Publisher(s): |
SNK |
| Platform(s): |
Neo
Geo, Neo Geo CD, PC, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, PS4
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| Artwork By: |
Aki
Senno (TONKO) Character Design / Promo Art |
| Release Date(s): |
Dec. 5th, 1997
/
 Arcade
Jan. 29th, 1998
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NeoGeo
Mar. 26th, 1998 /
NeoGeo CD
Feb. 25th, 1999 PlayStation
Jan. 12th, 2006
PS2 - in NeoGeo Online Collection
June 15th, 2017 PS4 / PSN |
| Characters: |
Kaede,
Moriya Minakata,
Yuki,
Juzoh Kanzaki,
Akari Ichijo, Hyo
Amano,
Shigen,
Zantetsu,
Shikyo, Keiichiro
Washizuka, Lee Rekka,
Genbu no Okina,
Musashi Akatsuki, Shinnosuke
Kagami |
| News
Links: |
December
2022: SNK Shares 25th Anniversary Last Blade Art |
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
The Last Blade 2, The
Last Blade: Beyond The Destiny, Samurai Shodown, Samurai Shodown 4,
Soul Blade, Soul Calibur, Bushido
Blade, The King of Fighters '97,
Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Street
Fighter III: New Generation, Street
Fighter Alpha 3, Golden Axe: The Duel,
Asura Blade, NeoGeo
Battle Coliseum |
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Gameplay
Engine
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8.5 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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9.0 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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9.0 / 10
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Animation
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9.0 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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8.0 / 10
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Innovation
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7.5 / 10
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Art Direction
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8.5 / 10
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Customization
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8.0 / 10
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Options / Extras
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7.5 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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8.5 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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6.0 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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7.0 / 10
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Characters
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7.5 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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8.1
/
10
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Review based on Arcade
version
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| Final
Words: |
Although The Last Blade was a gorgeous and highly technical 2D fighting game... it didn't nearly match the level of popularity of its friendly rival series, Samurai Shodown. Why? I suppose because Samurai
Shodown had flashier moves, perhaps more exciting & charismatic characters at the time, and stylish fatalities at the end of bouts. In fact, after playing the Samurai Shodown series for many years... The Last Blade seemed a bit like a more "watered down"
version of Samurai Shodown.
Even so, The Last Blade still holds its own as a high quality 2D fighting game from SNK... and was very ahead of its time! The well-animated 2D character sprites, beautifully drawn 2D backgrounds, and calming music really stood out from the crowd in the 1997-1998 fighting genre!
I always though the fighters of Last Blade don't have much "ferocity" as compared to similar fighting game characters at the time. It almost seems like The Last Blade characters don't really
want to hurt each other all that much.  They all sort of seem more like friends or something (reflected quite vividly in the official box art). Personally, I like to see a bit more bloodthirstiness
out of my samurai fighters.
In any case, The Last Blade is one of SNK's hidden gems and was definitely groundbreaking in terms of video game animation and presentation
back in 1997. (And that's actually saying a lot, since '97 was an very competitive time in the genre.) The sequel, Last Blade 2, released about
1 year after the first game and was a solid enhancement, adding several great
new characters and stages.
~TFG
Webmaster |
@Fighters_Gen
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