How Samurai Shodown Turned a Catholic Radical Into a Gay Warlock

Virtually every fighting game in the 1990s brought together martial artists from around the world to engage in one-on-one combat. Samurai Shodown did this as well, but it stood apart as a result of two crucial differences. For one, it had each fighter bring a weapon into battle, and for another, it was the rare period piece fighting game, with the ten playable characters convening in Edo-era Japan over the course of the spring and summer of 1788. In the background of the tournament, however, lurks a bigger story about an otherworldly phenomenon that threatens to topple the Tokugawa Shogunate ruling over Japan. As your chosen fighter advances through the game, you’re given glimpses of what awaits you in the final duel: a sinister presence that seems to emerge from an even older time period. (All three images via Video Game Museum.) In the game’s finale, this figure steps out of the shadows and confronts you for one final duel. He’s Amakusa, you’re told, and although this name may not…