Samurai Riot Reviews

Samurai Riot is ranked in the 5th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6.6 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2017

Samurai Riot is a 2D cooperative beat'em up arcade game with a lot to offer. It is not a breakthrough or something totally different from other beat'em ups, yet it is enjoyable and a great time-killer. Specially, with friends! With lots of enemies to kill, some of the hardest decisions of your life, great combos, beautifully crafted environment and a plot twist, Samurai Riot is waiting for you.

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6 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

Fairly standard beat ’em up game. The cooperative gameplay elements were well executed and the branching storyline was a very cool addition, but the enemy diversity really could have used some work...

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8 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2017

Overall I very much enjoyed my time with Samurai Riot and will certainly be playing through more until I have seen each ending. I also look forward to getting people to play who want different stories and seeing what happens come decision time.

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5 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

I have long been a fan of the brawling action genre, and Samurai Riot does a nice job of channeling some of the old school nostalgia with some pleasant enough art. However, this throwback to the buddy beat-'em-up genre really never does anything to distinguish itself from other games in the genre, making it a relatively fun if pretty average title in the end.

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70 / 100
Jun 8, 2022

Another return to the past with current technical architecture. Because the definitive edition of this Samurai Riot, launched five years ago, is a brawler with swords and direct contact. Wako Factory launched a title with an arcade flavor, which is not as sweet as it should be on the palate. In this definitive edition, aspects are polished, and it offers Nintendo Switch users the possibility of enjoying a very striking 'me against the neighborhood' with beautiful artistic invoice, but not as well tuned in gameplay as it should be. Although the possibility of making decisions, opening new phases, improving the characters, and above all, the always vicious 2Players mode also add up and make the game interesting and recommendable.

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3 / 5.0
Jun 24, 2022

Samurai Riot: Definitive Edition is a fun arcade-like title with a lot of replay value. The combat is fun and fast-paced, this in conjunction with the major differences between the characters lends itself well to a fun and energetic title. The story may be poor and the branching choices while a bold choice falls flat, the game still remains to be a wholly fun experience.

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55 / 100
Jun 28, 2022

Samurai Riot is a promising game. Apart from some frustrating bugs and crashes, the game introduces exciting gameplay and a great replay value. If you are into beat ‘em-up games, you might want to check it out on the Steam sale!

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7 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2022

While earlier on the Switch struggled to get its beat-em-up groove on, the past few years have at least been kind to the system, though genre fans would likely argue more would always be better...

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6.5 / 10.0
Jan 2, 2018

Samurai Riot is a passable experience. The fighting mechanics are fine, and the moral choices add something to the game, even if the story that accompanies it is rather uninteresting. The pacing, however, detracts enough from the game that unless you want to see all of the potential storylines, you'll stop playing if you can muster enough interest to finish one storyline. If you plan on playing this with a friend, then it isn't a bad purchase, but those looking for more from their beat-'em-ups can skip this one for now.

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3 / 10
Sep 22, 2017

Samurai Riot has a number of novel ideas, but the repetitive levels and wonky engine undo any good will. Those who are looking for the next coming of the beat-em-up will likely be disappointed with this title.

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6 / 10
Sep 18, 2017

Samurai Riot is a wonderful arcade game, but a mediocre to, sometimes, bad beat 'em up. The arcade experience is very strong, especially in co-op, as the studio has nailed what people want in an such a title down to the letter, with unlockable alternative styles for characters, and multiple routes for higher replay value and routing for points to figure out where it is easier to rack up a neat high score. However, the core gameplay feels too simplistic, and the background could do a much better job at making it easier to see what is breakable or not, and thus make finding health and one-ups less tedious.

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5 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2022

With the side-scrolling beat ’em up genre currently going through somewhat of a revival, it’s a shame that Samurai Riot: Definitive Edition disappoints. It’s unique in the space and genuinely does have some good ideas. But when it comes to the gameplay, it just can’t compete with the likes of Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Shredder’s Revenge. If you really like the game’s setting and art style it might be worth taking a gamble thanks to its budget price, but chances are you’ll find it overly repetitive, as well as a bit dull and frustrating.

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5 / 10.0
Aug 9, 2022

I personally love a good side-scrolling beat ‘em up game but Samurai Riot: Definitive Edition is just not one of them. While the different schools and branching paths are some cool ideas the actual gameplay and technical issues left me feeling disappointed. There are a lot of other recently released titles in this genre that are just flat out better so you are better off spending your money on those.

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6 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2022

Samurai Riot is a decent 2D action arcade game, it just needs some refinement. It looks good, it (mostly) plays well, and it satisfies the old arcade beat-'em-up desire. If the developers fix a couple annoying glitches, it'll be a solid options for genre fans.

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7 / 10
Jun 1, 2022

Samurai Riot Definitive Edition doesn't reinvent the sidescrolling slapper genre, but it's fun and cheap enough to make it as worthwhile of a purchase as any. ‍

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Oct 5, 2017

It's obvious that Wako Games have tried to roll back the clock and provide players with a 'classic' arcade experience in a modern age. Yet the time of the arcade is long gone and the beat-em-up cannot survive on the basic formula.

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3.5 / 10.0
Jun 16, 2022

While Samurai Riot has decent gameplay and an interesting choose-your-own-path mechanic, I cannot recommend anyone buy Samurai Riot for the Switch right now due to the save erasing bug.

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3 / 10
Jun 9, 2022

It is a shame that Samurai Riot Definitive Edition has such numerous technical issues, because they impact what would be a decent side scrolling brawler. Without the issues, the game would be a decent thing to play. One run through the game takes approximately two hours, but in its current state Samurai Riot is just frustrating.

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