Another in this funny little subgenre of samurai-themed post-DOUBLE DRAGON, pre-FINAL FIGHT brawler-esques. This one's a lot more like RENEGADE in that you don't go anywhere, just fight a certain number of guys in an arena a couple times, and then a boss. It's fun, though. When you start a level, all the mooks come out and surround you cinematically before you can move, so things always kick off with a bang, with you (and 2P, if you want to make it even cooler) fighting your way out of the first wave. Enemies are powerful but your health bar is generous and they telegraph their big moves, so if you eat a bunch of damage you usually feel like it's your fault. The bosses ramp up the tension by doing even more damage and blocking most of your shots, but amusingly, they also blast you backwards when you clash swords sometimes. Doesn't hurt you any but makes them feel intimidating. KABUKI-Z tried to do something similar with your guy getting stunned after certain bosses blocked, but in that you just stood there and vibrated for a couple seconds, which was just lame and broke the flow.

Things are rounded out by some occasionally good music, funny voice samples, and bonus stages on horseback. Not bad! Not exactly a forgotten classic it's but a short and fun-enough hack 'n' slash.