Samurai Shodown VI
Cover artwork of the stand-alone PlayStation 2 version released in Japan.
Developer(s)	SNK Playmore Yuki Enterprise
Publisher(s)	SNK Playmore/Sega (U.S.)
Director(s)	Koji Takaya
Designer(s)	Tōru Sakurai Masahito Koyano
Programmer(s)	Kazuro Morita E. Hakumai Sunao Tomomori
Artist(s)	Takkun Eriko Kawada Chihiro Takahashi
Writer(s)	Tōru Sakurai
Composer(s)	Kennosuke Suemura Mitsuo Miyamoto
Series	Samurai Shodown
Platform(s)	Arcade, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Network
Release	Arcade JP: September 14, 2005 NA: 2006 PlayStation 2 JP: January 26, 2006 PlayStation Network JP: December 17, 2014 (PS3) NA: November 22, 2016 (PS4) EU: November 25, 2016 (PS4)
Genre(s)	Fighting game
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system	Atomiswave

Samurai Shodown VI, known as Samurai Spirits: Tale of the World's Greatest Swordsman (サムライスピリッツ 天下一剣客伝, Samurai Supirittsu Tenkaichi Kenkakuden) in Japan, is the tenth iteration in the Samurai Shodown series.

On December 17, 2014, the game was released as a PS2 Classic for the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Network, although only on the Japanese Store. In November 2016, the game was released for the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe through the PlayStation Network, with enhanced features such as trophy support and uprendered resolution.^[1]

Gameplay

The game features new backgrounds with 2D and 3D elements. It also features a "spirit select" system, which allows players to choose between six different fighting styles based on all previous series installments.

Characters

Samurai Shodown VI features 36 returning playable characters, consisting of nearly every playable character and boss from the previous numbered entries, as well four new characters and two non-playable bosses. The console release adds seven additional characters, consisting of three alternate versions of existing characters and four animal companions, and makes one of the boss characters playable for a total of 48 playable characters. New characters to the series are marked in bold.

Release

Despite normal Samurai Shodown releases and distribution outside Japan, the game has been released outside the country on the Atomiswave system, published in the United States by Sega. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on January 25, 2006. The American and European home versions were released respectively on March 24 and March 29, 2009, on the PS2, PSP and Wii as part of the compilation Samurai Shodown Anthology. The PS2 release added even more playable characters, and three more spirit select systems to go along with them. With the PS2 release, virtually every character to have ever appeared in the Neo Geo games including the referee, Kuroko, and the animal characters, are all playable. The Samurai Shodown Anthology version is similar to the PS2 version except that everything is unlocked at the start. In 2020, a homebrew conversion was released for the Dreamcast.^[3][4]

Reception