10 Insane Video Game Mechanics You Won't Believe Are Real
6. Dishonour - Bushido Blade
Perhaps as a response to the growing trend of fighting games, SquareSoft’s 1997 samurai-inspired Bushido Blade does its best to be as realistic as possible. Combos as you know them and even button bashing are not viable strategies, and the characters don’t even have health bars.
A single well-placed strike is all it takes to take down or be taken down, so long as it’s a traditionally fatal blow. That being said, there are advantages to be gained from striking your opponents limbs, causing them to crumple to the ground and forcing them to fight from their knees.
Bushido Blade prides itself on the importance of distance, timing, precision and, like the samurai of Japanese history, honour.
But it does give you the opportunity to forego this; allowing players in the story mode to strike their opponents before they have their weapon raised and even throw sand into their eyes to get a cheap victory. You’ll cleave through your enemies in no time, but the game will make sure you don’t feel good about it when halfway through the campaign it’ll inform you that such dishonourable acts will get you no further.
Indeed, if you want to see the true ending of Bushido Blade you’ll play with honour like any good warrior should.