The Last Blade
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| The Last Blade | |
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| Developer(s) | SNK |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Release date(s) | December 5, 1997 (MVS) January 29, 1998 (AES) |
| Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo CD, NGPC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Windows, Dreamcast |
| Input | 8-way Joystick, 4 Buttons |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system(s) | Neo-Geo (474 Mbit cartridge) |
| Arcade display | Raster, 320 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
The Last Blade (幕末浪漫 月華の剣士 Bakumatsu Roman Gekka no Kenshi?, which roughy tranlates as "Romance of the Late Tokugawa shogunate: The Swordsman of Moon Flower"), or LB for short, is a fighting game series created by SNK for the Neo-Geo arcade and home system.
The game takes place during the Bakumatsu era of Japan, and also has a take on Japanese mythology. All of the characters in the series are of Japanese origin, excluding Lee Rekka, who is from China, and Yuki, whose birthplace is unknown.
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[edit] Story Synopsis
Long before humanity existed, in a far off time of myth, death was an unknown, equally distant concept, but when death first came to the world, the "Messenger from Afar" was born.
With time, the Sealing Rite was held in order to seal Death behind Hell's Gate. At that time, two worlds, one near and one far, were born. Thus the history of life and death began.
Half a year has passed since Suzaku's madness, and the underworld is still linked by a great portal. Kagami's great sin is still heard as if ringing from the heavens. Our world has been called upon. Legends of long ago told of the sealing of the boundary between the two worlds. The Sealing Rite would be necessary to hold back the spirits of that far away world.
However, the Sealing Rite brings together the power of the Four Gods and Sealing Maiden, for the first time properly completing the ritual.
To find the Sealing Maiden, Genbu began searching in the center of the world, from which all things begin. At the same time in the underworld, in the depths of darkness, many spirits conspired, plotting to hinder the Sealing Rite. They had but one wish, to be reborn into our world.
[edit] Gameplay
The Last Blade's gameplay is characterised by 2 selectable fighting styles, and a unique combo system along with a "deflect" or "parrying" system which is much more forgiving in terms of timing than similar systems from other games (see Street Fighter III and Garou: Mark of the Wolves).
The two styles consist of "Speed" mode,Which would allow one to easily chain several normal attacks into a special or desperation move, as well as execution of a "Speed Combo" which consists of a set of pre-determined button sequences, While "Power" mode requires much stricter timing with regards to chaining attacks, but also increases damage potential exponentially, opening up a variety of desperation move links, and giving access to "Super Desperation Moves" which inflict an exhorbitant amount of damage. Power mode also allows the player to perform Super Cancels, i.e. cancel into a Desperation move from a special move, thus increasing the chaining potential of moves.
[edit] Trivia
- Just as Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin series was inspired by Samurai Shodown, The Last Blade series was SNK's way of returning the favor, with the same time period, many similar moves, and character designs which bear a resemblance to those seen in the anime and manga series. Some examples are Moriya, Washizuka, Hibiki, and Amano.
- The game's unique style of music (sweeping orchestral melodies, largely devoid of percussion, as opposed to the usual upbeat rock/techno fare of most fighting games), has drawn both great criticism and praise from reviewers and gamers alike. Many attribute this to a cultural difference where in Japan, fight scenes are often characterised by softer musical pieces. More likely, however, it is meant to be indicative of the Western influences which were prevalent in Japanese culture at the time.
[edit] Games
- The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Rouman: Gekka no Kenshi
- The Last Blade 2 / Bakumatsu Rouman Dai Ni Maku: Gekka no Kenshi - Tsuki ni Saku Hana, Chiri Yuku Hana
- The Last Blade - Beyond the Destiny (Neo Geo Pocket Colour conversion)
[edit] External links
[edit] Official Sites
- a mirror of Gekka no Kenshi series homepage by SNK
- Bakumatsu Roman Gekka no Kenshi 1-2 at SNK Playmore
- Gekka no Kenshi series at NBC Museum of SNK Playmore
[edit] Non-official sites
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The Last Blade characters
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Akari Ichijou - Akatsuki Musashi - Gaisei/ Kouryu - Genbu no Okina - Hibiki Takane - Hyo Amano - Juzoh Kanzaki - Kaede - Keiichiro Washizuka - Kojiroh Sanada - Lee Rekka - Moriya Minakata - Setsuna - Shigen Naoe - Shikyoh/Mukuro - Shinnosuke Kagami - Yuki - Zantetsu |
