''Sengoku'' is a

beat 'em up The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

. It is the first entry of the ''Sengoku'' trilogy by

SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

. It was ported to numerous home consoles including the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD,

Mega-CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...

and Super Famicom. The arcade version was part of ''

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 ''SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1'' is a video game compilation created and published by SNK which includes sixteen Neo Geo games. The compilation was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the Wii. In Australia, it was only releas ...

'', released in 2008. The Neo Geo version was re-released on the Japanese

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...

in 2011, with the sequels for the North American Virtual Console on November 8, 2012 (''

Sengoku 2 ''Sengoku 2'' is a beat 'em up arcade game. It is the second game of the ''Sengoku (1991 video game), Sengoku'' series by SNK. It was ported to the Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo and Neo Geo CD consoles. In 2009 the series was compiled on a CD titled ' ...

'') and June 6, 2013 (''

Sengoku 3 ''Sengoku 3'' is a 2001 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK. It is the third and final entry in the ''Sengoku'' series. In the game, players battle against undead enemy spirits. Though ini ...

'') and for the PAL region on February 7, 2013 (''Sengoku 2'') and September 5, 2013 (''Sengoku 3''). In 2009 the series was compiled on the ''

Sengoku Anthology ''Sengoku'' is a beat 'em up arcade game. It is the first entry of the ''Sengoku'' trilogy by SNK. It was ported to numerous home consoles including the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Mega-CD and Super Famicom. The arcade version was part of ''SNK Arcade C ...

'' for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

and

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Gameplay

A player has a maximum of six health points. When certain enemies are defeated, spirits of powerful forms are available to transform into. In the SNES version transformation cannot be toggled, but stays constant for a limited time. The three different forms are a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, an armour-clad

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

and a more agile ninja. These forms have a limited use. Their attacks and jumps differ from the original form and their powers are enhanced by any power-ups collected. Throughout the game the player would need to survive the hordes of enemies by collecting coloured orbs as power-ups. Five Green orbs heal one health point. A Red orb gives the player a single sword, a Cyan orb gives the player a double sword, the Purple orb gives the player a two-handed holy sword and a Yellow orb gives the player a limited magical attack.

Plot

Centuries ago a cruel and insanely tyrannical warlord was defeated by the two elite Samurai but had sworn to return in the future. When he does he unleashes undead forces of

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to Japanese Paleolithic, prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millenni ...

ese warriors to destroy the world and its people. The warlord is opposed only by the two protagonists, a

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

and a Western

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

(named Ninja Dave and Cowboy Kev in the Neo-Geo version and named Dan and Bill in the SNES version), who turn out to be descendants of the two elite Samurai responsible for vanquishing the wicked warlord centuries ago.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Sengoku'' on their March 15, 1991 issue as being the thirteenth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. Likewise, ''RePlay'' reported ''Sengoku'' to be the fourth most-popular arcade game at the time. On release, ''

Famicom Tsūshin formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' scored the Neo Geo version of the game a 19 out of 40. ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' gave the Super NES version a 4.4 out of 10, commenting that it "has an interesting concept as you can change into different types of fighters, yet it just doesn't come together."

Power Unlimited ''Power Unlimited'' is a Dutch multi-format video games magazine. It is the biggest gaming magazine in the Benelux. The first issue was released in June 1993. History ''Power Unlimited'' started in June 1993 in Bjørn Bruinsma's basement as a n ...

gave the Neo Geo version a score of 85% writing: "A top-shelf brawler, even for people who aren't much of a fighter. The game gives you a real fighting feeling, thanks to the great sounds and images."

Notes

References

External links

''Sengoku''
at

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''Sengoku''
at Giant Bomb * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sengoku (1991 video game) 1991 video games ACA Neo Geo games Arcade video games SNK beat 'em ups Cooperative video games Data East video games D4 Enterprise games Hack and slash games Multiplayer and single-player video games Neo Geo games Neo Geo CD games Video games about ninja Nintendo Switch games PlayStation Network games PlayStation 4 games Sega CD games Side-scrolling beat 'em ups SNK franchises SNK Playmore games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Video games about samurai Virtual Console games Windows games Xbox One games Sammy games Video games developed in Japan Hamster Corporation games