First Samurai

In The First Samurai, the protagonist undertakes a quest as the first samurai in the history of feudal Japan, and must compete against rival swordsmen. ==Gameplay==

Eating food and drinking sake will help the player get stronger, while fire and enemy contact will weaken the samurai. The main objective in a level is to collect a set of four items which must be used to gain access to the area where the level's boss lies. Magic pots serve as checkpoints and are activated with the energy of the player's sword. Killing a monster releases a portion of sword energy which the player then collects automatically. Using a bell at the right place removes an obstacle, blocking the player's path. The player starts out as a hermit in an ancient forest, but eventually becomes powerful enough to fight in the villages and the towns, and later the dungeons. ==Development==

The First Samurai began development in July 1990, and was originally scheduled for a September 1991 release for Amiga and Atari ST, with an MS-DOS port stated to be 'unplanned' at the time. The Amiga version of First Samurai cost 'around 84' Deutschmark in 1992, and was released on two floppy disks. ==Reception==

ST Reviews Dave Jones raved about the Atari ST version, "This is an undoubtedly classic and, despite its age, it is a darn sight more entertaining than some of today's offerings!" Amiga Joker gave the Amiga version of First Samurai an overall score of 82%, comparing it to other similar games such as Shadow Dancer and The Last Ninja, and expressing "If someone were to say that the game isn't really original, they would be correct. However, First Samurai impresses not so much with an innovative idea, but more with technical brilliance and excellent gameplay." Amiga Joker praises ''First Samurai's'' 'compelling' gameplay, noting the number of usable weapons, its "difficult" puzzles, and "crafty" level design, particularly praising the inclusion of hidden areas and items. The magazine praises ''First Samurai's graphics, calling them "gorgeously colourful" and noting the game to be "full of fantastic minute details (e.g. the sword sparkles!)", furthermore expressing that it has "great parallax-scrolling, fancifully animated sprites and a very impressive explosion when the hero dies." Furthermore, it mentions First Samurai's'' "nifty" title screen music and "comical" sound effects, and concludes by stating "It is clear that the programmers at Image Works have put care into the game and successfully created a masterpiece ... Anyone who wants to sell an Asia-themed beat 'em up after this game will have their work cut out for them." Super Gamer reviewed the Super NES version and have an overall score of 79%, stating: "A novel and pretty platformer, but later levels are disappointing." The Channel 4 video game programme GamesMaster gave the Amiga version a 90% rating. Computer and Video Games magazine also said the game borrowed heavily from earlier slash 'em up games such as Strider, The Legend of Kage, and Shadow Dancer, but nevertheless gave First Samurai a positive review and called it a "brilliant" game. ==Cancelled version==

A revival of the game was announced in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, and it entered early planning stages of development, but was cancelled shortly after, and never released in any capacity. == References ==