Samurai Shodown Guide: Fighting Disarmed and Picking Up Your Weapon

SNK’s Samurai Shodown is tons of fun but features one major difference from most other 2D (and 3D) fighters. It’s possible to disarm your opponent – and vice versa, leaving your weapon on the floor. Of course, picking it up is as simple as pressing Light Slash next to it. Sadly, your foe will likely play around this, preventing you from picking it up while taking advantage of your weakened state.

How do you get around this? By using the Blade Catch move. If you time the move right, you can disarm your opponent and also knock them back. That should provide enough time to reclaim your weapon.

While disarmed, you can’t use a number of special moves and all slash buttons turn into punches. Successfully guarding against an opponent won’t make them recoil either. As a result, you’ll need to play carefully and look for the right window of opportunity to use Blade Catch.

For more information on Samurai Shodown, check out our official review.