The Spirit of the Samurai can be a brutal game at times, and I’m not just talking about the awful things the undead will do to Chisai if they get their hands on him. However, the more you know, the more effective you’ll be, and the easier your journey will be. We’ll help you wrestle control from the game, and avoid all the potential pitfalls.
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We’ll take you through everything from how to build Takeshi to how to work within the confines of the game’s quirks and give you all the combat tips you need to overcome any enemy in battle. If you follow throw with these tidbits of advice you’ll be able to claim victory and conquer the undead horde once and for all.
Consider Rebinding The Controls
The Spirit of the Samurai makes the odd decision to assign your movement to the analog stick in the default control scheme. Why is this a problem? Well, in a game where there are already some issues when it comes to the responsiveness of the controls, you don’t want to further aggravate matters.
Analog controls are always going to be a little unwieldy when used to control a character in a two-dimensional game. I would strongly recommend you switch movement to the d-pad, and item usage to the left analog stick. The game will instantly feel more responsive.
If you want a little more clarification on why analog sticks aren’t great for 2D games, it is because they have travel, which means the stick needs to move a certain amount of distance before it activates the direction input. Pressing a direction on the D-Pad, on the other hand, will almost instantaneously cause your character to move.
Assigning Short Range Attacks Is Essential
You’ll notice when you are constructing your attack sequences that each move will have an attack power, range, and speed. While you may think that the further-reaching attacks are the safer bets, you will absolutely want to assign a short-range attack to one of the alternate attack sequences. You see, The Spirit of the Samurai has some slightly awkward hitboxes, and it is quite possible for you to swing past a foe when you are nose-to-nose with them.
This is particularly easy to do while squaring off against the shield-wielding samurai’s back. I frequently hit their shield which was on the other side of them while I was trying to slash their backs. One of the attacks you will unlock early that is good for short ranges is the “Cross Stroke”. It hits pretty much directly in front of you. Have this attack, or something similar, assigned to one of your attack strings (I keep mine assigned to the combo that activates while guarding).
Choosing The Best Stats To Level Up
There are a few things to consider when choosing the stats you’ll want to level up. Early in the game, you will want to build dexterity, as your stamina will be quite low. Now, once you aren’t worrying about stamina as much, I’d say the best stat is strength. Simply put, dishing out damage will always be important. Consider putting at least one point toward strength with every level-up.
However, the other stats are far from useless. Dexterity will help with positioning, and vitality will help you tank hits more effectively. Both of which can be useful. One thing to consider is that certain attacks are linked to the dexterity stat as well. You won’t unlock them unless you have leveled your dexterity to a certain point.
Finally, there is the bow stat. This is a tricky one. You see, the bow can be one of the most effective tools in your arsenal. It can utterly destroy foes if you invest a bunch of points into it. However, there are a ton of instances in which you just won’t be able to use it, and trying to whip it out when an enemy is in lunging range is far too dangerous. So, while your mileage may vary, I would only invest in the bow skill once you have upped your strength a decent amount. As your sword will always be a viable tool.
How To Parry More Effectively
While landing a parry will always feel great, I would strongly recommend that you not focus exclusively on utilizing the parry. More often than not, you will be better off using the roll to pass through an attack. However, you will be blocking quite frequently, so it will make sense to try for the parry when you are going for a block. Just don’t rely on the parry.
As for actually executing the attack, you’ll want to hit the guard button a few beats before your enemy’s attack lands. Never mash the guard button, as there is way too much delay, that will just get you smoked. Try to time it, and then hold the button. That way if you are a little early you’ll still get a block.
Draw Your Enemies Toward You
So, obviously, kiting an enemy is always a smart idea. So, if there is more than one foe in a location, drawing them in will be a smart idea, but even if you don’t see any other foes, I’d still recommend drawing them toward you. Why? Well, the way stages are structured, you’ll typically activate enemies once you reach a certain part of the stage. And your regular attack can push enemies quite a bit forward.
So, if you are clashing with a foe, hammering away at them recklessly, you’ll likely push them further to the right, and as you pursue them, it is quite likely that you’ll tack on more and more foes. Suddenly, what was a one-on-one fight is a battle against four or five. That’s never ideal. So, hang back, draw individual units in, and don’t progress until you have dispatched them.
How To Utilize Your Roll Effectively
Some people have mentioned that The Spirit of the Samurai has some Souls-like elements. What they are likely referring to here is the roll. Like in FromSoftware’s games, you do have access to a roll, which will make you completely invincible. This is an incredibly powerful tool, and will be pivotal for defeating a number of the strongest enemies in the game. However, before you start rolling all over the place, there are a few things you need to know about the invincibility it imparts.
The roll is invincible from the beginning until the end, so, if you press the roll button as an enemy lunges towards you with an attack, you will pass through them unharmed. This is typically the best way to use the roll, as you will recover as they are still stuck swinging their blade. However, the roll doesn’t recover instantly, you will be locked in place for a moment after the roll concludes. During that time, you will be completely defenseless. What this ends up meaning is that you shouldn’t use your roll to roll away from enemies, as if they press forward with a lunging attack, and are swinging at you near the end of your roll, there is a good chance that the attack will clip you once you start to recover.
You can roll away when fighting against slower enemies, of course, but even there you are probably better off just sprinting. Basically, never panic roll. Instead, always use the roll to pass through an enemy’s attack, and then swing at their backside.
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