We haven’t had a good Samurai Shodown sequel in over a decade, possibly because the series’ most famous faces are busy running laps on Korean phones.
I’ll be straight with you guys: This is one of those times where my job allows me to simply show you something neat and pass it off as news. I know, it’s a bit of a cop out, but as a massive fan of SNK’s 2D fighters there are just some things that I can’t leave unmentioned. For instance, this baffling Korean mobile game starring three Samurai Shodown characters that otherwise has absolutely nothing to do with SNK’s franchise.
Dubbed Everyone Kal Kal Kal (“kal” means “sword”), the game is a relatively typical endless runner. Characters sprint from left to right, avoiding obstacles and periodically slashing things to bits with their trademark weaponry. If that sounds like an addictive gameplay concept, there’s a good reason for that: Endless runner games have been a huge hit on mobile devices as they don’t require many buttons for proper play. The weird bit is that Samurai Shodown license.
As far as anyone can tell, SNK signed off on this agreement, so the characters appearing in Everyone Kal Kal Kal are totally legit. That said, why does this game exist? Has SNK run out of fighting game mashups in which to use these virtual pugilists? Or do Korean mobile game developers just have way, way more money to toss at licensing agreements than anyone realizes?
Whatever the reason, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Everyone Kal Kal Kal receives a Western localization. Esoteric SNK fighting game characters are apparently one of my kinks, and it’s just not enough to beat people up with Haohmaru anymore. Cutting dudes apart is cool, but running in a straight line? All of the cool kids are running in straight lines these days.
Source: Kotaku
