Samurai II: Vengeance is the sequel to Samurai: Way of the Warrior and
offers similar gameplay. It is a hack-and-slash game set in the Japanese
Sengoku period where players once again control the lonesome samurai Daisuke
Shimada, to hunt down his arch-enemy Orochi. Players travel through the
countryside, villages and a flying fortress to defeat opponents. When enemies
appear, the area is closed off with a padlock until they all are defeated.
Shimada has two types of attacks (light and heavy) that can be performed in
succession or can be combined to form combos. Some of these are able to break
through blocks, but the samurai can also roll to evade an incoming attack. As
many opponents usually attack at once, players are encouraged to dodge
incoming slashes and get behind enemies to attack. From that position, a one-
hit kill can be performed. The screen zooms in, the action is slowed down and
Daisuke rips his opponents open or beheads them.

During his journey the samurai can break open barrels to collect karma. It can
also be earned by defeating enemies. Karma can be exchanged in an item store
for new combos or an extended health bar. The story is told through static
comic-book panels. There are also minor puzzle elements that involve pulling
levels or side-scrolling sequences where Shimada needs to dodge obstacles.
Next to the main story mode, there is a dojo challenge mode. It is a survival
game where Shimada needs to survive different waves of attacks.

Samurai II: Vengeance