KILLERS — Escadora Enja, Samurai Shodown V Special
There’s no worse word in the Fighting Game Community than “Honest.” Honest characters, honest games, honest playstyles, it’s all a big lie. Still, everyone seems to be in agreement: Shenanigans are bad fighting game design. Footsies good, Rushdown bad.
This thinking comes to a head whenever Samurai Shodown bears mention. Spectators see the initially slower pace and jump to conclusions. Then when the unreactable overheads, untechable throws, and stupid-high damage come out, they see the series’ true colors.
Samsho is dirty, infuriating, and incredible.
It’s fitting then, that one of Samurai Shodown V Special’s best uses a character and playstyle that walks the knife’s edge between complete victory and crushing defeat. I’m of course referring to Escadora Enja- A legend who’s not only taken a bottom tier character out of the mud, but rewrote the book on offense and empathy in Samurai Shodown.
Enja is a walking gun. He has terrible mobility, but nearly infinite comeback potential. His whole gameplan hinges on his infamous Rekka, a brutally tough chain of three special moves that can either obliterate the opponent, or leave Enja open to a round-ending punish. It isn’t just about timing, either. To land the final hit, Enja needs to strike the center of his airborne opponent. The window is only a few pixels wide, and can change based on the character matchup. In a game all about finding the hit, Escadora strikes gold almost every match. He will land the Rekka.
Enja is a character that feeds off of fear and conjecture. When you start overly respecting his highest damage option, he can mix you up with anything else. With Rekka in his back pocket, “mistakes” turn into miracles.
Samsho V Special has a bucket of unique system mechanics. Escadora’s favorite is without a doubt the Rage Meter, Samsho’s “comeback” mechanic. When a character takes a hit, the meter at the bottom of the screen fills. If you let it overflow, you gain a big damage boost and get access to a super move that disarms your opponent. But Rage isn’t a truly linear system. You can meditate away your Rage by holding a button, and unlock a completely separate comeback mechanic when you’re a round away from losing. It gets even more complicated: Every character on the roster manages their Rage differently, and gets angrier faster based on their disposition in Samurai Shodown’s Lore.
Enja is a hothead, and is liable to blow his top after taking a single hit. Escadora uses his character’s tantrums as huge swings in a round’s momentum. You’ll sometimes even see him take a hit ON PURPOSE to enter Rage and guarantee a fatal Rekka.
While he may be on hiatus, Escadora remains my favorite Samurai Shodown player. He is an uncompromising icon for a game that few people truly understand. He has the precision of a surgeon, the heart of a lion, and never goes in to lose.
Escadora Enja. He will land the Rekka.
