# First Samurai

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1991 video game

For the thoroughbred racehorse, see [First Samurai (horse)](/source/First_Samurai_(horse)).

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1991 video game

First Samurai Home computer cover art Developer Vivid Image Publishers Image Works Ubi Soft (MS-DOS) Kemco (SNES) Director Mev Dinc[1] Designer John Twiddy[1] Programmer Raffaele Cecco[1] Artist Paul 'Dokk' Docherty[1] Platforms Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Super NES, iOS Release September 1991: Amiga, Atari ST[1] 1992: C64, MS-DOS 1993: SNES 2011: iOS Genres Platform, beat 'em up[2] Mode Single-player

***First Samurai***, alternatively titled ***The First Samurai***, is a 1991 [beat 'em up](/source/Beat_'em_up) [platform game](/source/Platform_game) developed by [Vivid Image](/source/Vivid_Image) and published by [Image Works](/source/Image_Works). *The First Samurai* was originally released in September 1991 for the [Amiga](/source/Amiga) and [Atari ST](/source/Atari_ST),[1] and was later ported to the [Commodore 64](/source/Commodore_64), [MS-DOS](/source/MS-DOS) and the [Super Nintendo Entertainment System](/source/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System). It was followed by a sequel, *[Second Samurai](/source/Second_Samurai)*, in 1994. In 2011, a port was released for [iOS](/source/IOS).

## Plot

In *The First Samurai*, the protagonist undertakes a quest as the first [samurai](/source/Samurai) in the history of [feudal Japan](/source/Kamakura_period), and must compete against rival [swordsmen](/source/Swordsmen).

## Gameplay

Fighting some bats

Eating food and drinking [sake](/source/Sake) will help the player get stronger, while fire and enemy contact will weaken the samurai. The main objective in a level is to collect a set of four items which must be used to gain access to the area where the level's boss lies. Magic pots serve as checkpoints and are activated with the energy of the player's sword. Killing a monster releases a portion of sword energy which the player then collects automatically. Using a bell at the right place removes an obstacle, blocking the player's path. The player starts out as a [hermit](/source/Hermit) in an ancient forest, but eventually becomes powerful enough to fight in the villages and the towns, and later the [dungeons](/source/Dungeon).

## Development

*The First Samurai* began development in July 1990, and was originally scheduled for a September 1991 release for [Amiga](/source/Amiga) and [Atari ST](/source/Atari_ST), with an [MS-DOS](/source/MS-DOS) port stated to be 'unplanned' at the time.[1] In a December 1990 issue of British gaming magazine *[The One](/source/The_One_(magazine))*, *The One* interviewed team members from Vivid Image for information regarding *The First Samurai's* development in a pre-release interview.[1] *The First Samurai's* samurai theme was first conceived by graphic artist Paul 'Dokk' Docherty as a 'random thought' while watching the 1954 monster film *[Them!](/source/Them!)*, and Docherty expresses that "At the time we were in the middle of designing another game, but we weren't very happy with it."[1] *The One* purported that the title *The First Samurai's* correlation to *[The Last Ninja](/source/The_Last_Ninja)* is "purely coincidental".[1] Docherty's proposal of a samurai theme was received by Vivid Image as "exactly what they were looking for", and Docherty states "We wanted something fairly mystical so that we could put in lots of [special effects](/source/Special_effect). Samurai also have a very strong sense of honour - that fitted in with our plot."[1] [Mev Dinc](/source/Mev_Dinc), *The First Samurai's* project manager, expressed that programmer [Raffaele Cecco](/source/Raffaele_Cecco) was invited to the project "because he's not only a very good programmer, he also comes up with lots of really good ideas. If I suggest one thing, he usually comes back with three."[1] *The First Samurai's* development was described by *The One* as "an ongoing creative process in which everyone is encouraged to participate", and Dinc expressed "Deciding on [sprites](/source/Sprite_(computer_graphics)) and backgrounds that everybody is happy with can be time-consuming. We don't argue, we just have constructive discussions."[1]

User-friendly controls were a priority in the game's development, and John Twiddy, *The First Samurai's* map editor, stated that "You have to be able to pick up the [joystick](/source/Joystick) and just play the game."[1] The balance between easy-to-learn controls and allowing the player an array of different attacks was an important factor in *The First Samurai's* design, and Twiddy stated that "The main thing is to get lots of manoeuvres in there. They're all effective so ultimately you don't actually need to know how you've done each one."[1] The animations in response to the player's inputs were partially inspired by [arcade](/source/Arcade_game) games, and Twiddy states that ”In some arcade games, when your opponent's in a certain position you end up grabbing them and throwing them over your shoulder. It looks like you're doing something spectacular, but in fact it's the computer showing standard joystick moves in different ways on screen. That's a feature we'd like to include."[1] *The First Samurai* was the first 16-bit game which Raffaele Cecco worked on, and he spent the first two months on the project learning how to program for the Amiga, stating that "Obviously I couldn't use any old sprite handling or scrolling routines because I didn't have any. I've had to start everything from scratch."[1] *The First Samurai* was programmed on a 386 PC using the Programmer's Development System (PDS) developed by Fruad Katon.[1] Vivid Image deliberately chose a "fairly long" development period according to *The One*, and Cecco expressed that "We want to make certain there's plenty of time at the end for tweaking. This is the sort of game where it all comes down to how many enemies there are and where they're positioned."[1]

*The First Samurai's* environment is defined by white blocks superimposed over the game's graphics; these blocks determine attributes such as the edge of a platform, the spawn point of entities, whether a wall is climbable, and [collision detection](/source/Collision_detection).[1] For the Atari ST port, all the blocks needed to be 'pre-shifted', and a Vivid Images team member expressed that "We need to know how many there are so we can calculate them in advance; the editor automatically keeps track of all the different types of blocks on screen."[1] John Twiddy created a custom map editor for *The First Samurai* which runs concurrently with *[Deluxe Paint](/source/Deluxe_Paint)* and allows graphics to be loaded in, background graphics to be selected & positioned, and an object's depth to be defined relative to other objects.[1] More features were incorporated into *The First Samurai's* map editor over the course of the game's development, and Docherty stated that "Whenever we want a new feature we simply phone John up and ask him to include it."[1]

Prioritizing sound effect design over a soundtrack was a design decision made in part due to memory restrictions, as well as Vivid Images' belief that 'subtle' sound effects would 'add more atmosphere'.[1] Due to memory restrictions, the protagonist's sprites are separated into pieces, e.g. the limbs, torso, and legs are stored separately; this also allows animations to be made easier, as rather than create a new sprite for a different animation, it could be created from existing sprites 'pieced together'.[1] At the stage of development when the interview was conducted, *The First Samurai* had 105 different limb sprites, and 30 different animations using those sprites.[1] A level taking place in a [sewer](/source/Sewerage) was scrapped before release because of memory restrictions, particularly due to the level's 'running water' sprites, stated to take up 'almost as much memory' as the protagonist's sprite.[1] *The First Samurai* runs at 25 [frames per second](/source/Frame_rate), as a Vivid Images team member expressed that "We decided not to go for 50 frames because it's got too many limitations. You can't have huge areas of sprites and animation if you want that kind of speed."[1]

The Amiga version of *First Samurai* cost 'around 84' [Deutschmark](/source/Deutsche_Mark) in 1992, and was released on two [floppy disks](/source/Floppy_disk).[3]

## Reception

Reception

Review scores Publication Score Computer and Video Games 92% (Amiga)[2] Famitsu 6/10, 6/10, 6/10, 5/10 (SNES)[4] GameZone 61/100 (SNES)[5] ST Review 5/5 (Atari ST)[8] Zzap!64 97%[6] Amiga Joker 82% (Amiga)[3] GamesMaster 90% (Amiga)[7]

*[ST Review](/source/ST_Review)*'s Dave Jones raved about the Atari ST version, "This is an undoubtedly classic and, despite its age, it is a darn sight more entertaining than some of today's offerings!"[9]

*Amiga Joker* gave the Amiga version of *First Samurai* an overall score of 82%, comparing it to other similar games such as *[Shadow Dancer](/source/Shadow_Dancer_(1989_video_game))* and *[The Last Ninja](/source/The_Last_Ninja)*, and expressing "If someone were to say that the game isn't *really* original, they would be correct. However, *First Samurai* impresses not so much with an innovative idea, but more with technical brilliance and excellent gameplay." *Amiga Joker* praises *First Samurai's* 'compelling' gameplay, noting the number of usable weapons, its "difficult" puzzles, and "crafty" level design, particularly praising the inclusion of hidden areas and items. The magazine praises *First Samurai's* graphics, calling them "gorgeously colourful" and noting the game to be "full of fantastic minute details (e.g. the sword sparkles!)", furthermore expressing that it has "great [parallax-scrolling](/source/Parallax_scrolling), fancifully animated sprites and a very impressive explosion when the hero dies." Furthermore, it mentions *First Samurai's* "nifty" title screen music and "comical" sound effects, and concludes by stating "It is clear that the programmers at Image Works have put care into the game and successfully created a masterpiece ... Anyone who wants to sell an Asia-themed [beat 'em up](/source/Beat_'em_up) after this game will have their work cut out for them."[3] Super Gamer reviewed the Super NES version and have an overall score of 79%, stating: "A novel and pretty platformer, but later levels are disappointing."[10]

The [Channel 4](/source/Channel_4) video game programme *[GamesMaster](/source/GamesMaster)* gave the Amiga version a 90% rating.[7] *[Computer and Video Games](/source/Computer_and_Video_Games)* magazine also said the game borrowed heavily from earlier [slash 'em up](/source/Slash_'em_up) games such as *[Strider](/source/Strider_(disambiguation)#Video_games)*, *[The Legend of Kage](/source/The_Legend_of_Kage)*, and *Shadow Dancer*, but nevertheless gave *First Samurai* a positive review and called it a "brilliant" game.[2] In 1993, *[Commodore Force](/source/Commodore_Force)* ranked the game at number nine on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.[11]

## Cancelled version

A revival of the game was announced in 1998 for the [Nintendo 64](/source/Nintendo_64), and it entered early planning stages of development, but was cancelled shortly after, and never released in any capacity.[12]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-12) [***n***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-13) [***o***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-14) [***p***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-15) [***q***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-16) [***r***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-17) [***s***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-18) [***t***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-19) [***u***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-20) [***v***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-21) [***w***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-22) [***x***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-23) [***y***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-24) [***z***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-25) [***aa***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-26) [***ab***](#cite_ref-prerelease_1-27) Hamza, Kati (December 1990). ["Turning Japanese"](https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-27/page/n163/mode/2up). *The One*. No. 27. emap Images. pp. 165–166.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CVG_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CVG_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CVG_2-2) ["First Samurai"](https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-121/page/n27/mode/2up). *[Computer and Video Games](/source/Computer_and_Video_Games)*. No. 121 (December 1991). 15 November 1991. pp. 28–30.[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-joker_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-joker_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-joker_3-2) Borgmeier, Carsten (January 1992). ["First Samurai Amiga Review"](https://archive.org/details/Amiga_Joker_1992-01_Joker_Verlag_DE/page/n27). *Amiga Joker*. Joker Verlag. p. 28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-famitsu-sfc_4-0)** Minoru, Noda; Uchisawa, Rōringu; Nagano, Isabella; Taco X (July 9, 1993). "New Games Cross Review". *[Weekly Famicom Tsūshin](/source/Famitsu)* (in Japanese). No. 238. ASCII Corporation. p. 38.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Noah, Jonathan (September 1993). ["First Samurai"](https://archive.org/details/nintendo-game-zone-11/page/50/mode/2up). *[Game Zone](/source/Future_Publishing)*. No. 11. pp. 50–52. Retrieved June 30, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Zzap!64 review, [Newsfield Publications](/source/Newsfield_Publications), issue 91, page 12

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-gamesmaster_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-gamesmaster_7-1) ["GamesMaster Season 1 Episode 2"](https://archive.org/details/gamesmaster_s01e02). 14 January 1992. 24:06. Channel 4. 6:05-6:50.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-STRev_8-0)** ["Screen Scene VFM (Issue 31, October 1994, page 54)"](https://mega.nz/file/IZ11hYiL#gwMXYQh2KCtHEGlZRXl67fKgVT3Ei3YWQUmeZZ5-xMk). *ST Review*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Screen Scene VFM (Issue 31, October 1994, page 54)"](https://mega.nz/file/IZ11hYiL#gwMXYQh2KCtHEGlZRXl67fKgVT3Ei3YWQUmeZZ5-xMk). *ST Review*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["First Samurai SNES Review"](https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-02/page/122/mode/2up). *Super Gamer* (2). [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom): [Paragon Publishing](/source/Paragon_Publishing): 122. May 1994. Retrieved April 15, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Top Ton!"](https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-101/ZZap_64_Issue_101_Commodore_Force_Issue_11_1993_Autumn#page/n32/mode/1up/). *Commodore Force*. Autumn 1993. p. 33. Retrieved 2017-09-03.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["First Samurai 64 - IGN"](http://ca.ign.com/games/first-samurai-64).

## External links

- [*First Samurai*](https://www.mobygames.com/game//first-samurai) at [MobyGames](/source/MobyGames)

- [*First Samurai*](https://amiga.abime.net/563) at Amiga Hall of Light

- [*First Samurai*](http://gb64.com/game.php?id=2774&d=18&h=0) at Gamebase 64

Authority control databases: National France BnF data

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [First Samurai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Samurai) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Samurai?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.