67/100
Critics1 review

Where to get it

Steam

1993 · Bundle / compilation · Psikyo · Arcade · Ninja

Samurai Aces

Bundle / compilation

Also known as Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace + Sengoku Blade in Japan,

Released: 22 April 1993
Platforms: Android Arcade PlayStation 2 PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox Series X/S
Genres: Arcade Ninja Shooter Vertically scrolling shooter
Developers: Psikyo Zerodiv City Connection
Publishers: Banpresto City Connection
Series: Samurai Aces
Modes: Co-op
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric Side view
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, Japanese
Entry: #1 in Samurai Aces

About

Sengoku Ace (Sengoku Ace (戦国エース, Sengoku Ēsu)), fully titled Sengoku Ace: Tengai Episode I and also known as Samurai Aces in the English version, is a vertically scrolling shooter released in the arcades by Psikyo in 1993. The first game by Psikyo, Sengoku Ace was designed by Shinsuke Nakamura, the creator of Aero Fighters (Sonic Wings) and the company's founder.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
shmup
scrolling shooter

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Samurai Aces is a pseudo military-to-fantasy-themed vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game.

Story

The science fantasy story of Sengoku Ace resolves around the six Feudal Japan (Sengoku period) characters sent on a mission to stop an evil cult and rescue the Shogun's kidnapped daughter, princess Tsukihime (Moon Princess), before she can be used as a sacrifice to resurrect their demon god. The game features 21 endings, different for various characters and two-player pairings.

Flush (Flash) / Ayin / Aine (閃光のアイン) - a 25-year-old, one-eyed, blonde samurai flying a J7W, who is looking for his sister Asuka. He is voiced by Hisao Egawa.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Samurai Aces on their June 1, 1993 issue as being the fourth most-popular arcade game for the previous two weeks. On Nintendo Switch, it garnered "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Legacy

The original and arranged soundtrack for the game (GCD-1) was released by Shinseisha on January 22, 1994. The game's manga adaptation titled Sengoku Ace - Ataru Kadiba (戦国エース - かぢばあたる) (ISBN 4-88199-140-X) was published by Shinseisha in the Gamest Comics series on December 25, 1994.

In December 2004, the game was released for the PlayStation 2 as part of the Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade by Taito and 505 Games. It was also re-released one year later as a budget-range title. In 2018, it was also released for the Nintendo Switch. In 2022, the original arcade version was included as part of the Sega Astro City Mini V, a vertically-oriented variant of the Sega Astro City mini console.