In the first three games of the series, this state is known as Rage Explosion or Anger Mode in Japan (怒りモード - Ikari Mōdo), but later it was modified to make it a new game system.Įach Samurai Shodown game has brought minor changes to take advantage of Rage Gauge.
After certain time passes, or if the player performs a super special move, the gauge returns to its original state. In each Samurai Shodown game, all this indicates to the player that, during this state, his character is awarded with more power, inflicting damage above normal.
#SAMURAI SHODOWN 4 OVERVIEW SKIN#
When the gauge its completely filled (it is said to be at maximum or MAX), the character’s skin turns red, the gauge now shows an animation with red tones, and the “POW”/ 怒 icon is bigger with a spark or flare background animation. This is the Rage Gauge.Įach time the player’s character takes damage from an opponent attack, the Rage Gauge receives an amount of energy and starts to fill up, where said amount is determined for the opponent’s attack level (with a weak attack the gauge receives low energy, with medium attacks the energy gain is moderate, while strong attacks provide a high amount of energy for the gauge).
That bar (officially referred as gauge) is empty and shows the letters “POW” (in Japanese versions shows the kanji Ika 怒 – lit. When a match begins, the player can see a bar in his down corner side of the screen (left for player one, right for player two). So that way, every battle can have more variants and the gameplay experience can be more complete, competitive, and enjoyable. The Rage Gauge, also known as “POW bar”, and called Anger Gauge (怒りゲージ - Ikari gēji) in Japan, is a core element and prominent part of the battle system in the Samurai Shodown series of fighting games.įeatured since the original Samurai Shodown game and present in every single sequel, besides of Art of Fighting’s spirit bar, the Rage Gauge is pioneer as one of the first gauges/bars in the fighting genre history that offers advantages and benefits to the players beyond combos or special moves.