Second Samurai

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Second Samurai is a side-scrolling action game for the Amiga released in 1993. It’s the sequel to First Samurai from 1991. A Mega Drive version followed in 1994, featuring different graphics, sound, and level design. Both versions include prehistoric, futuristic, and feudal Japan settings.

Gameplay focuses on choosing one of two samurai. When you hit enemies or fall off the screen, you don’t lose a life automatically—you lose one point from your life bar. In the Mega Drive version, losing a life triggers taunts from the Demon King on a black screen with lines like “Give up mortal!” and “Going Down!” until your last life is gone.

Development notes: After the success of First Samurai, Mev Dinc wanted “a sequel to end all sequels,” with the two-samurai idea. Psygnosis offered versions for the Amiga and Mega Drive, and Vivid Image agreed. Development went smoothly and a Mega-CD version was planned. In 1993, Sony bought Psygnosis and canceled many console projects, but Vivid Image negotiated a settlement that allowed the Mega Drive release and paid out. The Mega-CD version was never released.