The Samurai Shodown series has always been a bit of an outlier in the fighting game space, possessing a certain aesthetic and control style that set itself apart. Trying to compact everything about it into a handheld system, in this case originally the Neo-Geo Pocket, constrained to a limited screen, color palette, and only 2 buttons really demonstrates how much is lost in translation. The rich colors and visual style are muted and muddy, the controls can be worked out but end up losing their nuance and technique, and the result is just a shade of its proper self. Neo-Geo lovers or people who revere the series in all of its incarnations may want to take a look but otherwise this is a title that will likely disappoint.