Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood is a fighting game developed for the PlayStation, representing a notable evolution in the series' tone and visual style. The game adopts a darker aesthetic, eliminating lighter characters from earlier versions. Each character is redesigned with fluid animations that contribute to a more serious and immersive gameplay experience, emphasizing intense combat.
Samurai Shodown III was to be the start of a bold new direction for the franchise.
The most obvious difference between this game and the others in the series is the notably darker aesthetic. The more light-hearted characters (Earthquake, Cham Cham, and Gen-an to name a few) from the previous games have been excised, and even the kabuki master, Kyoshiro Senryo, received a redesign, transforming him from a flamboyant stage performer into a grim-faced, muscular man. All of the characters have been completely redrawn. The animation is very smooth for all characters, another departure from the graphical style of the second game.