Samurai Game

Samurai Game is a reflex and timing game drawn in a cartoon ink-wash style. It has three halls of training. Quick-Draw Duels test how fast you react, the Bamboo Dojo tests your aim and the Kata hall tests your rhythm. You can play this samurai game free in your browser with no download, using a keyboard, a mouse or a touch screen.

How to play Quick-Draw Duels

You and your rival stand still in the long grass, hands on your swords. The wait lasts between one and a half and four seconds. When a red circle with an exclamation mark flashes between you, strike: press Space, click or tap the field, or press the Strike button.

• Strike first: if you strike before your rival draws, you dash past them and win the point.
• Don’t jump the gun: striking before the red signal is a fault, and the point goes to your rival.
• Don’t freeze: if you wait too long, your rival draws first and wins the point.
• Win the duel: the first to 2 points wins. Each win unlocks the next rival.

There are 10 rivals, from Tobei the Drowsy to Master Kagero. Each one draws faster than the last: Tobei takes about 560 milliseconds and Master Kagero only about 280. From the second rival on, they also try to fake you out. A leaf drifts past, a crow caws, a drum booms or the rival’s hand twitches. The top rivals even flash a grey question mark where the real signal appears. Only the red signal counts, and striking at a feint is a fault. Beat all 10 to become Champion of the Ten Duels.

Bamboo Dojo

Bamboo stalks, persimmons, plums and pears are tossed up from the dojo floor. Each piece shows an arrow, and you have to cut it in that direction.

• Swipe: drag across a piece with your finger or mouse, moving in the arrow’s direction.
• Keyboard: the piece that will fall soonest has a red dashed ring. Press the matching arrow key or WASD to cut it.
• Golden peaches show two arrows and need two cuts in order.
• Cutting at the wrong angle bounces off and resets your combo. If three pieces hit the floor uncut, the dojo closes.

Bamboo is worth 10 points, fruit 15 and a golden peach 40. Your combo multiplier goes up by half every 5 clean cuts in a row, to a maximum of three times. Pieces often come in patterns such as Zigzag or Four winds, and clearing a whole pattern without a mistake earns a bonus. The tosses get faster as you go.

Kata

A kata is a set sequence of moves. Here, stance icons slide toward a red circle while a drum keeps time. When an icon reaches the circle, play it: Up for the high stance, Down for the low stance, Left for the side stance, Right for the hidden stance, and Space for a strike. On a phone, use the pad or swipe and tap the field. A hit within about 50 milliseconds of the beat is Perfect, and one within about 110 milliseconds is Good. The wrong stance counts as a miss.

There are three kata: Wind at 84 beats per minute, River at 100 and Thunder at 120. You need 55% accuracy to pass, and the grades run C, B, A and S.

Tips

• Watch the color, not the motion. Every feint is grey, black or brown. The only thing that ever turns red in the middle of the field is the real signal.
• Rest your finger on the key. Keeping your finger on Space, or your thumb just above the screen, saves precious milliseconds. The last few rivals need reactions under about 300 milliseconds.
• In kata, listen. The drum beats every beat, with a deeper beat at the start of each bar. Matching the sound is easier than watching the icons.

FAQ

Is Samurai Game free?

Yes. It is free to play with no account and nothing to install. Your progress and best times are saved in your browser.

Is there any blood?

No. A beaten rival’s straw hat splits in two, and they bow or fall over.

Does it work on phones and Chromebooks?

Yes. On a touch screen, tap the field to strike, swipe to slice and use the pad for kata. On a laptop or Chromebook, use Space and the arrow keys.

Can I pause?

Press P or Esc, or use the Pause button. The game also pauses when you switch tabs. If you pause during a duel round, that round starts again, so pausing can’t be used to get a head start.

Want to see how fast you really are? Try our Reaction Time Test. If you liked the dojo, Fruit Slice has more swipe-to-slice action.