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Samurai slodown: Kenseiden | Segaiden 066

Published on Wed, Sep 4th 2024 Gaming Rectangular HD

Well, well, well, what have we here? It looks like Sega has taken a step back for a moment and gotten a read on the changing shape of the video games industry as a whole, which leads us to Kenseiden: Perhaps the first game for Master System clearly designed as a conscious effort to do the Nintendo/NES thing rather than trying to fit a Sega arcade-sized experience into a tiny console-shaped box.

No, Kenseiden dials down the pace of the action from the usual coin-op-style mania we've come to expect from Sega and conspicuously imitates Konami's methodical Castlevania games. The NES (or maybe MSX?) Castlevanias, mind you, not Haunted Castle. Make no mistake; Kenseiden still includes some of the testicle-punching difficulty that is Sega's stock-in-trade, no question about it. But, miracle of miracles, those difficult parts are—wait for it—optional. This feels like a real turning point for the Master System, the system's clean break from "arcade experiences at home, more or less" to "on-trend console-style production capable of taking on the NES directly."

Production notes:

Why watch when you can read? All 420 full-color pages of SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I are now in print at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books). You can also grab the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works as well. Look for NES Works Gaiden Vol. I and Master System Works Vol. I in 2024-25.

Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more!

Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through a cart adapter on Japanese Master System hardware and MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns). Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.