#450 Shogun Warriors Bosses (2/4): Benkei gameplay.
0Gameplay of the sub-boss Benkei in the arcade fighting game Shogun Warriors.
The sub-boss of the game is the towering Benkei. Musashibo Benkei was a warrior monk in the 12th century, who served the Minamoto clan. He's best known for the supposed "Standing Death of Benkei" where to defend Yoshitsune of the Minamoto clan, Benkei defeated over three hundred soldiers who attempted to cross a bridge to the castle where Yoshitsune was, and eventually died while standing.
So, he's a bit of a badass, as you might gather. A shame the same can't be said about this incarnation of him, where all he does is flail around with a double-bladed naginata awkwardly for nearly every match. This game certainly could have been good if they'd put even a smidgen of effort into it, but that's how things go, I suppose. Having Benkei and Goemon, legendary Japanese heroes, as bosses in a game devoted to Japanese folklore was actually a really good idea, it just wasn't implemented particularly well. Though we'll see a lot worse too in future games, that's for sure.