Play Sword of the Samurai Online

Game Overview

Man, Sword of the Samurai is one of those weird, ambitious MicroProse gems from the late '80s that somehow blends feudal politics, sword duels, and army management into a single game. You start as some low-ranking samurai vassal, picking your clan and family specialty—I always went with diplomacy because the swordfighting minigame wrecked me at first.

What’s wild is how much backstabbing happens while you’re trying to climb the ranks. You can bribe rivals, kidnap their family members, or even assassinate the daimyo if you’re feeling bold (and suicidal). But getting caught means losing honor fast, and suddenly you’re staring at the seppuku screen while your heir takes over. The AI rivals pull the same shady tricks, so it never feels unfair—just brutally feudal.

Once you finally become daimyo, the game shifts into full-on conquest mode. Your army size matters way more than personal honor now, and picking the right battles is key. Win enough, and you’ll claim the shogunate—but the real kicker is the dynasty summary at the end. Depending on how you built your legacy, your rule might last centuries or collapse immediately after your death. Such a cool touch.

It’s janky by modern standards, but there’s nothing else quite like it—part strategy, part RPG, part chaotic samurai soap opera.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".