Live A Live: How To Beat Bloodthirsty Samurai
"Live A Live," the remake of the popular RPG for the Nintendo Switch, has received solid reviews from critics and a positive response from fans. Part of this is due to the fact that the game is packed full of secrets to find and multiple endings to unlock across its seven chapters and end sequence. It will take you 20-30 hours to beat the game and find all the extras, but you can tackle the chapters in any order you choose. One chapter that may be giving gamers trouble is the challenging "Twilight of Edo Japan."
In this chapter, players assume the role of a shinobi on a mission to rescue a prisoner from a castle in feudal Japan. The player can sneakily infiltrate the castle like a true ninja or use the brute force approach, cutting down enemies as they go. Either way, completionists will want to seek out and defeat the two secret bosses to be found in this chapter. One of these bosses is a vengeful ghost known as the Bloodthirsty Samurai.
Finding the Bloodthirsty Samurai
To find the Bloodthirsty Samurai, you'll need to head to the Path of Shuttered Lanterns. There are a couple paths to this area and you may stumble across while exploring but, if you haven't, the easiest route is through the Residential Palace.
Head to the Residential Palace and go to the attic. There is a wall with a hidden door that will lead to the roof and the castle walls. Run along the walls to find an area with a tree near where you acquire the Storehouse Key. Leap down from there to enter the Path of Shuttered Lanterns where things get slightly complicated and spooky.
Head through a short section of tunnel into a second area. Start heading south and you'll hear clicking noise. Keep going but immediately stop when you hear a second click. Run back the way you came and go back through the door you just came in from. You'll find yourself in a brand new room with a sword hanging on the opposite wall. Try to grab the sword to summon its guardian. Get ready for a tough boss fight.
Fighting the Bloodthirsty Samurai
There are different ways to approach this fight, but one solid strategy is to plant yourself in a corner of the battle area and ping your opponent with high damage ranged attacks. Let your companions, the Mimic and the Prisoner (hopefully you've brought them along), occupy the Samurai and take the brunt of his damage. Wind Slash, Winter's Chill, and Phoenix Call are all good options for moves here. GameSpot recommends using Phantom Butterflies to temporarily put the boss to sleep, and Dust Veil will be useful if he manages to close the distance and get close to you.
Even with a full and well-equipped team, this is likely to be the toughest fight you face this chapter. You may have to take several cracks at it to get a feel for the patterns and refine your strategy. Checking out a video walkthrough may help you get a feel for the best approach towards the boss, but it won't be easy.
It's worth the effort, though! Taking out the Bloodthirsty Samurai will earn you the Muramasa sword, the best weapon in the chapter. This will be a big help in the fights that follow.