| Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword Hana Samurai: Art of the Sword | |
| Developer: | Grounding Inc. |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Director: | Noboru Hotta |
| Designer: | Keita Watanabe Yasunari Hiroyama Yukio Futatsugi Noburu Hotta Masao Suganuma |
| Composer: | Kenji Yamamoto Toshiyuki Sudo Daisuke Matsuoka |
| Platforms: | Nintendo 3DS |
| Genre: | Action-adventure |
| Modes: | Single player |
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword is an action-adventure game developed by Grounding Inc.[1] and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS's eShop. The game was released in Japan on November 16, 2011 as, in North America on February 2, 2012,[2] and in PAL regions on October 11, 2012 under the title Hana Samurai: Art of the Sword.[3]
A young, nameless samurai hero sometimes referred to as "Sakura Samurai", trained by an old kappa and dubbed as the Sakura Samurai (or Hana Samurai), travels the game's world to rescue a kidnapped princess called Cherry Blossom, a daughter of the cherry blossom god in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Audrey Drake of IGN gave the game a 9/10 for its distinct charm, art style, and fulfilling gameplay.[4] Vaughn Highfield of Pocket Gamer gave the game an 8.0/10.
Nintendo Life gave the game an 8.0/10 saying that Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword may not be the prettiest game on the eShop but it sure is one of the most challenging, striking a good balance between difficulty and precision.[5]
The character Sakura Samurai appears as a trophy exclusively in the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a collectible Spirit.[6] A remix of the first boss battle theme also appears in the Wii U version of for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as a selectable song for the stage Luigi's Mansion, and it returns in Ultimate, where it can be played on any miscellaneous Nintendo series stage.