This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format.

A unique concept that provides some genuinely fun local multiplayer gameplay, Black & White Bushido unfortunately suffers from a shallow pool of content, in addition to a seriously woeful single-player AI. In this monochromatic, samurai experience, you’ll fight against fellow warriors or bots in the standard modes you’d expect — deathmatch and capture the flag — in addition to a training mode to hone your skills. While the variety in modes is very limited, it is an engaging local multiplayer experience, similar in some ways to TowerFall, providing that ‘friendship ending’ fun if you're playing with three other humans.

Like TowerFall, you fight on stages that loop (walking off one edge of the screen has you appear on the opposite side), allowing for some tactical moves that always require your guard to be up. The control is also tight; the wall jumping, parkour action, and ability to slice to the side for an additional jump make gameplay with multiple players frantic, and enjoyable.

The main hook of Black and White Bushido is its stylised black-and-white palette. It doesn’t just make the game look super cool, it also allows each team to blend into half of the background at any given time to utilise stealth. The screen will also change to expose hiding players at various times, which can be crucial when going in for the kill. There are also items to use, though you’re not aware of what you’ve picked up at the time, so it’s a bit random.

The main issue comes from the really poor single-player AI. One match we played had all three opponents simply jumping up and down for the whole match whilst we captured the flag three times over. Disappointing.

Black and White Bushido's visuals are great, but they're difficult to see when viewing the whole screen in tablet mode. The monochromatic palette with the occasional splash of blood makes grabbing a kill all the more pleasing. The art style is, in fact (perhaps unsurprisingly), very reminiscent of the Samurai Jack cartoon series, which is anything but a bad thing. The four characters and seven stages (including one unlockable) are all well-designed, with unique taunts a really nice addition.

It’s a shame then, that Black and White Bushido feels a bit bare-bones when it has some really great elements along with a unique premise going for it. It’s fantastic for an hour as a local multiplayer party game, but not recommended for extended single-player use.