Samurai Shodown V Special is a re-release of the Samurai Shodown V Special , which was the first game in the main series not developed by SNK, but designed by Yuki Enterprise instead. A few problems were corrected in this release, along with the addition of some new features.
The gameplay is similar to the base game, but with a few additions. Players can now perform Fatalities on their opponents, and each character has hidden Zetsumei Ougi moves that provide an instant kill when connected. The weapon damage is based on a green Sword Gauge, which depletes when many weapon moves are used in succession, and then regenerates. Other special moves are based on rage with a Rage Gauge, and Rage Explosion for invincible attacks.
The number of backgrounds has been reduced, but the game now includes more original ones.
Samurai Shodown V Special was released on 2004-04-22 .