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[EDMIX]

This is why I'm hoping that Jin Sakai is still alive in Ghost of Yotei and teams up with Atsu. And that he can fly. That would be insanely cool. Like Neo in the end of Matrix.

lol you wild for this!

I'd say at the least, we might end up seeing him in some dream sequence or in some DLC underworld MP mode or something, eternally defending Japan from the Mongols.

 

[Embearded]

"A woman could not win fights against men"

Even if that is true (which is not....), show me a man that could take down the entire Mongolian army like Jin did in the first game.
Even the most fit men could not keep up with Jin.

 

[kyussman]

I wonder if Shawn Layden knows the history of that trans flag he so proudly displays in his bio(created by an actual pedo),I wonder if anyone ever actually looks into the real horrors of what the man who created that flag did....nah,just ignorantly virtual signal for woke points.Pathetic.I would be so fucking ashamed to be anywhere around that flag,but then I know the truth of it's creation.

 

[PeteBull]

back in my day we had historically accurate ninja samurai girlboss waifus, before WOKE

I remember back in those days purple hair on a girl meant she had daddy issues, not being feminazi masculine girlboss that needs no man, ahh good times

 

[Ozriel]

The best part of "don't buy it" is that they complain when people don't buy it.

"Soft sales expectations."

Oh, please. The vast majority of folks in this thread - even the most virulent of the ‘anti-woke’ mob - are going to buy this game. Same way the really popular stuff skates by all this talk.

This will be another ‘boycott Call of Duty’ situation. Just impotent rage.
Can’t wait to see the angry threads about GTA 6 next year.

Lastly, a few blade / history aficionados are arguing about historical inaccuracies and the physics required for a woman to be able to wield a sword in this way

Bet they had no problem dropping combos on Zangief as Sakura.

 

[SlimySnake]

But you are overpowered in outlaws dude, if you know how to use nix, the game is a cakewalk, and ia is so fucking stupid.

When i failed Stealth in that game was because the mechanics are unreliable and random, not because it's hard or you are not overpowered.

Enemies having random sight, sometimes they spot you from afar, sometimes they can't see you from up close
The game choosing long ko animations and getting me caught instead of chosing the shorter one
Nix sometimes not working properly
Stealth takedown sometimes not working and she just punch them
Not being able to hide bodies
Cover system that is not precise so sometimes you left a shoe outside the cover and get discovered
Shit save system that doesn't save the state of the mission so you return to an area that you cleared from enemies and they are still there
Sometimes the stun hit is silent, sometimes it alert close enemies
General junkiness that make everything more cumbersome.

There is a video where 13 years old splinter cell dismantle outlaws stealth mechanics, but the game is super easy when everything work properly, nix can make you kill 3 enemies in stealth at any given time or you can just make noise and attract multiple enemies on a bush and ko them like you do in ac games, i had pile of corpses accumulating ln these bushes (when the ko animation that bring them inside the bush properly work of course) and it's rare to have more than 3 enemies super close to each other, when they are groups of 4 they usually walk around and you can totally avoid them (or you can attrack one of them with the noise button and ko him and then deal with the 3 left)

And the game only has a couple of mission with immediate fail state, if you disable the alarm and keep an eye on the people who try to call reinforces you can just go gun blazing, it is so easy to get street creed with the factions that being discovered is no biggie, the whole system is deep as a spiderman 1 puddle.


Stealth doesn't suck when done properly, tsushima and outlaws are just terrible stealth games, outlaws more than sushima.

How do i kill 3 enemies at once using nix? I can’t even do 2. Is there an upgrade tree i missed out on?

 

[tommib]

I know why the guys in this thread want to play as Jin so bad again.

 

[SJRB]

"A woman could not win fights against men"

Even if that is true (which is not....), show me a man that could take down the entire Mongolian army like Jin did in the first game.
Even the most fit men could not keep up with Jin.

This is just dumb rhetoric anyway. Even in Ghost of Tsushima almost all of your attacks revolve around parrying - creating an opening - strike.

It was never about brute strength but about technique. Jin is not gorilla-strong either, he's a pretty scrawny guy but has S-tier technique. The Mongols are twice his size but he fucks them up anyway because he's the better swordsman.

If you seriously think a woman would never be able to have the same skills you're just kinda goofy.

This is the wrong hill to die on. There's plenty moments of genuine agenda-pushing in videogames but this isn't it.

 

[GymWolf]

How do i kill 3 enemies at once using nix? I can’t even do 2. Is there an upgrade tree i missed out on?

Send nix to attack one, use the stun pistol to kill the other that is a bit far away, then run towards the guy trying to help the dude attacked by nix, ko him and then ko the dude attacked by nix, sometimes can happen that if the game chose the long ko animation, the third enemy get rid of nix before you can ko him with a single button press, but you can still combo punch him and get the stealth kill, there is also a skill that improve nix distracting time so it's even easier and with less risk.

If all the system works as they should, it's a 3 kill combo most of the times.

I would say that making noises and attracting enemies one by one to corners and do the stealth takedown that bring them behind the cover is more safe, but the game sometimes fucks up the input or doesn't use the takedown animation that hide the body automatically behind the cover so it's a matter of luck.

 

[dDoc]

You listed four examples, what about several of their other games like Helldivers 2, Gran Turismo 7, Stellar Blade, Rise of the Ronin, Astro Bot, etc.?
I don't get this fearmongering over Sony execs (WHICH execs, ffs) when it's always more of a matter of local studio culture. People were already accusing Insomniac of being SJW-driven way before they were acquired by Sony!

It might also be coming directly from the studios, same end result.

Thank fuck not all of their games (and other pubs or independent studios) are filled with woke! Some of their studios, like Santa Monica, work with SBI. The story for Ragnarok and some character choices were impacted by that.

Also didnt HellDiver's 2 at one point do some woke shit?

Other examples? Sony forcing Capcom to hide Trish's crack? (which might have since been reversed)

TLOU2 was somewhat as well.

Can't think of other stuff right now, though Im sure there are more instances.

 

[Embearded]

This is just dumb rhetoric anyway. Even in Ghost of Tsushima almost all of your attacks revolve around parrying - creating an opening - strike.

It was never about brute strength but about technique. Jin is not gorilla-strong either, he's a pretty scrawny guy but has S-tier technique. The Mongols are twice his size but he fucks them up anyway because he's the better swordsman.

If you seriously think a woman would never be able to have the same skills you're just kinda goofy.

This is the wrong hill to die on. There's plenty moments of genuine agenda-pushing in videogames but this isn't it.

For how long can someone do that before going out of breath or doing the smallest mistake?

Movies and video games have created this image in our minds of supersoldiers who can fight against hundreds and win. I'd bet even historic facts that come close to that have a lot of salsa in them.

 

[VinnyMac]

Looks exactly like the last I'm good g.o.t honestly bored me to death.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

Oh, please. The vast majority of folks in this thread - even the most virulent of the ‘anti-woke’ mob - are going to buy this game. Same way the really popular stuff skates by all this talk.

I agree, I do think this will sell well. My comment was a generalization on the folks that say "just don't buy it" only to bellyache months later that sales were low.

 

[strike670]

Ok, you will get one and this won't happen. /s

She had cool powers though. I liked using neon or whatever it was called. At least it was different.

 

[Topher]

You mean like bioware introducing modern day surgery in a fantasy game with dragons.

I don't think sp is as fucked as bioware but logic has left the room years ago dude.

Bioware isn't even remotely comparable here. If/when we see some stupid shit from SP then fine, but I'm not going to make wild assumptions just because the MC is female.

 

[midnightAI]

For how long can someone do that before going out of breath or doing the smallest mistake?

Movies and video games have created this image in our minds of supersoldiers who can fight against hundreds and win. I'd bet even historic facts that come close to that have a lot of salsa in them.

As they should, can you just imagine what it would be like if it was realistic? Protagonist has fight with 3 people at the same time, dies, the end. Or protagonist has fight with person of equal ability, just about wins but now needs to seek medical attention, take a ride to the nearest hospital, wait for 4 hours to be seen, finally get treated, go home and sleep for 8 hours, bit stiff for the next few days so you can't do any fighting (all in realtime)

At the end of the day it's all about entertainment.

 

[Fake]

This is just dumb rhetoric anyway. Even in Ghost of Tsushima almost all of your attacks revolve around parrying - creating an opening - strike.

Parrying requires strength.

 

[nial]

It might also be coming directly from the studios, same end result.

Not if we're talking about any corporate forcing here.

 

[FewRope]

Why is this thread about the realism of a videogame sword fight lol

 

[Trilobit]

I can't wait to hear the OST of GoY. It was so amazing to have this song playing whilst in photo mode. Fantastic soundtrack.

 

[BbMajor7th]

"A woman could not win fights against men"

Even if that is true (which is not....), show me a man that could take down the entire Mongolian army like Jin did in the first game.
Even the most fit men could not keep up with Jin.

I mean, I routinely play my Souls games as female characters. Big shrug for me. The only annoying thing is that it's become a fucking meme at this point to recast male leads with female counterparts and it looks cynical even if it's not. Especially when nobody's like 'big news guys, the new Tomb Raider game focuses on Lara's brother, Richard Croft Jr!'

 

[TheRedRiders]

Just watching DF's weekly on Patreon, they're all in agreement that the game is visually iterative over it's predecessor with no clear signs of "next-gen" features like ray-tracing or micro-polygon rendering. The game is mostly being carries visually by its art direction. I agree with DF in this instance.

 

[ProtoByte]

Just watching DF's weekly on Patreon, they're all in agreement that the game is visually iterative over it's predecessor with no clear signs of "next-gen" features like ray-tracing or micro-polygon rendering. The game is mostly being carries visually by its art direction. I agree with DF in this instance.

Really lazy on Sucker Punch's part. Not like the first game was cutting edge visually when it came out. Some of that can be due to open world stuff, but even Spider-Man 2018 outclassed it in animation quality. And as incremental as SM2 was in every way, at least Insomniac spent the 5 years between that game and the first putting out Miles Morales and Rift Apart. SP has had the same amount of time practically uninterrupted time to conceive and execute ways to make this a showstopper.

Even beyond visuals, I'm not really seeing where SP will progress with this game mechanically or narratively. Ghost is basically capitalizing on AC's lack of Japan setting, and they should realise that it can get just as if not more repetitive.

 

[finalflame]

So fucking obnoxious how fucking everything is a cutscene and unstoppable in GOT. Idk if I’ll make it.

 

[AW_CL]

 

[DeepEnigma]

Parrying requires strength.

No it does not, not from boxing nor swordplay. It requires slight arm movements and perfect timing redirecting the incoming attack.

Boxing
When parrying a punch in boxing, you redirect the punch with a slight diagonal arm movement away from the punch. This is easier than blocking a punch, which requires moving your entire body.

Fencing
When parrying in fencing, you strike the opponent's blade with your blade near the handle to deflect it away from you

Y'all don't have to make stuff up just to fit a narrative sauce you're lost in.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Really lazy on Sucker Punch's part. Not like the first game was cutting edge visually when it came out. Some of that can be due to open world stuff, but even Spider-Man 2018 outclassed it in animation quality. And as incremental as SM2 was in every way, at least Insomniac spent the 5 years between that game and the first putting out Miles Morales and Rift Apart. SP has had the same amount of time practically uninterrupted time to conceive and execute ways to make this a showstopper.

Even beyond visuals, I'm not really seeing where SP will progress with this game mechanically or narratively. Ghost is basically capitalizing on AC's lack of Japan setting, and they should realise that it can get just as if not more repetitive.

It annoys me when people over analyze announcement trailers that purposefully didn't reveal much

One of the only statements Sucker Punch has said of Yotei is that they aimed to make the game much less repetitive. We saw 1 slice of combat for half a second and you gleam that the game hasn't "progressed mechanically"? If they just implemented the combat improvements of Legends mode, it would be a massive increase over the base game. They showed 3 different weapons in the trailer as well as firearms

And personally, I prefer a great art style over graphic fidelity. It's one of the reasons why GOT sold so well on PC 4 years later, the art style is timeless. GOY has noticeable graphical improvements, but I'd rather Sucker Punch focus on the gameplay and animations, which both can be majorly improved upon

 

[Fake]

No it does not, not from boxing nor swordplay. It requires slight arm movements and perfect timing redirecting the incoming attack.

Boxing
When parrying a punch in boxing, you redirect the punch with a slight diagonal arm movement away from the punch. This is easier than blocking a punch, which requires moving your entire body.

Fencing
When parrying in fencing, you strike the opponent's blade with your blade near the handle to deflect it away from you

Y'all don't have to make stuff up just to fit a narrative sauce you're lost in.

Is do require strenght dude. And you are talking about competions and stuff like that, but between life and death I sure trying to parry an opponent sword require a loads of strenght or else don't even think about parry someones sword.

And there are others situations about parry, we are just talking about sword vs swords, but you can parry other weapons with are better to strike than sword.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Is do require strenght dude. And you are talking about competions and stuff like that, but between life and death I sure trying to parry an opponent sword require a loads of strenght or else don't even think about parry someones sword.

And there are others situations about parry, we are just talking about sword vs swords, but you can parry other weapons with are better to strike than sword.

Have you taken any form of martial arts? I am honestly asking, not to put you down.

Deflecting and parrying incoming attacks do not require much strength if done correctly. It requires speed, and deflecting the attacker hands or legs away. You can literally slap someone's punch away with no effort at all, if done in the proper direction and timing using their own weight and telegraphing against them.

At the end of the day, we are playing a videogame with damned slow motion resolve spheres. Le sigh. Women tho, amirite?

 

[Fake]

Have you taken any form of martial arts? I am honestly asking, not to put you down.

Deflecting and parrying incoming attacks do not require much strength if done correctly. It requires speed, and deflecting the attacker hands or legs away. You can literally slap someone's punch away with no effort at all, if done in the proper direction and timing using their own weight and telegraphing against them.

Yes, just not kendo. Body fight and jiu-jitsu.

Look, strenght plays a good amount of importance in the parry, not saying is the only part. You need to have technique, foot position, sometimes even the terrain play a factor in the combat.

But please, don't act like strenght doesn't affect parry. Its does. And I never approved or liked Jin parrying huge Mongolians warriors.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Yes, just not kendo. Body fight and jiu-jitsu.

Look, there plays a good amount of importance in the parry, not saying is the only part. You need to have technique, foot position, sometimes even the terrain play a factor in the combat.

But please, don't act like strenght doesn't affect parry. Its does. And I never approved or liked Jin parrying huge Mongolians warriors.

They not doing Kendo, which is not a real life sword fight but "competitive" you dismissed earlier. Or grappling with Jiu-Jitsu, which again, you are trying to exert the least amount of strength and getting the opponent to over exert themselves into making a mistake. It's also based on physics with leverage points which is why smaller men have taken down big men with zero issue if one is more skilled at leverage than another.

Again, they are sword fighting in feudal Japan with a cinema-like choreography inspiration, not grappling. Which tends to have at most 1 to 3 parries before someone is getting sliced.

 

[ProtoByte]

One of the only statements Sucker Punch has said of Yotei is that they aimed to make the game much less repetitive.

They can say what they like. Insomniac pretended that they were making big gains in world design prior to SM2's launch.

We saw 1 slice of combat for half a second and you gleam that the game hasn't "progressed mechanically"?

I said I'm not seeing any indications or have reason to believe they will.

They showed 3 different weapons in the trailer as well as firearms

They showed two swords, one sword, and a gun, which can very easily just wind up being a bow replacement mechanically.

It's one of the reasons why GOT sold so well on PC 4 years later, the art style is timeless.

We don't know how much it sold on PC. No reason to assume it sold "so well", and if Sony wises up by the time Yotei comes out it won't touch non-PS devices.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

They can say what they like. Insomniac pretended that they were making big gains in world design prior to SM2's launch.


I said I'm not seeing any indications or have reason to believe they will.


They showed two swords, one sword, and a gun, which can very easily just wind up being a bow replacement mechanically.


We don't know how much it sold on PC. No reason to assume it sold "so well", and if Sony wises up by the time Yotei comes out it won't touch non-PS devices.

Kusarigama weapon

Yeah, I was disappointed with SM2 and Insomniac. I think that's an Insomniac issue though, as they constantly have 3 different games in development. That can stifle innovation imo, especially with sequels. Sucker Punch is solely working on Ghost of Yotei, and their studio has more than doubled since GOT in 2020. I'm pretty optimistic it will be a sizeable leap between games

And Ghost of Tsushima is the most played Playstation game ever at launch on PC. So I'm guessing it sold quite well

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

When it comes to the protagonist all I care about is intent. If you put a woman as the main character in your game to virtue signal, I'm out. Same goes for that crazy ass actress... Ain't no other reason to hire that pan-fluid, two-spirited whacko than to show that you are a true ally.

 

[Gaiff]

You clearly have no concept of what samurai are. Skilled samurais fought in many battles, including ones where they were at a numerical disadvantage, and killed hundreds of opponents. Katanas are very heavy, they would be hard to wield for a woman, harder yet to master, especially to a point where you could dispatch several opponents at once. If you can't recognize the physical strength and other advantages men have over women, then there's really no point in engaging with you, so just stick with giving me LOL reactions, it's what you do best.

So heavy that Hattori Hanzo was a big proponent of wielding them with one hand while holding a wakizashi on the other. Sure lol.

 

[Sonik]

No it does not, not from boxing nor swordplay. It requires slight arm movements and perfect timing redirecting the incoming attack.

Boxing
When parrying a punch in boxing, you redirect the punch with a slight diagonal arm movement away from the punch. This is easier than blocking a punch, which requires moving your entire body.

Fencing
When parrying in fencing, you strike the opponent's blade with your blade near the handle to deflect it away from you

Y'all don't have to make stuff up just to fit a narrative sauce you're lost in.

 

[Boss Mog]

So heavy that Hattori Hanzo was a big proponent of wielding them with one hand while holding a wakizashi on the other. Sure lol.

So let me get this straight, you're countering my argument about a woman not being able to skillfully dual wield heavy swords by saying a man can do it

 

[Gaiff]

So let me get this straight, you're countering my argument about a woman not being able to skillfully dual wield heavy swords by saying a man can do it

You said katanas are heavy and were hard to wield for a woman. That’s ridiculously false because they freakin’ weren’t as evidence by men wielding them one-handed. If they were so heavy, it wouldn’t have been much of a thing. A 10-second Google search would have told you that much.

 

[Danjin44]

I have zero interest in this game but man people getting triggered over playing as female character is just beyond stupid.

It’s…..fucking……video…..game.

In Monster Hunter you can play as female character who can take down wyverns and dragons twice her size, is it realistic? No, is it fun….FUCK YEAH!

 

[AtomicStarving]

This japanese guy made a good video about the trailer and some "possible" aspects of the story.

 

[zkorejo]

Looks so fuckin amazing. I wish it was Jin but the new character looks promising.

Edit: So much discussion on female character being main protagonist. I understand how gamers are cautious whenever devs/publishers do this because it's usually done to solely please and pander a segment of fans and nothing more than that. But honestly.. I think sucker punch did an amazing job with the first one so they deserve a benefit of the doubt.

Now if it becomes like the last of us 2 where devs throw in a bunch of stuff to push their ideologies... That becomes a problem. Stay your lane and entertain me first with a good game with a good story. Don't worry about brainwashing me. I pay to enjoy games. And if the game can't do that.. idc if it's a man or a woman on my screen. I think... And I hope.. sucker punch gets that. And I want to believe they do.

 

[Boss Mog]

You said katanas are heavy and were hard to wield for a woman. That’s ridiculously false because they freakin’ weren’t as evidence by men wielding them one-handed. If they were so heavy, it wouldn’t have been much of a thing. A 10-second Google search would have told you that much.

Are you trolling or just slow? You keep equating a man wielding it to a woman wielding it. Maybe you're one of those people who think women are just as strong as men? Well I hate to break it you, but they're not.

 

[Gaiff]

Are you trolling or just slow? You keep equating a man wielding it to a woman wielding it. Maybe you're one of those people who think women are just as strong as men? Well I hate to break it you, but they're not.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. They weren’t heavy. Stop your strawman. They were 2.2-3.3 pounds as a simple search will tell you. Women nor men had a problem wielding them and they were so light that regular men commonly dual-wielded them with a wakizashi at one point, something that wouldn’t have been possible if they were as heavy as you claim.

The point is, men could easily hold them one-handed, so women certainly wouldn’t have had a problem using them with both hands at least.

 

[Boss Mog]

Oh, for fuck’s sake. They weren’t heavy. Stop your strawman. They were 2.2-3.3 pounds as a simple search will tell you. Women nor men had a problem wielding them and they were so light that regular men commonly dual-wielded them with a wakizashi at one point, something that wouldn’t have been possible if they were as heavy as you claim.

The point is, men could easily hold them one-handed, so women certainly wouldn’t have had a problem using them with both hands at least.

Dear God... Did you even watch the trailer? She is dual wielding. That is the whole point of what I'm saying. Again, being able to hold a katana and wielding it with great skill are two completely different things, the latter requiring far greater strength.

 

[Gaiff]

Dear God... Did you even watch the trailer? She is dual wielding. That is the whole point of what I'm saying. Again, being able to hold a katana and wielding it with great skill are two completely different things, the latter requiring far greater strength.

They wouldn’t have had a hard time dual wielding either because 2-3.5 pounds isn’t heavy. Stop with this. You said katanas were "very heavy" that’s untrue. It’s one thing to dislike the material, it’s another to make up historical facts to support what you say.

Historical sources don’t back up what you say, unless you can point us to them, and I know you cannot.

 

[Silver Wattle]

Looks so fuckin amazing. I wish it was Jin but the new character looks promising.

Edit: So much discussion on female character being main protagonist. I understand how gamers are cautious whenever devs/publishers do this because it's usually done to solely please and pander a segment of fans and nothing more than that. But honestly.. I think sucker punch did an amazing job with the first one so they deserve a benefit of the doubt.

Now if it becomes like the last of us 2 where devs throw in a bunch of stuff to push their ideologies... That becomes a problem. Stay your lane and entertain me first with a good game with a good story. Don't worry about brainwashing me. I pay to enjoy games. And if the game can't do that.. idc if it's a man or a woman on my screen. I think... And I hope.. sucker punch gets that. And I want to believe they do.

The problem is the actress playing the MC, she is an activist which will attract negative attention and detract from the game itself.
Also if they make the character gay/trans it will be an obvious DEI ploy and will draw large negative attention to the game as well.

 

[midnightAI]

Just watching DF's weekly on Patreon, they're all in agreement that the game is visually iterative over it's predecessor with no clear signs of "next-gen" features like ray-tracing or micro-polygon rendering. The game is mostly being carries visually by its art direction. I agree with DF in this instance.

You mean they aren't using UE5? Huge shock /S

Is this the same DF who said the PS5 wasnt powerfully enough for 'proper' ray tracing? (I think they even said before launch it won't have any ray tracing?) So it isn't powerful enough but not they expect it in a massive open world game? Yeh, makes sense (more /s)

 

[midnightAI]

They wouldn’t have had a hard time dual wielding either because 2-3.5 pounds isn’t heavy. Stop with this. You said katanas were "very heavy" that’s untrue. It’s one thing to dislike the material, it’s another to make up historical facts to support what you say.

Historical sources don’t back up what you say, unless you can point us to them, and I know you cannot.

Isn't it one Katana and one Wakizashi (it's hard to tell in this trailer but it looks like one may be shorter)

 

[Trilobit]

In Monster Hunter you can play as female character who can take down wyverns and dragons twice her size, is it realistic? No, is it fun….FUCK YEAH!

You are comparing Japan to a fantasy place with dragons and wyverns when talking about realism?

 

[winjer]

Parrying requires strength.

Not really. Sword fighting does not require a lot of strength. That is just a myth created by films and videogames.
Consider that most swords weight in the range of 1-1.2 kg. Yes, there are heavier, but those are rarer and usually for specific roles.
In fact, strength is not even one of the most important aspects in sword fighting.
The most important, by far is skill and technique.

The only situation where strength becomes a dominant factor is with heavily armoured opponents, such as wearing maximillian type armour.
Because with this type of armour, there are so few gaps to exploit, that it usually devolves into a grappling match. But in this situation, the sword is mostly used as a lever, to tackle the opponent into the ground.
But, if 2 knights get into this kind of fight, the sword is not the best weapon, but rather the knife, especially one with a strong blade, capable of exploiting narrow gaps in the armour.
The other fact to consider is that in a battle, most of fights between knights would use spears and lances, as these were their main weapons.

But Japanese armour was usually very open, giving greater emphasis to mobility, rather than to protection. So there were many more gaps to exploit, in the case of a sword fight.
Also consider that the primary weapon of a samurai is the bow and arrow, followed by the spear. The sword is just a backup weapon, the last resort in a battle.
Outside of battle, the sword was used as personal protection and a status symbol. But in this situation, the samurai would not be using armour, so skill becomes the primary factor.