I just picked this game up, because I am a sucker for samurai combat, but somehow this one game went under my radar. It's by the same developers as the Tenchu games. Beats me how long it has been out in Japan for. Anyway...
I am just getting into it, but so far, it is extremely challenging. The combat system is based entirely around the effects of parrying and deflecting swords, like in Soul Calibur. However, your sword can break off if it strikes your opponent's sword too many times. Right now I am getting slaughtered by some pretty mediocre warriors, due to my lack of practice with this system. The game also has a slightly silly slant to it, the music is downright wacky, with weird combinations of traditional Japanese music and electronic stuff, and one of your ally samurai is a black guy with an afro. In that respect, it kind of reminds me of Bushido Blade 2.
Anyway, I was just taking a break from playing it because I am slightly miffed at the sparseness of save points, i.e. I haven't found one yet. I think I'll go back and look harder.