its release. The project was directed by Shuhiko Nakata, who wished to add tension to the traditional fighting game formula by having the possibility of a one-hit kill. However, Nakata stated that hit detection was implemented for the torso, head, and limbs to make the game more of a "swordsmanship simulator" rather than a fighting game. The director explained that the bushidō code of honor present in the game was not strictly the warrior's "way of dying" like that found in the Edo period's famous Hagakure guide but emphasized the concept of one's own survival as found in teachings of earlier Japanese time periods. The musical score for Bushido Blade was created by Namco and Arika composer Shinji Hosoe with contributions by Ayako Saso and Takayuki Aihara. Much of the audio utilizes the flute and violin, as well as a traditional Japanese instrument, the shamisen. The music was released with the soundtrack for Square's Driving Emotion Type-S, also composed by the trio, on a two-disc set in 2001. The Bushido Blade disc contains 23 tracks. Unlike many other Square soundtracks of the era which were released by DigiCube, the music, copyrighted by Hosoe, was published by his own Super Sweep Records company. Bushido Blade also uses voice acting from voice actors such as Chikao Ōtsuka, Makio Inoue, and Hidekatsu Shibata. Release Originally slated for a February 1997 release in Japan, Bushido Blade was pushed back to March to make room for the debut of Square's Aques line of sports games in February. Bushido Blade was presold in convenience stores in Japan prior to its release, similar to Square's decision to presell its hit Final Fantasy VII in Lawson stores. The North American release of Bushido Blade had one minor graphical change: blood was added, replacing the yellow flash that appears during a fatal blow. Despite the North American-exclusive inclusion of graphic violence, the ESRB rated the game Teen, while the ELSPA gave the European release a more restrictive 18+ rating. Reception In Japan, Bushido Blade was the 25th best selling game of 1997 in Japan, selling nearly 387,937 copies. The game was later reprinted, along with a handful of other Square Enix titles, under the developer's "Legendary Hits" label. The game was also added to the PSone Classics roster on the Japanese PlayStation Store in 2008. In the United States, the game sold 324,083 units , adding up to units