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The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340)
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About The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340)
SNK Neo-Geo MVS cart. published 29 years ago:
幕末浪漫 月華の剣士 (c) 1997 SNK Corporation. (Bakumatsu Rouman - Gekka no Kenshi)
Japanese weapons-based fighter featuring beautiful artwork and sound. Twelve selectable characters and two end bosses.
- TECHNICAL -
Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware. Game ID: NGM-234
[SNK MVS Neo-Geo Controls] 2 Players - 4 buttons per player. => [Joystick] 8-way, [A] Weak Slash, [B] Strong Slash, [C] Kick, [D] Repel
- TRIVIA -
Bakumatsu Rouman - Gekka no Kenshi (translates from Japanese as 'Bakumatsu Romance - Swordsman In The Moonlight') was released on December 5, 1997 (Friday) in Japan.
This game is known outside Japan as 'The Last Blade' and in Korea as 'The Last Soldier'.
Parts of Gekka no Kenshi was based off of the manga 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
The Bakumatsu period of Japan (1860-1899) represents the opening of Japanese ports to foreigners. The Last Blade is set during this time period and you can see Europeans in some backgrounds, as well as some European dress influences on some characters.
Player layout in our catalog: 2P sim.
If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.
Open Play on this page to start The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340). Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.
The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) — play guide
What The Last Blade wants from you
The Last Blade (SNK) is a versus weapon fighter cab: win matches with timing honesty and anti-air peeks before continues empty. Timing honesty beats mash. Learn The Last Blade windows cold—do not paste Samurai Shodown charts blindly—the weapon and special scripts are their own exam. Calm first matches until anti-air timing is narratable; lastblad chrome is packaging, not free wins or free match clears on every bout for vanity specials into empty air while a counter finishes the round.
First minutes in The Last Blade
First matches: peek openings, time anti-airs, and ignore scenic bait that invites panic mash. Power-cycle once so The Last Blade chrome stops looking like Samurai Shodown. Early matches teach The Last Blade grammar: planned anti-airs before mash routes that eat counters mid-match when denser opponent packs arrive on later boards. Hold that grammar before vanity specials. One clean round with composure left beats three KO deaths that looked flashy until a jump-in you ignored was reversed.
Core systems in The Last Blade
Move, strike, special, weapon as wired, match goals, lives/continues, and The Last Blade UI define the systems. Skill is weapon literacy under pressure—not mashing every special into a counter. After continues, reconfirm match and health state before racing again. Keep a one-sentence peek-before-special rule ready before the second match starts on this SNK weapon fighter set, and reclaim space after every whiff instead of chasing vanity confirms into a punish.
Score, continues, and resources in The Last Blade
Match wins and clean rounds score the run; counters and KOs tax continues. Continues are coins while learning denser weapon matchups. Fewer panic mashes and fewer ignored peeks keep credits alive. Farming easy AI forever without reading denser packs still leaves The Last Blade unread. Progress is SNK chrome that no longer forces KO loops mid-bout on later boards, not a pasted title that still mash-specials every frame into a counter.
Mistakes that burn credits in The Last Blade
Mash-specialing every frame, ignoring anti-airs, never waiting for a clean window, tunneling on scenery while a counter finishes you, and rage-continuing after KO streaks burn The Last Blade credits. Power-cycling mid-tilt without a plan burns another credit. Next credit: peek first, anti-air on plan—stop mash tourism for scenery and bout panic on later SNK boards.
Next steps after The Last Blade
When The Last Blade matches finish without constant KOs, compare Samurai Shodown and The Last Blade 2 deliberately for SNK contrast, then return with weapon drills on the denser matchups that still tax you. KO streaks shrink once panic-mash specials stop mid-bout. Cousin SNK fighters help as contrast after The Last Blade feels automatic—not as escape from matches you still mash for chrome. Win one careful match before vanity specials return on denser SNK boards.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) is filed in our catalog as a 1997 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 2P sim.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Fighter.
Credit line lists SNK as developer.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):The Last Blade 2 / Bakumatsu Roman - Dai Ni Maku Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2430 ~ NGH-2430), Art of Fighting 3 - The Path of the Warrior / Art of Fighting - Ryuuko no Ken Gaiden, Kizuna Encounter - Super Tag Battle / Fu'un Super Tag Battle, The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420), The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510), Real Bout Fatal Fury / Real Bout Garou Densetsu (NGM-095 ~ NGH-095), Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers / Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 - The Newcomers (NGM-2400), Real Bout Fatal Fury Special / Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special, Samurai Shodown III / Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken (NGM-087), Savage Reign / Fu'un Mokushiroku - Kakutou Sousei, King of the Monsters (set 1), P.O.W. - Prisoners of War (US version 1)
Explore more on this site
Same genre
The Last Blade 2 / Bakumatsu Roman - Dai Ni Maku Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2430 ~ NGH-2430) · Art of Fighting 3 - The Path of the Warrior / Art of Fighting - Ryuuko no Ken Gaiden · Kizuna Encounter - Super Tag Battle / Fu'un Super Tag Battle · The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420) · The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510) · Real Bout Fatal Fury / Real Bout Garou Densetsu (NGM-095 ~ NGH-095) · Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers / Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 - The Newcomers (NGM-2400) · Real Bout Fatal Fury Special / Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special · Samurai Shodown III / Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken (NGM-087) · Savage Reign / Fu'un Mokushiroku - Kakutou Sousei · King of the Monsters (set 1) · P.O.W. - Prisoners of War (US version 1)
Same studio
Art of Fighting 3 - The Path of the Warrior / Art of Fighting - Ryuuko no Ken Gaiden · Kizuna Encounter - Super Tag Battle / Fu'un Super Tag Battle · The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420) · The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510) · Real Bout Fatal Fury / Real Bout Garou Densetsu (NGM-095 ~ NGH-095) · Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers / Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 - The Newcomers (NGM-2400) · Real Bout Fatal Fury Special / Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special · Samurai Shodown III / Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken (NGM-087) · Savage Reign / Fu'un Mokushiroku - Kakutou Sousei · King of the Monsters (set 1) · P.O.W. - Prisoners of War (US version 1) · Robo Army
How to play The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) online
- Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
- USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
- On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
- Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.
Studio notes — SNK
SNK appears on this cabinet’s credit line. Browse more titles from the same studio on the developer shelf, or stay on this page and try the next cabinets in the same hall.
Art of Fighting 3 - The Path of the Warrior / Art of Fighting - Ryuuko no Ken Gaiden · Kizuna Encounter - Super Tag Battle / Fu'un Super Tag Battle · The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420) · The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510) · Real Bout Fatal Fury / Real Bout Garou Densetsu (NGM-095 ~ NGH-095) · Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers / Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 - The Newcomers (NGM-2400) · Real Bout Fatal Fury Special / Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special · Samurai Shodown III / Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken (NGM-087)
Questions about The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340)
Can I play The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.
What controls does The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340) support?
Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
Are there other games in the same series as The Last Blade / Bakumatsu Roman - Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2340)?
Yes — related series cabinets on this site include The Last Blade 2 / Bakumatsu Roman - Dai Ni Maku Gekka no Kenshi (NGM-2430 ~ NGH-2430). Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.
Further reading
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