Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidōretsuden (unofficially known in the Western world as Samurai Shodown RPG) is a Japanese-style role-playing game based on the Samurai Shodown universe. The player has to explore the world, find items, participate in battles, and acquire accessories that will contribute to his success.

The player can start the adventure as any of the six personages that are available (Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Genjuro Kibagami, Galford D. Weller, Ukyo Tachibana and Cham Cham). The main line of the argument does not diverge much depending on the player's choice; the differences will be more noticeable in the dialogues or the appearance of some character-focused scenes thorough the game.

The fighting mode is fairly different from those found in most other Japanese-style RPGs: the moves are executed by pressing the same button combinations as in the arcade fighting games.