Koga (古閑 Koga?) is a stage found in Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge first released in 1996 for NeoGeo family systems (MVS, AES, CD). Sometimes during Arcade mode this is the first stage of the "east route" in the way to Amakusa Castle. It can be said that it is a remake of Basara's Shrine stage previously featured in Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood.
Description[]
The battle takes place in a kind of great hall temple whose roof has been completely destroyed, only large pieces of boards remain, and in one of them the opponent is standing during the stage intro, to finally jump and stand in front of the player's character. The floor is made of wood and looks pretty ruined, with some holes in the middle of the stage. Also there is some grass that has grown over time. There are six pillars but two of them are inclined. In the center section of the stage there are two chandeliers with lighted candles. On the upper left side of the stage a rope with rests of Shide (紙垂) is located hanging and moving with the wind. At the back in the building's courtyard there is a construction that is also in very poor condition. In the sky there is a big, light-flickering full moon, and Shimabara Castle is visible.
When Amakusa interferes in combat the candles go out, and the whole stage's color palette turns into orange tones. During the match climax all the backgound dissapears leaving only a deep purple color, the pillars are cut showing only their bases, and several candles flicker around the stage. Circular illustrations also begin to flash depicting demonic beings massacring humans.
Music[]
The background music for this stage is a ambiental piece called "Old Temple" (古寺 Koji?).
