In the June 1988 edition of "Dragon" (Issue 134), Jim Bambra compared the various role-playing game systems set in Japan, and found "Bushido" to be very complex. "It is a game for dedicated gamers who, in their pursuit of Oriental action, are willing to struggle with rule books that make advanced nuclear theory texts seem like light reading by comparison." Bambra found the biggest issue to be the badly organized rules. "A revamping and reordering of this material would go a long way to making the game more accessible. Compared to more recent games, the "Bushido" game is a work of enthusiasm, with little or no thought given to presentation or ease of use." Bambra also found the character generation system to be "difficult and involved", and the game's mechanics to "work fairly well but are convoluted in places." Bambra also pointed out that in the decade since "Bushido" had been published, only two adventure-supplements had been published, leaving all the work of creating an adventure to each gamemaster. Bambra concluded that newer games systems provided better ease of use. "If you’re looking for a stand-alone system, then check out the "Bushido" game. But if accessibility and ease of use are your primary requirements, stay well away. The two other supplements under review this month ["Runequest: Land of Ninja" and "Oriental Adventures"] are superior models of presentation, and they build upon tried and tested systems. The "Bushido" game is for those who like complication for complication’s sake."