A passion project in development for more than a decade

Apr 22, 2021 12:05 GMT  ·  By

Hanako: Honor & Blade is a passion project that's been in development for more than a decade. +Mpact Games, the studio behind the multiplayer game, has just announced that Hanako will leaved Early Access this summer.

Hanako is a love letter to those who like samurai-themed games and a symbolic tribute to the late mother of team lead, Matt Canei, an industry veteran currently at ILMxLAB. The art and lore of the experience represent an everlasting struggle of life and death, as embodied by the game’s two warrior clans.

Beyond the philosophical implications of the game’s backstory, Hanako: Honor & Blade takes players online for immersive battles in a beautiful recreation of Feudal Japan between up to 24 players.

What's interesting about that the game is that it lets players decide the future of a nation by playing as one of four distinct warrior classes including the capable swordsman, powerful spearman, eagle-eyed archer, or nimble ninja.

Just like in every other multiplayer game, each class has different build/skill options and features directionally-driven combat, abilities, and spirit-based skills to get an extra edge. Players will play as one of two clans and seek to defeat opponents through multiple game modes and maps, enjoying a game that is easy to learn, yet difficult to master.

Each game level is designed to present unique obstacles and mechanics that will require strategy and teamwork to defeat enemies. Hanako features destructible objectives such as castle gates, meditation ritual sites to buff your team or debuff the enemy, and dynamic environment changes.

Furthermore, combat can be enhanced with Ki, a managed resource that can be spent on a multitude of mechanics including blocking attacks, sprinting, meditation, and class-specific skills. Moreover, precision and accuracy are vital as players engage in either close quarters or ranged combat and polish their battle skills.

Last but not least, each class has two styles of combat, allowing players to creatively adapt to different battle scenarios, avoiding hack-n-slash monotony. Fans of the genre can wishlist Hanako: Honor & Blade on Steam before its release sometime this summer.

Hanako: Honor & Blade screenshots (8 Images)

Hanako: Honor & Blade artwork
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