Samurai swordfight your way through historic Japan in this immersive tale of soul-shifting revenge 

Izanagi Games have announced that AMEDAMA, their 2D side scrolling action adventure set in historic Japan, will be released in Early Access on March 22. The game will be playable in English, Japanese and Chinese.  

AMEDAMA begins with a tragic incident in an umbrella store run by a brother and sister in the small town of Aihama in late Edo period Japan. The protagonist Yushin is violently cut down by a gang who enters their shop one night, and his sister is taken away. Looking down on his own corpse, his spirit vows to rescue his sister and take revenge. Time is ticking as he only has seven days until his soul departs this world. As Yushin has lost his body, he must possess other people in order to further the quest to save his sister. Possessing different people will give you access to a wide variety of weapons and fighting styles, and will also alter which foes you come up against, potentially giving the game good replayability. Apparently, the storyline changes depending on who you talk to and the situations that you intervene in.

Yushin also knows the Utetsu Tensei sword fighting style, and it looks like he will be able to draw on this knowledge for some swift and beautiful sword fights. Successfully using a combination of Yushin’s fighting skills with the individual abilities of the person or creature that you are possessing will probably be a key strategy in this game. 

Set in the mid 1800s in the dying days of Japan’s Edo period, this game looks like it will be a visual and atmospheric treat, boasting nostalgic pixel art. The videos and screenshots showcase detailed backgrounds and character designs with fluid animations. Wander the dark streets at night fighting thugs, enter the sanctity of gilded Buddhist temples, and stroll through picturesque seaside neighborhoods. With hydrangeas blooming in the background, it seems that the game is set during Japan’s rainy season and the frequent rain adds to the somber looking mood of the human drama. The graphics capture the charm of traditional and historic Japan. On your journey of revenge, it seems you will come across all kinds of people, from sumo wrestlers. to ninjas and warrior monks. But will you be able to save Yushin’s sister? 

AMEDAMA is the result of a collaboration between two Japanese game development studios with planning by Acquire and development and publishing handled by Izanagi Games. The character design was done by the illustrator lack, who is known for designing Fate/Grand Order characters like Izo Okada. The music is by Yuko Komiyama, best known for her past work on Monster Hunter series’ soundtracks.  

AMEDAMA is scheduled to be released in Early Access for PC (Steam) on March 22. It will retail for 24.99 USD and will be available at 10% discount from March 22 to April 5. The Early Access period is predicted to last around six months, and there are plans to add extra content (such as side stories and quests) to the game upon its official release. 

Based on the original Japanese article by Keiichi Yokoyama (original article’s publication date: 2024-03-01 14:14 JST)