Publisher Kodansha and developer Hytacka released a new demo for Rise of Rebellion on February 25 for the PC (Steam).
Rise of Rebellion is a single-player 3D action RPG focusing on close-range sword combat. The story takes place in a world where dragons, who once aimed to rule the skies, received the Earth’s punishment and went extinct. Earth, the dwelling place of God, is worshipped by the people, and “May,” the special energy emerging from the Earth, is harnessed by warriors called Manus.
As the protagonist, you take on the role of one such May-wielding warrior and fight to reclaim your hometown from invaders. Combat revolves around melee weapons and special techniques using the Earth’s energy. Overusing the latter, however, will incur the wrath of God upon the Manus and render them temporarily unable to fight, introducing a strategic dimension to gameplay. Rise of Rebellion comes with a combo system, a directional parry and dodge system, and powerful enemies that “will make your palms sweaty.”
Rise of Rebellion is being developed by Hytacka, a Japanese game developer whose life’s mission is to create “the most entertaining action RPG in the world.” Hytacka was previously affiliated with FromSoftware, where he worked as a designer on DLC for Dark Souls III. They began full-scale development of their independent project Rise of Rebellion around 2020, after their pitch was selected by Kodansha in the first round of the Game Creator’s Lab initiative.
Back in March 2023, Hytacka released an early combat demo for Rise of Rebellion. Although the demo attracted a lot of attention, it was criticized for its difficult controls. In response, the developer decided to completely overhaul the game’s system. The new demo, released on February 25, reflects these changes and lets you experience the first stage of Rise of Rebellion.
Rise of Rebellion’s demo is out now on Steam. The full game is scheduled to release in 2025, with English language supported.
