Samurai Soul Hunters - entered in the DreamBuildPlay competition
Samurai Soul Hunters is an action game, a Samurai hack’n’slash brawler to be specific. While it should feel familiar to any who picks up the controller (I caught my wife fighting the last boss in the demo when I came back to the console after taking a break) it’s also a unique experience that defies easy categorization. It blends elements from Space Harrier, Ninja Gaiden, and vertical shooters into a unique pseudo 2D environment.
The game itself plays and handles like an older 2D arcade game trying to look 3D when in actual fact it is a fully 3D environment. We used a good amount of custom vertex and pixel shaders to achieve the final result and have it perform fluidly.
The controls in SSH are simple enough for even a child to have fun, my own sons ages 8 and 6 both love to play as a pure button mashing experience, but even my 8 year old has managed to start pulling off some of the more advanced maneuvers, knocking enemies into the air and then completing a combo in the air to maximize points.
Bungee designers often talk about finding 10 seconds of fun and then building a game around it. In the 8 weeks we’ve had, I think we’ve managed to nail about 8 seconds of fun, as a result the singleplayer experience can feel slightly repetitive and is something we plan to address going forward. However where SSH truly shines is as a party game. Because of the nature of the games design and it’s perspective it allows all 4 players to share the same screen. That combined with the fact that it’s co-op as opposed to competitive multiplay means its fun for the whole family. Judges reading this, if you do not get 2-3 friends or family playing this demo with you, you will not really understand the true potential of this game. Please, before passing final judgment, get some friends and enjoy all it has to offer with four player action.
[flash streaming video - 40MB]