Hanako - Soul of the Samurai

Before you is a pre-alpha build, a small piece, from something that might turn out to be really good. Hanako - Soul of the Samurai is intended to be an MMO that delivers immersive combat scenarios between several classes of Japanese warriors, with the action set in Feudal Japan.

Hanako - Soul of the Samurai aims to be more than a standard ‘hack-and-slash’ MMO and one of its core features is the use of directionally driven combat. This is one of the best things you can actually have in a game that wants to throw you in team-on-team deathmatches where masters of the sword, strong staff wielders, skilled archers and deadly ninjas come face to face.

In the demo this feature is well implemented and it looks promising. You can play as the Kenshi – Swordsman Class, you have two special moves to use and two combat stances. The later is another great addition to combat mechanics since it enables you to strike with speed and precision or with brute force. It also dictates the angle at which your sword is swung. Combine this with directional combat and you get something really good.

Downloading and playing the demo will offer you a small look into what Hanako strives to be and achieve. Expect some fairly unpolished animations and a handful of combat moves but look past that. Hanako is juggling with a lot and so far, things are still flying around quite well.

There is nothing in the game that can’t be improved or worked, Hanako looks good and combat is appealing. Adding a few aesthetic touches, a wider range or combat animations and a good deal of diversity might make Hanako a title that will put up a good fight with similar MMOs.

Hanako will require a good deal of work but so far, even from this pre-alpha build, things look and feel pretty solid. It’s far from perfect but it is different, and that’s always good when it comes to gaming.

Download the demo and try it out. If you get a good vibe or you feel that you need more information about the game, feel free to visit the Hanako - Soul of the Samurai’s Kickstarter page and show your support. Or you could just offer some feedback regarding your experience with it.