Ronin

What it is

A prototype for a samurai game I am working on. Its combat takes after FromSoftware: every action has a cost, and timing matters more than speed. Its mood takes after Ghost of Tsushima: wind in the grass, falling leaves, a torii at dusk, and room to simply walk.

This is the part I needed to get right before anything else: how the sword feels in the hands.

What it tests

One stamina bar pays for everything. Running drains it, and so do attacks, jumps, rolls, backsteps, charged strikes and every hit you block. A roll buys a short moment of invulnerability. A three-hit combo, a strike you can charge, and a guard for when the timing slips.

The parry is the centre of it. Catch a blow at the right moment and the game freezes for a beat, slows down, and gives you back some stamina, so good timing pays for the next move.

Three healing gourds, and stone lanterns along the way that work as resting points: rest at one and your health, stamina and gourds come back, and it becomes the place you return to.

The world reacts to you as well: the grass bends as you run through it.