SONOKUNI
【Game details】
You are instantly ressurected by the power of God! Survive the loop of violence where a single blow means death.
There are only three actions to use: attack, parry, and slow-motion.
Enjoy logical and deep strategy with various enemies and complex room structures.
The world of Japanese mythology with advanced biotechnology.
Takeru, the hero of the game, becomes an assassin to protect his dying country. He will raid a large nation all on his own.
Can he protect his country and culture with violence? Takeru struggles to find a new answer.
Country/Life/DNA/Culture/Lore. What should be protected? What makes a soul?
What will become of SONOKUNI? See how it ends with Takeru, the protagonist.
【Game design】
The game is designed to be played as a hardcore action game, with repeated revivals.
Speedrunning: The speed run function allows you to compete with other players. Aim for the top in many rules.
Intuitive controls: Three actions (attack/guard/slow) allow anyone to play intuitively. An immersive experience.
In-depth strategies: The seven enemy types and complex room structures allow players to enjoy different strategies even in the same stage. There is always an alternate route.
【Contents】
Dope music and pixel art: Developed by “DON YASA CREW”, a J-HIPHOP group. Enjoy the combination of original Japanese rap music and a world illustrated by unique pixel art.
A thought-provoking story: the protagonist becomes an assassin as he struggles to find new solutions to protect his dying nation.
A Japanese myth and Biopunk crossover: The story is set in the world of Japanese myth, fused with elements of biopunk. It represents problems surrounding a developed society.
There is an EASY mode for those who want to focus ont he story. The slow-down ability will be strengthened which will make it easier to beat the game.
Game Discussion
Steam User 10
UPD: Nominated SONOKUNI for the Game of the Year and Best Soundtrack Steam Awards. Buy and play the game if you haven't already, people, one of the best debut projects this year!
I don't vibe with the constant "WOAH JUST LIKE HOTLINE MIAMI DUDE" in the reviews section. In terms of inspiration or basic formula? Sure. There's even in-game references to it. As a whole, though, SONOKUNI should be respected and looked at as its own unique kind of animal.
More intricate and precise, with a lot less room for improvisational chaos during the combat sections. You cannot allow yourself to just stumble into a room, grab a shotgun, and pray you won't die while shooting like a madman. Here it's a lot more tactical due to the small sizes of rooms SONOKUNI restricts you to. So the gameplay loop starts looking sort of like: "Look at each enemy type, decide on the order you should try and finish them off, fail miserably, look at your death animation, recognize who struck you down, and make changes to the order within your hit list. Repeat x1000." Which I enjoyed!
I also resonated a lot with the philosophical narrative that explores the fear of being completely forgotten within the unforgivingly picky grey mass of history, applied to an individual or a whole culture. The bright surreal visuals amplify the perception of this whole thing a lot as well.
The soundtrack is phenomenal, by the way. Gonna buy it separately, for sure. I think only one of the songs out of the track list managed to feel a bit grating to my ears, but that might be connected to the absurd amount of time I spent trying to beat one of the levels, not gonna lie.
So, all in all, It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ criminal that this game has under 100 reviews on Steam, because it should either be praised in videogame press as "a new cult classic" or get viral through a big ass video essay on YouTube, dissecting its contents.
Steam User 3
These kind of high-speed action games are too hard for me these days, even with (in-game) time-bending powers, but the wild visuals and superlative soundtrack should have this on everyone's list. If you liked Hotline Miami, this is better.
Steam User 2
A little too tough for me even on normal but I think this game is well worth checking out if you're halfway interested. Speaking of vibes, while I quit early what little I saw of the world and art style was incredible. I'll watch a playthrough just to see more of it.
Steam User 2
Probably the only game I feel has really gotten what Hotline Miami was and what it was trying to do. Punk in all the right ways and unfair in all the right ways. Can't recommend enough. You need to play this, and even if you don't, you need to buy it to support the devs
Steam User 1
One of the most criminally underrated games released last year, this game doesn't get talked about nearly enough. The gameplay loop feels very rewarding partly because it's really simple to play. Each room feels like a puzzle perfectly crafted to test the player. It's difficult, but entirely possible once you get used to facing each enemy. The soundtrack is a little jarring if you're not acquainted with Japanese hip-hop but I dig it, and the story feels very anti "the end of history and the last man" which I also found pretty fascinating. I haven't played Hotline Miami, but if it's anything like SONOKUNI (the art style is already there) it must be good.
Steam User 0
Soundtrack's insane, gameplay is fire, art cool, will never be getting 100% because this game is HARD AF.
Steam User 0
I’ve never played a game quite like it. The Art and music are unlike anything I’ve played. I’ve read some reviews mention similarity to Hotline Miami, but I played little of that game so I cannot say. This is a truly unique package of an experience you owe to yourself to at least try. It hooked me. The gameplay is fast, frenetic, a little bit of memory on some areas to clear so you get enemies before they auto-kill you or so that you put yourself in a position where you’re not hit from the jump. The story also has some deep thoughts to ponder and I wanted to see how it dealt with the character and who she views as her peoples’ enemy and threat to their long-standing way of living. Excellent.