Picture: Tab Games
Samurai Slaughter House relocates Japanese sword fighting to stylized environments. A demo will help you with the purchase decision.
The first-person shooter Lies Beneath already proved how atmospherically dense a VR game with spatial comic graphics can be. The Samurai Slaughter House, now available in a kind of Early Access, also relies on a stylized design with high contrasts.
Stylized action in the Japanese estate
In the role of a samurai warrior, you fight your way through a stylized 3D world of comic design. Although everything seems to be painted, backdrops and opponents give the impression that you are walking through a Japanese castle.
The buildings are part of an open–plan estate in the mountains, which you explore freely – as usual in the “Metroidvania” genre. Hidden in drawers and behind secret passages are loot and extras such as shuriken. You will find space in a backpack whose construction is reminiscent of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. You simply take it from the shoulder by movement control. The small, round compartments are practically divided. They also accommodate larger objects.
You can also make small Collect Yokai ghosts and let them fight. Make friends with NPC characters to get even more support. They will also help you in battles afterwards. You can exchange found game currency, equipment and magical ingredients with merchants or sell them profitably.
Even flying Dragons and mystical toad opponents appear in the game. Despite the special design, the fights are martial: sword blows often end with red blood fountains – similar to classic samurai films. Although some opponents fly through the air with exaggerated ragdoll animations, according to Tab Games, this is still due to the early version and various bugs.
Samurai Slaughter House: First on Sidequest
Already included are some comfort options such as a vignette against nausea, optional teleportation, a left-handed mode as well as the change between the game while standing or sitting.
The action-packed VR game from Tab Games will be available in an early version on April 18 in the Sidequest store as well as on itch.io published (for Sideloading & Sidequest instructions) and offers a free demo. A Steam implementation is also planned.
The full versions for Meta Quest (2) and SteamVR are planned for this year, there is no exact date yet. The publication strategy seems a bit complicated, so here is a brief overview:
- The quest version runs on Meta Quest 1 and 2.
- For the purchase of the Early access version or the free demo download, the Need a Sidequest store (for Sideloading & Sidequest instructions).
- In order to download free quest demo, click on “Download App” in the Sidequest app. This will lead to itch.io redirected. There you click on a link again to initiate the download via sidequest.
- On itch.io can you Quest version for a sum starting from 30 dollars to unlock and play them via sidequest. At the start of the full version, you will also receive a key of the game, either for the official Quest store or for Steam.
- Which Full version will be released simultaneously for Quest and Steam. The release period for this is only the year 2022, but on Steam the title can already be put on the wish list.
- On Patreon, supporters of the developer get for 4.50 euros per month limited access to current builds the game is available for Quest and Steam.
- If Patreon supporters reach a total of over 30 dollars, they will receive permanent access to current builds the game is available for Quest and Steam. Later you will also receive a key for a full version.
