Samurai Standoff

Duty, Honor, Loyalty ...
These elements define the world of the samurai, but they alone do not win battles

Taking inspiration from retro mini-games and flash-era showdowns, Samurai Standoff is a reflex-driven fighting game featuring a story set in a fictional feudal Japan inspired by classic cinema and animation.

In this land devastated by clan wars, assume the role of a samurai who is looking for a purpose, or a lawless mercenary, while the newly found empire attempts to control the rampant yakuza.

Fight through escalating solo campaigns, or in multiplayer, as six distinct characters: Bluetail, a skilled lizard samurai; Ichi, a stoic and cunning assassin fox; Chaolin, a grandmaster badger monk, and others. Each character interacts with the story in a unique way, from honing their skills to guarding emperors to overthrowing tyrants.

The emperor's death has also marked the end of the central government that ruled the Highlands Continent. Four factions that once supported the late emperor were sucked into a power vacuum that would last over a century, until one clan emerged as the sole ruler of a truly unified continent.

The Nomads Confederacy believed in a democratic government by the people for the people. The Dynasty, led by the late emperor's self-proclaimed bastard son, who sought to reform the central government under his own rule. The Warriors Clans, led by Warlords who, like The Dynasty, want the Highlands Continent for themselves. And The Settlers, indigenous people who see this as an opportunity to reclaim their lost lands.

The wars spanned over one hundred years, with one clan defeating or absorbing another until two factions remained. The unified clan of The Dynasty and The Nomads, now known as The Kokkai, and The Warriors Clans, who absorbed The Settlers and evolved into The Shogunate. After a tremendous and fateful battle, the Kokkai prevailed, and the Highlands Continent was finally at peace.

Our story takes place one year after the new era began...

Our heroes are a remnant of the warring ages. They all had their own reasons for participating in the last war, some on the winning side and others on the losing side. Some are underdogs climbing the ladder of skill, others are masters in their field, turning a new page in their story.

Ichi

Her presence is the whisper before the fall, the last breath before silence.

Raised in the hidden mountain enclave of the Kitsune Clan, Ichi of the hidden blade was trained from childhood in the ancient arts of stealth, sabotage, and survival.

But Ichi was never content to follow tradition; she sought mastery, not obedience. Years of training and countless missions had made her the clan’s most feared operative, yet she did not cling to fame. She remained reclusive and reluctant to involve herself in the clan’s work for the new governments or be contracted by crime syndicates.

Though she has earned her place among legends, Ichi remains elusive, driven not by glory but by an obsession with perfection. She values all things aesthetic and orderly, and holds reverence for the discipline of the ninja arts.

Fraug

A lone ronin, considered the greatest warrior of the warring ages.

From the moment he first gripped a blade at nine years old, Fraug has walked the path of steel and blood; with over sixty duels fought, he never suffered a single defeat to his name. Yet for all his unmatched renown, he is never still. After every victory, he turns inward, dissecting each movement, perfecting each breath, shaping himself into something greater.

Fraug’s true strength, however, is not in his skills with a blade, though many would swear it is unmatched, but in the unseen battlefield of the mind. His composure under mortal threat, his razor-edged awareness, and his uncanny insight into the hearts of people allow him to claim victory before the first strike is ever made.

Those who would challenge him, beware: one misstep before this green-clad amphibian, and your story ends.

Monk

A relic of the prior war, Monk was once an honorable general and a mighty warrior.

Tales of his feats were surreal until you met him on the battlefield. With each battle, his fame and wealth grew. He was considered the greatest warrior in the nation for a time, that was until he encountered Fraug. In one decisive stroke, Monk was defeated and, in the process, lost his arm.

With his pride as a warrior lost, Monk resigned from his position and recused himself into the mountains. For three straight years, Monk trained tirelessly until he could one day wield his sword normally again.

Now he roams the land, searching for Fraug to challenge him once again for the title of greatest warrior.

Bluetail

Captain of the Royal Guard, Bluetail was born into a life shaped by power and legacy.

The daughter of a general and a captain, she was molded by their discipline and driven by their expectations. From her earliest days, the art of war was her inheritance... steel, strategy, and unyielding will.

Through years of grueling training and relentless pursuit of perfection, Bluetail rose above all challengers, becoming the youngest warrior ever indoctrinated into the Royal Guard. On the battlefield, her spear became legend, striking with a precision and fury few could comprehend, let alone match.

Though she has long since proven worthy of her parents’ legacy, Bluetail remains in constant pursuit of perfection: ever striving, ever pushing, a warrior determined to surpass both her parents and become a legend for the ages.

Chaolin

Grandmaster of the School of the Flaming Fist, Chaolin is the living embodiment of a controlled firestorm.

Serene on the surface, yet with a furnace of fury smoldering beneath. His calm smile masks an intensity so fierce it can make the mightiest adversaries tremble.

In his youth, Chaolin was quick to anger and quicker to strike. His ruthlessness propelled him through the Yakuza’s ranks until he stood among its most feared lieutenants. But during a job, fate intervened. He and his crew were effortlessly dismantled by a lone monk, the prior Grandmaster of the School. Shamed and burning for redemption, Chaolin challenged the master to a rematch. The terms were simple: if he lost again, he would forsake the Yakuza and submit himself as a disciple.

Defeat came swiftly, yet it paved the way for his transformation. Under his master’s guidance, Chaolin forged discipline from his rage, shaping it into an unyielding weapon.

Now, as the Grandmaster himself, he carries the torch of his mentor’s teachings. Rehabilitating delinquents, ruffians, and lost souls, instilling in them the ultimate truth: control your emotions… or they will control you.

Macaroni

Rumors tell that the Yakuza boss, “The Pariah Oni”, was actually a foreigner, a demon...

Macaroni always felt alienated for being a foreigner, ostracized for his appearance, and as a son of lower-class parents who made their living selling antiques. Eventually, he found a mentor in the elderly Yakuza boss, who recognized his cleverness and ruthlessness early on.

However, this would later become his biggest regret, as Macaroni usurped the throne to become the boss of the gang. Under his reign, the Yakuza rose in infamy, becoming a plague throughout the nation. Their goal is to topple the nation through enterprise and corruption.

Deemed a threat by the emperor, Macaroni was dubbed the title of “The Pariah Oni”.