Soulful Samurai Multiplayer Game, Hanako: Honor & Blade, Set to Launch on Steam this Summer
Passion Project by Talented Developers, +Mpact, Completes 14-Year Journey to Memorialize a Mother’s Death through Game Where Two Clans Represent Life and Destruction
ATLANTA, GA – April 21, 2021 – +Mpact Games, a small team of developers united to make a single game, today announced that Hanako: Honor & Blade, an immersive online multiplayer combat experience set in Feudal Japan, will launch on Steam for PC in summer 2021. The move to a full launch follows the game’s successful Early Access program and a MegaGrant awarded by Epic Games.
While many independent games are made quickly, Hanako: Honor and Blade is a passion project that has been in development for over a decade. The art and backstory of the game serve as a symbolic tribute to the late mother of team lead, Matt Canei, an industry veteran currently at ILMxLAB. The art and lore of the experience represent an everlasting struggle of life and death, as embodied by the game’s two warrior clans. The Hanako clan represents health and goodness in the spirit of Matt’s mother, and the Yamai clan symbolize the opposition to life inherent in cancer and other diseases. The natural balance of the opposing forces metaphorically represents real-life tragedies while seeking to honor those lost.
Beyond the philosophical implications of the game’s backstory, Hanako: Honor & Blade takes players online for immersive battles in a beautiful recreation of Feudal Japan between up to 24 players. Players can help decide the future of a nation by playing as one of four distinct warrior classes including the capable swordsman, powerful spearman, eagle-eyed archer, or nimble ninja. Each class has different build/skill options and features directionally driven combat, abilities, and spirit-based skills to get an extra edge. Players will play as one of two clans and seek to defeat opponents through multiple game modes and maps, enjoying a game that is easy to learn, yet difficult to master.
Each game level is designed to present unique obstacles and mechanics that will require strategy and teamwork to defeat enemies. Destructible objectives such as castle gates, meditation ritual sites to buff your team (or debuff the enemy team!), and dynamic environment changes are just a few of the things that keep the battlefield experience engaging and varied. Combat can be enhanced with Ki, a managed resource that can be spent on a multitude of mechanics including blocking attacks, sprinting, meditation, and class-specific skills. Precision and accuracy are vital as players engage in either close quarters or ranged combat and polish their battle skills. Each class has two styles of combat, allowing players to creatively adapt to different battle scenarios, avoiding hack-n-slash monotony. Prepare to battle for the soul of a samurai nation when Hanako: Honor & Blade launches out of Steam Early Access with new content and upgrades this summer!
Game Key Features
- Epic online battles set in Feudal Japan with up to 24 players
- A symbolic struggle between the forces of life and death
- Four game modes with unique features, including team deathmatch Battle, Capture the Scroll, Village Siege, and Castle Raid
- Directional-driven combat that encourages strategy and precision
- Four distinct warrior classes with different skill options for multiple playstyles
- Dynamic environment changes
Watch the Hanako: Honor & Blade teaser trailer above
Hanako: Honor & Blade, scheduled for release on PC via Steam this summer, is developed and self-published by +Mpact Games. More information will be revealed in the coming months, including opportunities for media and creators to play with the devs in upcoming betas. To stay up to date on development progress, please join the Discord at discord.playhanako.com and follow us at @PlayHanako, facebook.com/playhanako, and twitch.tv/hanakogame.
About +Mpact Games
Hanako: Honor & Blade started as an award-winning college project back in 2007 with team co-founders, Matt Canei, Connor McCarthy, and Ajani Thomas. The project originated with Matt’s teenage vow to honor his mother, Janie, following her tragic passing after a five-year battle with breast cancer. Janie was a brilliantly positive and loving mother who raised Matt to always follow his dreams, and Hanako is a passion project that symbolizes the battle between life and destruction, with two samurai clan representing light and darkness. All three co-founders are now experienced developers, with Matt currently at ILMxLAB, and the game has continually evolved as their skills have advanced. Its upcoming full release on Steam in summer 2021, 14 years after it was conceived, make it one of the longest independent game launches in history. For more information, visit hanakogame.com.
# # #