Top Hat Studios and developer 2 Odd Diodes have announced Sonzai, a 2D action-brawler platforming RPG.
Set in the town of Kumotoshi, mages come to learn their craft. However, the town’s outskirts are surrounded by dangerous magical energy. Discover the secrets of magic, and the town’s own dark secrets.
Every frame is hand drawn in this action RPG, with each area having its own design. As you form social links with NPCs, it changes the outcome of the story, and grants the player new rune abilities to unleash powerful spells.
You can find the official reveal trailer below.
You can find the full rundown (via Steam) below.
Sonzai is a 2d, action-brawler platforming RPG. The town of Kumotoshi holds secrets. A new life, new people, new spirits. What are the threads that bind people together? What is the nature of magic?
About
Sonzai is an innovative hand-drawn action-RPG about life, magic, and relationships. The town of Kumotoshi holds secrets; a new life and new people. What threads bind these people together? What is the true nature of magic? Thrown into a new town, form relationships with people around you. Sonzai is the debut game by trailblazing video game duo 2 Odd Diodes, hailing from Kolkata, India, and published by New York-based Top Hat Studios, Inc.
Taking place in a dynamic, living town filled with unique characters, each with their own lives and stories. The game embraces social links and relationship building that affect both the course of the story and the scope of the player’s skill. Visceral character-action combat with RPG mechanics means Sonzai brings customizable “rune” abilities and weapon load-outs to the table. Thus accommodating vastly different fighting styles along with the game’s more traditional life sim elements.
The game is wrapped in a beautiful, inky minimalist art style with precisely choreographed animations (every single animation frame hand-drawn), complementing a thought-provoking narrative about existence and magic, within a vast world filled with hidden lore to discover. While getting tangled in the lives of a colorful, diverse cast of characters.
Features
Discover the secrets of a magical world
Explore a vast world.
Whether it is a burning town right beside Kumotoshi or a civilization underground.
Each new area has its own aesthetic and beings who reside in them.
Discover its rich history while also managing your high school life.
Engage in viseral character-action combat
Experience combo based action with deep customization.
Passive Runes give you strength if you can fulfil its conditions.
Actives Runes are devastating spells that you unleash on your enemies.
Modules are modifiers that you can mix and match, to fine tune your loadout
Form Relationships with the townsfolk
Each character you meet may or may not like a new face in town.
Form bonds with them and get tangled in their stories.
Get stronger through your relationships.
Story
Kumotoshi is a magical town; a hub for young mages. Its outskirts are a dangerous place – infused with dangerous magical energy. As you arrive, in town as a new student, you find yourself ready to begin a new life. New opportunities and new friends await. However, what secrets lay in the shadows?
Sonzai will launch 2022 for Windows PC, Linux, Mac (all via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Image: Steam