Japanese hip-hop crew Don Yasa have released an official demo for Sonokuni, their Hotline Miami-inspired video game.
Don Yasa are a seven-piece hip-hop crew who, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, decided to turn to video game development. “With live performances impossible, their aim was to convey their particular have-not-hip-hop style through Sonokuni – a world and story infused with raw energetic music and a fresh biopunk take on Japanese mythology,” reads a press release.
Sonokuni was first showcased at the BitSummit indie gaming event in Kyoto earlier this year where it was named VCG’s media highlight and now, a free-to-play demo has been released on Steam.
Try the demo of SONOKUNI, a high-speed action game with Hotline Miami vibes developed by a Japanese hip pop group.
It combines a Japanese mythology-inspired landscape, biopunk, and retro 2D graphics: https://t.co/tnkj97MWmA@SONOKUNI_Game #gamedev #actiongame #gaming pic.twitter.com/74HCNbyJnp
— 80 LEVEL (@80Level) December 6, 2024
“Battle your way through a biopunk and Japanese mythology-inspired landscape filled with over-the-top, hip hop-infused 2D action. A single hit means death, but use your time-bending skills to take down your oppressors and you might yet save your dying nation,” says the description for Sonokuni.
Players will take on the role of Takeru, a lone assassin tasked with raiding a surreal superpower empowered by biotechnology. “Join in her struggle to balance the morality of extreme violence against the defence of her own people. Let the intense hip hop soundscape and neon-soaked visuals assault your senses until they are raw. Every moment is punctuated with a visceral soundtrack from Japanese developer and hip hop group, Don Yasa Crew.”
Sonokuni is due to launch in 2025 but you can play the demo here. Tracks from the soundtrack are also available to hear on Don Yasa Crew’s YouTube channel.
In other news, Pokémon TV has relaunched as a YouTube channel, with a number of classic anime episodes now available to watch for free.
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