Die By The Blade draws inspiration from legendary combat games like Bushido Blade, Way of the Samurai and Dark Souls as well as the epic stand-offs in Ghost of Tsushima.

Set in a visually stunning ‘Samuraipunk’ vision of Japan, Die By The Blade fuses techpunk visuals and japanese-inspired aesthetics to create the perfect backdrop for the ancient art of sword fighting. Players must take up their sword and face off against deadly opponents, where the slightest mistake will seal your fate. Become a master of your craft and fight to the death with other players in tense, fast paced multiplayer matches or slash through tough AI enemies in the singleplayer campaign.

By utilising a One-Hit-Kill combat system, Die By The Blade leaves no room for mistakes. By removing the concepts of health bars and health points, the game is built on a realistic battle system creating a sense of real tension as one error by the player could result in instant death. This system emphasizes the need for weapon positioning, parrying and counter moves to defend against enemy attacks before delivering a clean hit to any vital area of your opponent, causing instant death. Players must use the One-Hit-Kill system to learn from their mistakes and mount devastating comebacks to claim victory. 

With the Kickstarter campaign launching in just five days, publisher Grindstone and developers Triple Hill Interactive and Toko Midori invite you to take a closer look at artists behind some of the limited edition pledge rewards available for Die by the Blade. 

With the Kickstarter campaign going live on 13th October there will be many opportunities to back the project and join a community of fans all looking to support the next phase in the games’ exciting journey. In order to create a set of rewards to reflect Die by the Blade’s Samuraipunk theme and tense, character driven sword fighting combat, the team enlisted the talents of some true masters of their craft.

The Mask of Oni - The Mask of Oni reward is strictly limited to 10 pieces and will include a hand-crafted leather Samurai mask of Oni. Oni is a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demonic creatures often of giant size, great strength and fearful appearance with one or more horns growing out from their heads. This reward will also include a special in-game Oni character weapon set.

Bushido Ring - The Bushido Ring reward will be strictly limited with only 3 pieces being made available. Each ring is beautifully crafted and adorned with the Code of Bushido markings. This reward also includes a 3D printed and hand painted character model and in-game weapon and armour set. 

Japanese Knife - Pavel Bolf is a true master sword maker. Having trained in Japan, he is one of Europe's most sought after Katana sword makers using techniques of the old masters to craft stunning blades. This reward will be limited to 3 pieces and will include a one-of-a-kind Japanese steel knife handcrafted by Bolf created specifically for Die by the Blade. This reward also includes a studio visit invitation as well as special ‘GODZILLAS’ digital in-game equipment set. 

Key Features:

• 1 versus 1 Local, online and singleplayer swordfighting simulation with realistic combat system inspired by legendary Bushido Blade
• One hit kill mechanic and complex parrying and blocking system
• Fighting style not tied to selected character, but weapon
• Many unique characters to choose from
• Wide range of customization options
• Various game modes including Practice, Tournament and Ranked online mode
• Unique "Samuraipunk" artstyle merging techpunk and japanese-inspired aesthetics
• Table of weapons:
  • Katana - Medium long sword, the golden mean.
  • Nodachi - Heavy and long sword for meant for servants of samuraii. Its advantage is it's large range and short recovery when compared to the Naginata.
  • Naginata - Relatively long weapon with a blade attached to the end of a bamboo stick. Has a very large range but the weight of the blade slows down the fighter significantly.
  • Wakizashi - Two short daggers meant for cutting and stabbing. Thanks to their low weight, they allow for very fast movement but have a very low range.
  • Jari - Jari is a bamboo spear with a short and narrow blade. It is lighter than the Naginata, but the smaller blade makes close combat far more difficult.
  • Chokuto - Short sword without a guard is a bit lighter than the katana. It allows for stances and attacks with one hand.

Die By The Blade is planned for release on PC (Steam) as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2021.