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. 

“After many months of hard work, we are thrilled to finally reveal our new title Die by the Blade to the world” commented Peter Adamondy, Development Lead at Triple Hill Interactive. “Inspired by classic games like the Bushido Blade series, we wanted to recreate that thrill of facing off against opponents, the sound of clashing steel and mastering the art of sword fighting but with a fresh, Samuraipunk feel.” 

“When we were approached with the concept of creating a spiritual successor to the classic sword fighting games, it was an instant greenlight for the project.” says Peter Nagy, founder and CEO of publisher Grindstone. “Gamers have waited too long to see the return of these classic gameplay mechanics and we believe that Die by the Blade will not only revive the genre, but take it to a whole new level, resonating with players old and new.” 

Publisher Grindstone will be launching a Kickstarter campaign for Die By The Blade this October with the goal of engaging with fans and building an active and supportive community. 

“Our vision for Die By The Blade has taken us to a very exciting place in the development cycle” said Imrich Orosz, COO at Grindstone. “By activating the Kickstarter campaign we want to expand on that vision and build a community of engaged fans, who will not only support the next phase of this exciting journey, but join us on it. We want the community and backers to play a big part in Die by the Blade’s evolution and in doing so, have the opportunity to help shape the game they have waited so long for.” 

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.