PlatinumGames preps first mobile title, a Samurai hack and slash

PlatinumGames first found success with its console title Bayonetta, a Devil May Cry clone featuring the eponymous witch character. Bayonetta 2 landed a few years later to stellar reviews, and the company also worked on major console titles like Star Fox Zero and Metal Gear: Revengeance.

Now, the company is taking its proficiency in making action titles to the mobile space, with its first mobile game: World of Demons.

In World of Demons, you play as Japanese samurai in medieval Japan. The docile creatures known as Yokai are being corrupted by the evil Oni monsters. Together with your team of samurai, you must fight the Oni to claim back the Yokai and restore peace to the land.

While no gameplay trailer is out yet, the artwork on the game’s immersive website and in the launch trailer above portrays a gorgeous fantasy world drawn in the ink-on-wood style from ancient Japan. Even if the game is terrible (which it likely isn’t, judging from PlatinumGames’ history), it will undoubtedly be beautiful to watch.

The hardest part for PlatinumGames was bringing its action-heavy, hack-and-slash gameplay to a touchscreen. According to Polygon, you will primarily use swipe gestures to move your characters and perform attacks. To deal a death blow at the end of a fight, you will rapidly draw Japanese symbols on the screen to execute the maneuver.

Additionally, as you save the corrupted Yokai during the game, you will be able to call on them to help you in your fights, kind of like Pokémon. Each Yokai features a unique ability that will help you fight certain types of foes, with some Yokai being easy to find and others being incredibly difficult.

World of Demons will be free-to-play with in-app purchases and in-game currency. It will land in the summer on iOS devices first (sigh…) and then receive an Android release sometime later. You can pre-register for the game on its website by clicking the link below.