For those not in the know, Aragami: Shadow Edition is a third-person stealth game that casts you as a restless warrior who is blessed with the ability to control shadows, which must come in very useful at parties and social gatherings. You may have heard of this interesting title thanks to its release on other platforms, but it's now the turn of the Switch to get in on the action.
As we're so excited about the game's upcoming Nintendo launch on 21st February, we reached out to Lince Works' David León to find out a bit more about this upcoming Tenchu-style stealth-em-up for your edification...
For the uninitiated, could you please let us know what Aragami Shadow Edition is all about?
Aragami is a stealth game in which you play as an undead assassin with the power to control the shadows. Think of it as a sort of modern Tenchu, with cel-shading art style, and supernatural powers. While there are other stealth games out there, I believe there aren't that many stealth games in 3D and featuring online, co-op multiplayer. Yes, you head that right! You can play the full story campaign in the base game and included story DLCs with a friend online.
On the topic of DLC, this version comes packed with content. Could you tell us a bit about that?
Aragami was originally released in late 2016. Since then, we’ve been adding new stuff to the game, the biggest one being the Aragami: Nightfall storyline. It’s a paid DLC (included in the Shadow Edition for Nintendo Switch) that adds hours of content, taking place just before the events told in the base game. You could say that Aragami: Nightfall is the prequel to Aragami.
In Aragami: Nightfall, you can choose between two new playable characters, Shadow Assassins Hyo and Shinobu, as they go after the mysterious ‘Alchemist’ in one last mission to bring back a long-lost companion.
As Aragami has been released on other platforms already, could you tell us a bit about the reaction to it at the time? Did it meet with your expectations, and were you able to factor any feedback into the Shadow Edition?
Aragami launched in October 2016 in a complete but flawed state. Performance was not that good, and there were plenty of bugs we hadn’t caught until after the game was released. During 2017 and 2018 we kept updating Aragami to add new features and fix any major issue that was reported to us. A few months ago, Aragami was relaunched on Xbox One to some extremely positive reviews, and on Steam it has more than 3,000 reviews, delivering a 'Very Positive' average; so we are confident Aragami is a great game.
What challenges did you face with porting the game to the Switch?
As Miyamoto says, 'a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad'. We were forced to delay the release of Aragami for Switch back in Autumn, since we quickly noticed that we needed some extra months for the game to feel as good, or even better, than its other console counterparts. Aragami, as a 3D game with a big usage of light and shadows, is not a GPU-friendly game. It took a huge effort on behalf of Lince Works and Stage Clear Studios to make it run flawlessly on Nintendo Switch, but I believe we achieved it.
What has the process been like working with an external company to assist with the Switch port?
Since both Lince Works and Stage Clear are based in Spain, it was really easy to help each other with technical struggles and achieve a port quality that rivalled any other console version. We didn’t simply hand out the game to somebody else; instead, we frequently travelled to the Stage Clear offices to work side-by-side, and kept daily Skype meetings to coordinate efforts. I believe this constant communication really helped the port.
What other stealth games did you look to for inspiration when you began first working on Aragami?
Tenchu is the first one that comes to mind. It was one of my first games on PlayStation One, and I’ve always wondered why no other studio has taken the reins on the 'ninja game' genre. That's probably how Aragami was born, as the answer to all those players that wanted a new stealth game that felt both challenging and fast.
The art style within the game is quite striking. What inspirations did you draw from with this?
The character design has some Journey vibes, with its glowing scarf and diegetic HUD. Japanese mythology and culture were also a clear inspiration, since most of the team grew up watching Anime shows like Dragon Ball, Ranma 1/2, and Yu Yu Hakusho. In any case, we wanted to create a world of our own, and I believe it ended up having influences from both Asian and western cultures, giving it a unique identity. I think that has proven to be one of the charms of the game, and its characters.
How much freedom does the player have in choosing how to tackle the objectives?
Aragami is a story-driven game. That means it has a scenario structure tied to a linear storyline, but with the caveat that each scenario is designed as an open playground. That means that you usually can find shortcuts and plenty of ways to reach your objectives. Players can also decide if they want to kill every guard in their way, or do a full 'pacifist' run. Both ways are totally feasible, and even encouraged.
Can you tell us a bit about how the Shadow Techniques work within the game?
As I was saying, players can have very different playstyles. We label aggressive players as 'Oni' players, and the sneakier players as 'Ghost'. The pacifist players use a 'Kami' playstyle. That means that there’s a skill tree of abilities divided by aggressive and stealthy or pacifist skills. For example, you could unlock an ability that lets you place a trap on the battlefield that swallows your targets into an abyss; or you could unlock an ability that turns you invisible for a few seconds. To unlock skills you must find hidden Shadow Scrolls through the game, which also act as a diary of sorts, telling you details about the backstory and world of Aragami.
Could you tell us a little more about online co-op mode?
You can set up a Multiplayer Lobby and let any friend join your party. In the base game, you can play the full story campaign with another Aragami at your side. You can customize your Aragami from a set of skins that are included in the Shadow Edition. In Aragami: Nightfall, two players can play the full campaign together as the old and stoic Hyo and the female assassin Shinobu. Being a stealth game, communication is essential if you want to succeed, since a failed stealth attempt will trigger an area alarm that will also affect your partner.
Do you have any closing words for our readers?
Even if you are not a fan of stealth games, Aragami has the proper mix of challenge and action to introduce new fans to the genre. We have put a lot of love on this version of Aragami, and I truly believe Aragami will be a solid and unforgettable experience on Switch. I hope that you enjoy Aragami on Switch as much as we enjoyed developing it. Thank you!
Thanks to David for his time. Aragami: Shadow Edition lands on the Nintendo Switch on 21st February.
Comments 32
This one looks really cool.
This looks great.
Did someone said Tenchu? I am listening.
Until the Switch gets a port of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Aragami, Mark of the Ninja, and The Swindle are the best stealth/action games.
This is a good game but there is something very un-Tenchu about it. No jump button. Doesn't seem like a big deal but having to shadow warp to other heights makes it feel less satisfying.
I wish all indie games be of high quality like this one. This game is highly recommended
WOW does this game look amazing!
This game didnt scratch that Tenchu itch for me. I haven't found a game that's like and as good as Tenchu 3.
Didn't find the game that great on PS4, and believe got it for free via PS Plus (or dirt cheap sale if not).
Would love a true Tenchu revival, but eh From Software turned that into Sekiro so here's hoping a future project (preferably with no Activision).
I used to love the Tenchu series, spent the most time with Wrath of Heaven, but I always suck at them. I'm just not that patient, much more of a DMC 'kill everything I see in a blinding instant' kind of player. But something about this game intrigues me, maybe it'll draw me back in.
Nicely pitched! I’ll look forward to the review. They caught my eye with “journey” and I had to look up “diegetic.” Who says video games don’t teach you anything?
Right this game. Another one for the backlog
This does look... fantastic!
This game looks right up my alley!
This game actually looks pretty good. I wonder it if plays like the first Tenchu.
I like it, then when he mentioned tenchu I was sold on it. Tenchu is one of my favorite series.
My question is: Why only online co-op? I think a native Switch, local ad hoc coop option would separate it from other console versions while making coop more accessible, right?
@Turbo857 I was just going to write something similar when you beat me to it.
Only online coop seems a very weird decision to me.
Looks cool and as long as it reviews well, I'll buy. The online co-op sounds way fun but if there is no voice chat that will hurt its case tremendously.
I wish there was physical version in Japan. So far it looks like it’ll be digital only here.
But good news anyway since it’s the first time that the game is coming to Japan and, apparently, only to the Switch (or at least I haven’t been able to find it in other consoles)
@maruse
Heh-heh, I knew I wasn’t the only one. When I first heard this was coming to the Switch, I held off from buying on other consoles and thought: “It’s a no brained that this’ll be local coop with 2 switches”.
But low and behold this doesn’t appear to be the case. Very weird indeed.
This one looks good. My most anticipated game this year is Sekiro, but I’ll pick this one up eventually.
Loved Tenchu and that one they released on the Wii was one of my favorite games on the system.
I really like the look of this, but yet another game getting the switch tax. The Shadow edition launched on steam at £21.98, it launched on ps4 at £19.99, and its launching on switch at 24.99 (or with 10% pre-order discount so 22.49)
I know its not very much but I refuse to encourage this behaviour by devs. Games coming later to switch should be at the most same price as when launching on other platforms, not more.
Reasonable price especially if they deliver the robust performance they claim. If so this will be a great addition to the library and another game to be proud of and showcase.
Who needs AssAssSin Creed when you can have Origami.
I love the tenchu series, so this game is definitely on my radar!
Already preorder and got the coin coming.
Been wanting more Stealth games on Switch. This sounds awesome.
I was already interested in this game on PS4, but never enough (partly due to reading about sub par performance) to start actually playing my glorified movie player again.
Now I may want to try it on the Switch, but I need to know one thing: is there a local co-op mode, be it on 1 Switch split-screen or 2 Switches wireless? I love co-op 3D stealth games, just not paying for playing online, and I prefer local communication when it comes to human interaction as well.
I’ve got it on pre-order the game looks great
@Magician I am excited to play this as I havent done so yet, but mark of the ninja is one of my all time favorites. I yet have to double dip on switch but it was my first game on steam I got to 100% with achivements
I'll keep an eye on it, looks great, I wish there was a DEMO.
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