Picture this — a 1v1 fighter, with warriors who use swords, and the chance to kill your opponent in one hit? You thought of the PlayStation classic Bushido Blade, didn't you? And it's about time we finally got a spiritual successor. And that's exactly what Grindstone and Triple Hill Interactive's brand new game, Die by the Blade, is trying to do.
Funded via Kickstarter back in 2020, and inspired by the aforementioned unique beat 'em up alongside Dark Souls and Way of the Samurai, players will be able to face off against their opponents in a samurai-punk world in nail-biting combat. Who will get the first hit, and will they be able to kill them in one go? The game is coming to consoles and PC on 3rd November, but Switch owners will have to wait until 2023 to hold our katanas.
It's a pretty brutal premise — you can slice limbs off, or attempt to go for a clean victory — but it adds a nail-biting tension that's rarely seen in other games. There's an array of traditional Japanese-style weapons to choose from, so you'll need to find your favourite in order to parry and block your enemies and sneak in for the kill.
You can check out how the game plays above, but for more features coming to this fighter, here are the details from publisher Kwalee:
About Die by the Blade
Die by the Blade is a 1v1 weapons-focused fighter where the difference between victory and death can amount to a single strike of the blade. Carve your path through this samurai-punk world with nothing but your trusty weapon by your side in the story-driven single-player campaign or crush your friends in local or online multiplayer. Looking for more of a challenge? Test your skills against unknown warriors in online ranked matches and prove that you are the indisputable champion.
In Die by the Blade, there are no health bars, so you can’t afford to let your guard down. The one-hit kill system leaves no room for error. If you want to survive, you’ll need to master the parrying mechanic, memorise the combos for your chosen weapon, and sharpen your reflexes. The victor of any battle could be decided in a matter of seconds, so be prepared for multiple quick bouts against your opponents.
Will you have what it takes to become a master samurai? Or will you fall like countless others before you?
Features
- One-hit-kill – All it takes is one slice in tense, one-hit-kill-based combat
- Choose your playstyle - A diverse array of weapons with different movesets
- Multiplayer showdowns – Take the battle online with ranked online modes
- Customisation – Tailor your character's style to the way you see fit
- Brutal encounters – Dismember your opponents with brutal precision
- Welcome to samurai-punk – A unique art style that merges a cyberpunk aesthetic with Japanese-inspired themes
Will you be joining the fight in Die by the Blade on Switch in 2023? 3, 2, 1... duke it out in the comments!
Comments 21
2023 with no real set release date? I don't think I will care to wait that long for a port, I might as well get it on my Series S or PS5 :/
Ah I remember playing Bushido Blade with my friend back in the day. The fact you could end a match with one strike made for some seriously intense duels. I always thought a version with more realistic visuals would be awesome, and this seems to fit the bill.
Absolutely loved Bushido Blade 1 & 2 in my college days... got a PS1 emulator just for those games.
The closest thing I have found since then is the Deadliest Warrior games... which are actually quite good and one of the reasons I keep my PS3 plugged in.
Really excited for this game... I hope there is a lot of variety between the fighters and weapons, which is one of the best things about Deadliest Warrior.
I've always wanted to try Bushido Blade, so I'm thankful for something going with the same concept. Hope it turns out well!
I played this at PAX East back in April. It was a fun callback to Bushido Blade. I even had the developers show me a thing or two about the combo system and the cool cinematic kills that happen should you pull them off successfully.
I loved PAX as, being a programmer myself, I get to actually talk to the people making the games. They talk with such passion for their creation that it's hard to not appreciate their work.
I just need this to have good game play and I am all over it.
Looks stunning, and I’m surprised gaming has gone this long without a fighter like it!
Oooh, PC release, perfect.
NINJA APPROVED
Before Bushido Blade, there was Samurai Kirby.
Cannot wait, I do hope they have some of the out in nature in environment setting that I loved playing the Bushido Blade. I have been praying that Bushido Blade would come out on PS online store but still no luck (that and Brave Fencer Musashi in case you couldn't guess by my icon).
Hm... Now, I want port/remaster or remake of Ehrgeiz on Nintendo Switch... Square Enix, make it happen! And... NOT A CLOUD VERSION!
It's kind of hard to tell from the trailer if this is a 3D fighting game or a 2D fighter with 3D graphics. If it's a real 3D fighting game I'll almost certainly pick it up as that's one of the few genres that's really lacking on the Switch and I've been craving something that can scratch that itch and isn't an anime arena fighter. If it's 2.5D I'll probably pass as I've already got plenty of options for that already purchased.
This trailer was awesome.
The music was not.
@Vyacheslav333 I think Ehrgeiz is also own by Namco and we all know Namco doesn't want any of their lame fighting games on Switch. They don't want money.
I was sure this was referencing Die by the Sword game but it doesn't seem like it.
@Serpenterror Oh, yeah... There is no Tekken and SoulCalibur on Nintendo Switch... There is only inferior enhanced port of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle...
@Vyacheslav333
Lack of Soul Calibur is heartbreaking -such a perfect match for Switch.
Good looking game, bad song.
@msvt Yeah... There is even no SoulCalibur 2 HD port! They've done SoulCalibur 2 HD Online Edition before, but only for PS3 and Xbox 360! There is no Wii U(or Nintendo 3DS) version!
Nice! I was looking this up on Steam the other day. Release date said TBA 2022, and I thought at this point it wasn't going to happen. Sometimes I love being proven wrong.
It's been ages since I played (played)
a game like Bushido Blade (blade)
I'm looking forward to this game (game)
but the music is so lame (lame)
I have to stop the trailer just a couple of second after playing it, that music is horrible with capital H 😠
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