Posted July 03, 2023
Shogun Showdown has just been released on GOG in its early access. This turn-based strategy game developed by Roboatino and published by Goblinz Publishing takes you on a journey towards mastery in a Japanese-inspired, pixel art world. You can still enjoy its -10% launch discount that lasts until July 4th, 11 AM UTC!
The title looks incredibly interesting and we had the pleasure of speaking to its creator – Roboatino, to talk us through the game’s development process, what can we expect, and more!
Hope you enjoy the read.
Strategic turn-based combat with rogue-like and deck-building elements. Shogun Showdown seems like a recipe for endless fun. What can we expect from it and its systems?
Shogun Showdown is an easy to learn but hard to master game. Every action - from moving and turning to queuing up an attack and unleashing it - takes a turn. The challenge lies in smart positioning on the 1D grid to dodge enemy attacks and strike back. Despite its seemingly simple setup, the game demands strategic planning and foresight.
The game takes you through a journey in a Japanese-inspired world as you make your way towards the Shogun's castle. You can choose from different characters, each with its own starting tile set and special abilities.
One interesting emerging feature of the combat system is its flexibility, accommodating different playing styles. Players can adopt a slow and deliberate approach, or play fast and risky, or focus on creativity and combos. Though the game recognizes different play styles with completion marks, the choice of how to play ultimately lies with the player.
Finally, the game comes with an ascension level system. This means that players can adjust the difficulty to find a challenge that fits them.
What also certainly catches an eye is a really cool and interesting setting of the game – a Japanese-inspired world bathed in beautiful pixel art graphics. How did it come to be?
Shogun Showdown evolved in a way that games sometimes do, through a series of major overhauls, shaking up everything from gameplay mechanics to graphics. It actually started off as a dungeon-building card game with a 3D low-poly aesthetic, but as things progressed, it morphed into the tactical, pixel art-based combat game that it is today.
As I refined the core combat mechanics, I noticed how the attack sequences were starting to resemble the choreographed sequences you'd see in martial arts. This sparked the idea to pivot towards a samurai era-inspired setting. I've always had a soft spot for Japanese culture and aesthetics, so it was a perfect fit.
Being a pixel art enthusiast and a lover of designing under constraints, pixel art was a natural choice for the art style.
Later in the development process, I was lucky enough to collaborate with two incredibly talented pixel artists. Penusbmic handled character design, and Camille Unknown created the background environments. Much of the game's visual allure is to be attributed to their talent.
While growing bigger and bigger, rogue-likes and deck-building titles fans are still a very specific audience. Can Shogun Showdown be enjoyed by the genre’s newcomers? What is the entry threshold?
Shogun Showdown strives to be an 'easy to learn but hard to master' game. The fundamental mechanics are quite straightforward— it's the way they interact that creates interesting strategic scenarios.
Though this is a roguelike game made by a roguelike lover, I believe it's accessible for those new to this type of game. The key ingredient here is the willingness to dust yourself off after a defeat and dive back in for another try.
Shogun Showdown is releasing in early access. How will the community be involved in the development process?
As a dedicated fan of roguelikes, I'm aware of the importance of fine-tuning game balance, and player feedback and ideas will be invaluable in shaping Shogun Showdown.
So I'm really eager to hear feedback and suggestions from the community. Do you have a great idea for a new tile? A new skill? A new enemy or boss fight? Did you find a bug? Join the discussion on the Shogun Showdown discord.
Anything you’d like to say to our Community before they jump right into action ready to face the Shogun?
I hope you'll enjoy the game as much as I had fun making it :)
We’d like to thank Roboatino very much for the interview. We have to admit, it only made us hungry for Shogun Showdown even more. Get it on GOG now and excuse us, we’re off to enjoy some awesome roguelike fun ourselves!
The title looks incredibly interesting and we had the pleasure of speaking to its creator – Roboatino, to talk us through the game’s development process, what can we expect, and more!
Hope you enjoy the read.
Strategic turn-based combat with rogue-like and deck-building elements. Shogun Showdown seems like a recipe for endless fun. What can we expect from it and its systems?
Shogun Showdown is an easy to learn but hard to master game. Every action - from moving and turning to queuing up an attack and unleashing it - takes a turn. The challenge lies in smart positioning on the 1D grid to dodge enemy attacks and strike back. Despite its seemingly simple setup, the game demands strategic planning and foresight.
The game takes you through a journey in a Japanese-inspired world as you make your way towards the Shogun's castle. You can choose from different characters, each with its own starting tile set and special abilities.
One interesting emerging feature of the combat system is its flexibility, accommodating different playing styles. Players can adopt a slow and deliberate approach, or play fast and risky, or focus on creativity and combos. Though the game recognizes different play styles with completion marks, the choice of how to play ultimately lies with the player.
Finally, the game comes with an ascension level system. This means that players can adjust the difficulty to find a challenge that fits them.
What also certainly catches an eye is a really cool and interesting setting of the game – a Japanese-inspired world bathed in beautiful pixel art graphics. How did it come to be?
Shogun Showdown evolved in a way that games sometimes do, through a series of major overhauls, shaking up everything from gameplay mechanics to graphics. It actually started off as a dungeon-building card game with a 3D low-poly aesthetic, but as things progressed, it morphed into the tactical, pixel art-based combat game that it is today.
As I refined the core combat mechanics, I noticed how the attack sequences were starting to resemble the choreographed sequences you'd see in martial arts. This sparked the idea to pivot towards a samurai era-inspired setting. I've always had a soft spot for Japanese culture and aesthetics, so it was a perfect fit.
Being a pixel art enthusiast and a lover of designing under constraints, pixel art was a natural choice for the art style.
Later in the development process, I was lucky enough to collaborate with two incredibly talented pixel artists. Penusbmic handled character design, and Camille Unknown created the background environments. Much of the game's visual allure is to be attributed to their talent.
While growing bigger and bigger, rogue-likes and deck-building titles fans are still a very specific audience. Can Shogun Showdown be enjoyed by the genre’s newcomers? What is the entry threshold?
Shogun Showdown strives to be an 'easy to learn but hard to master' game. The fundamental mechanics are quite straightforward— it's the way they interact that creates interesting strategic scenarios.
Though this is a roguelike game made by a roguelike lover, I believe it's accessible for those new to this type of game. The key ingredient here is the willingness to dust yourself off after a defeat and dive back in for another try.
Shogun Showdown is releasing in early access. How will the community be involved in the development process?
As a dedicated fan of roguelikes, I'm aware of the importance of fine-tuning game balance, and player feedback and ideas will be invaluable in shaping Shogun Showdown.
So I'm really eager to hear feedback and suggestions from the community. Do you have a great idea for a new tile? A new skill? A new enemy or boss fight? Did you find a bug? Join the discussion on the Shogun Showdown discord.
Anything you’d like to say to our Community before they jump right into action ready to face the Shogun?
I hope you'll enjoy the game as much as I had fun making it :)
We’d like to thank Roboatino very much for the interview. We have to admit, it only made us hungry for Shogun Showdown even more. Get it on GOG now and excuse us, we’re off to enjoy some awesome roguelike fun ourselves!