SONOKUNI: a High-Speed, Hardcore Action Game with Hotline Miami-Vibes

SONOKUNI is a top-view, high-speed, hardcore action game that combines a Japanese mythology-inspired landscape, a hip-hop soundtrack, biopunk, and retro 2D graphics. Those seemingly irrelevant elements create nice sparks for players. 

The game lets you play the role of an assassin named Takeru, who is tasked with riding "a surreal superpower empowered by biotechnology." The gameplay might remind some Hotline Miami, as you control her to venture through the rooms, where you will encounter genetically mutated enemies, each with a unique skill to take you down. You are equipped with stills to attack, parry, and bend time to guarantee that you'll kill them all and head to the next area. 

Before trying the demo, I didn't expect it to be so high-octane. The tutorial was easy and smooth, but soon, it became troublesome when those bizarre enemies gathered, getting you busy with all the attacks and bullets. 

You might be surprised to know that the game's developer, DON YASA CREW, is also a hip hop group, and all the visceral soundtracks in the game, which make your killing even more satisfying, are works of the developer. The full soundtrack of the demo version has been uploaded to YouTube. 

The team has been sharing some interesting drafts and screenshots on social media recently to give us a peek at the enemy, stage, and objects in SONOKUNI: 

SONOKUNI is slated for a launch in 2025. If you enjoy it so far, feel free to download the demo to give it a try and add the game to your wishlist on Steam to be informed when it's released.