Montreal, Canada, 29, May 2025 | Solideo’s blindingly fast, top-down instant death action game demo, Sick Samurai is now available on Steam. Rack up kills as you dash-and-slash your way through the first half of Sick Samurai's opening act. Experience the thrill of mastering one-hit-one-kill combat as you immerse yourself in lofi hip hop and retro anime aesthetics.
Master the Girameki Technique
Inspired by the classic top-down instant death game genre, Solideo masterfully blends aesthetic retro anime-inspired art designs with a sick original soundtrack behind high-violence action mechanics. Set on a surreal island that fuses Edo-period Japan with gritty 20th-century urban America, begin your journey as an aspiring young fighter. Retrieve a mask and sword from Genyu, an infamous ex-samurai who oversees your combat training. Throw yourself through fast-paced enemy-filled territory as you master the Girameki Technique to become the greatest fighter on Furikyu Island. The Sick Samurai demo is fully localized into 11 languages: Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Turkish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish.
Precision, Speed, And Style
The Sick Samurai demo features four hand-crafted levels, each offering multiple paths and strategies, as well as various upgrades and item choices that players will make as they progress. Players can restart levels instantly upon death, and repetition is necessary for mastering the game’s combat, which largely revolves around a blazing-fast dash-and-slash mechanic. Use your sword combined with a secondary weapon: Kunai, Stun bombs, or smoke bombs to clear each room. Precision with weapon use is vital. If you miss your dash attack, you'll need time to recover. Dodge, or swiftly wield your secondary weapon to defend yourself until you hear a beat - that's how you'll know you're ready to strike again.
As you clear the level, a point counter is present in the top right corner. Increase your points with the Combo Counter by performing consecutive kills in a short period of time; take too long between kills or miss an attack, and you’ll lose your combo. Style points are earned from the variety in which you land your kills. Multikill points can be combined with style points, which can be earned by killing multiple enemies with a single attack. Race against the clock to complete the Genyu cigarette challenge; finish the level by the time Genyu finishes smoking to receive an additional point for your overall score. The highest score you can achieve in a level is a 10, you’ll need that time bonus for a perfect score. Precision, speed, reflexes, and planning will all be put to the test.
Eccentric Characters With Unique Styles
Sick Samurai also features fully voice-acted dialogue with branching choices that will shape the player’s relationships with the game’s diverse and eccentric cast of characters, including Jones, an “ex” gangster turned proprietor of a jazz bar, and Spike, Jones' lazy pet Rottweiler. The game’s aesthetics transition and change as you progress through each Act. From the traditional Edo period, then to an urban American jazz and rap vibe, ending on a more elevated, monk-like, and religion-centered look. Each stylized Act has a main boss who also has their own distinct design and fighting style.
Demo Features:
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1 Act, 4 Levels - Choose between multiple paths, strategies, upgrades, and item choices as you progress through Act 1.
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8 Original Lofi tracks - Including the vibes of hip hop, jazz, funk, soul, and more.
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Eccentric Cast Of Characters - Fully voice-acted main characters introduced: Genyu, Jones, and Spike.
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Dash Through Decapitations - Beat the Cigarette timer by clearing the level before the timer runs out, and earn 1 point towards your final score.
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Chase The Deadliest Score - Increase your overall score by stacking Style and Multikill points, kill enemies consecutively to keep the Combo Counter running.
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Utilize Weapons Intentionally - Wield secondary weapons: Kunai and Stun Bombs, kick objects at opponents, and unleash the Girameki technique.
Sick Samurai’s demo is available now on Steam. Wishlist Sick Samurai so you don’t miss out on updates and the full release! Learn more about the game through the game’s website, and keep up with developments through the official YouTube. Other platforms can be found on Solideo’s Linktree.
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About Solideo
Solideo is a one-man video game studio and/or pseudonym based in Montreal, founded in March of 2022 by Matt Bogdanovski. Matt taught video game programming for three years while acquiring his bachelor’s degree in physics. Matt then spent more than six years working at Digital Extremes as a gameplay programmer on Warframe. After leaving Digital Extremes, Solideo was born.
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