Onikira

Side-scrolling slash‘em up.

Conception & world building

Onikira is a 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up set in a fantasy world (heavily) inspired by feudal Japan in which the player takes on the role of a samurai fighting to prevent the forces of the underworld from breaking through into the world of the living.

Dave developed the world of Nipan, the creation myths that fueled the game’s story, its five sub-nations and so on. He wrote some early drafts of a storyline, but the project changed direction significantly after he moved on.

Of the original documents, all that remains are the following map and a comic from early in development that was meant to sell the tone of the game.