Why Early Access?

“With early access we want to offer the “FIRST LOOK” into our BANSHEE project vision. We are experienced game developers known for games such as Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, Sniper Ghost Contracts, The Medium, Outriders, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077. We're “shonen manga” and “From Software” games fans. We started “BANSHEE: Demon Girl” pre-production in early 2024 as a “passion project” (we funded it with our time!). This happened after we released in Early Access on Steam “BEAST: False Prophet”. With BEAST we waited for almost 5 years with the world premiere announcement and we did not have enough time between the announcement and the release date to conduct the appropriate feedback rounds. This influenced the reception of the game. That's why this time we want to do it the other way around. BANSHEE will be presented from the very beginning of the game's development. We want to engage players who love souls-likes, souls-borne and all “From Software” games to co-create the game with us. We want to fulfill not only our hidden for a long time creative vision, but also the expectations of today’s players. We know how important the players' influence on the final shape of the game can be because we are players ourselves. BANSHEE will be a great game to develop and balance with community feedback.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We are a small but experienced team that aims to create games that evoke difficult emotions and we enjoy dark aesthetics. Production of an ambitious, high-quality, original and modern game is complex and takes a lot of time and this is what this game is like. BANSHEE will definitely be in early access for more than a year. We want to make sure that we have taken into account your feedback and refined the game in every detail. Any earlier deadline would not give us a chance to take into account what you say and deliver the appropriate quality.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We want the game to be two or three times bigger than what we will present in Early Access. We want to refine the game in the smallest detail, polish it and eliminate potential bugs. Replayability and gameplay balance are extremely important to us. The game should be satisfying and punishing at the same time. In this difficulty there should be a method to learn the game. It should be “die at the boss - master the fight" or “here’s a sword, show me what you got” gameplay. You fight, you die, you learn and develop your character, you fight again, and finally you win and get your reward - satisfaction needs to be guaranteed! It should involve exploration, intense combat encounters, and stealth & seduction mechanics as players progress through the story narration. We will definitely present new regions and missions. We will increase the number and type of enemies, add more boss fights, increase the amount of consumables, items, weapons and equipment. We will add new active and passive abilities of Banshee as a human and a demon at the same time. All this to provide hours of full of excitement and madness gameplay for players.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is currently in early access pre-production. We have a playable prototype that we are still working on and everything in it is subject to change.

The game features a female protagonist in a geisha disguise that we called Banshee. She uses a katana with skill and has a limited arsenal of ninja tools. The protagonist is a Japanese demon, similar to European vampires. During the fight, she changes into a demon girl, grows fangs, horns, and claws. She has vampire abilities such as bite, claws, acceleration and intimidation. She uses “blood magic” to attack enemies or strengthen herself.

The game is set in the late 16th-century Renaissance Europe (in Japanese history, this period is referred to as the Sengoku period). It tells the story of the first Japanese woman in Europe. Her enemies are men armed with powerful black powder pistols, accurate muskets, deadly rapiers and sharp sabers. They Christians but they are surprised by the existence of evil demons. Despite being terrified by her demon's presence, they try to stop and defeat her. But most of all they fight for their lives. She fights back and confronts attackers or cleverly avoids them by sneaking, jumping, climbing, running along roofs and walls, or using her grappling hook.

During the game, Banshee gains experience points and levels. She develops her weapons and skills. She can attack from behind, deal deadly blows, dodge, block and parry (deflect). The game is quite difficult, brutal and full of action. Fights with opponents and bosses are demanding but worth remembering. The gameplay design means that players can learn the rhythms of light, heavy, and combo attacks and by listening to the music defeat powerful enemies even with their eyes closed. The level design is top-notch. Environments are diverse and beautifully hand-crafted. Exploration is meaningful. You find helpful shortcuts and interesting collectibles. The controls are simple and the skill tree is easy to use. Crafting is minimal and resource management is limited. All this to make the game demanding but fair.

The game is fully voiced and translated into Japanese & English. It has an original soundtrack. All animations are recorded on motion capture along with faces and hands. Cutscenes are in real-time. Respawning at shrines, collecting souls, and other soulslike/soulsborne mechanics are in place. It is a true character driven, stealth-action game inspired by Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice, Red Ninja: End of Honour, and the Tenchu series with linear narrative and multiple endings.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We don't know yet. The price of the early access version of the game will probably be the same as the full version. We want the game to have the highest production value and we can't compromise on quality. Every coin that reaches us from sales will be used to produce this game.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We are very excited to go on this journey with you where there will be frequent updates to the game, community surveys and insights into our development and how your feedback is vital in all of it. We will organize playtests, show demos and maintain a test version of the game we are working on on a beta branch on Steam. We consider our Steam forums and official Discord channel - our prime channels to talk with us.”