Jun 11, 2024
One-Thousand Cuts: Prologue - Banjo Toad Studio
Hello and welcome to the One-Thousand Cuts: Prologue Community Hub!
Thanks so much for joining us! We’ve compiled several of the most frequently asked questions here. Remember to wishlist the full game on Steam!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Is this a demo?
A: Yes! This is a demo of the first area in One-Thousand Cuts designed to give players a feel for the basic combat and story elements, specifically highlighting the one-hit-kill and consequential moral choices. We've structured the demo like a traditional Japanese Noh drama, with three acts Jo ("introduction"), Ha ("destruction"), and Kyu ("haste").
Q: When will the full game release?
A: We're planning a Q1 2025 release, pending the successful completion of our Kickstarter Campaign. If you haven't followed the pre-launch Kickstarter page, you should go do that now ;- )
Q: Are there multiple endings / do my choices really matter?
A: Yes! After players complete the full tutorial (or choose "Instant-Action" when starting a new game), they're given a choice between two moral routes: Loyalty or Honor. This choice fundamentally affects gameplay. Every line of dialog, every character interaction, the combat, even the endings are different. Yes, this is a demo with multiple endings. Did we have to do that? No, but we didn't have to include three additional video modes for players to experiment with, either, and that didn't stop us. The one thing that doesn't change between the Loyalty and Honor routes -- you can still pet the cats regardless of what choices you make.
Q: What inspired One-Thousand Cuts?
A: We could have a Q&A about inspiration and source material alone! Game design and combat, we’ve had obvious inspiration from the original Souls games and souls-likes, classic genre games like Bushido Blade and Ninja Gaiden. Narratively, we’ve incorporated elements from the classic films of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Red Beard), Kihachi Okamoto (Sword of Doom, Samurai Assassin), Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll). Artistically we’ve drawn a lot from Ukiyo-e (original japanese woodblock prints), the closest we could come to primary source material for the look and feel of the time period, as well as more contemporary manga artists, especially Kentaro Miura (Berserk).
Q: Is there controller support?
A: Absolutely! Full Xbox Gamepad support with button glyphs, remapping, and controller-disconnect detection to automatically pause your game. Playstation and Switch Pro Controller support coming soon!
Q: Where does the game take place?
A: One-Thousand Cuts takes place in a low-dark-fantasy version of late Edo Japan, filled to the brim with shogunate political subterfuge, inter-clan political maneuverings, re-contextualized historical figures and events, and our takes on traditional Japanese legends and folklore.
Q: Will the game be available on consoles too? What about Mobile?
A: The full game will release on Steam first, though console and mobile ports are stretch goals in the Kickstarter. We can make that happen together! Currently the demo is available on Windows, Mac, Steamdeck, and Linux.
Q: How much will the game cost at release?
A: We'll release more info on that later :- )
Q: Is this really your first game?
A: This might (?) come as a surprise, but yes! We've never even tried to made a game before. Not even a game jam. This was the first project we ever opened in Unity. And we're delighted to be able to share it with you!
That's all for now, folks!
We hope this answered some of your questions! If there's anything we didn't cover, questions that come up while playing the demo, or if you're interested in learning more about developing a game from scratch, feel free to post them here or hit us up on our socials :- )
Have you followed and wishlisted the full game on Steam?
Are you following the pre-launch Kickstarter page?
Got questions or bugs to report? Want to learn more about indie game development? Are you a Content Creator looking for our press kit? Stop by our socials:
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