Samurai Standoff

Samurai Standoff is a reflex-driven fighting game inspired by retro mini-games and Flash-era showdowns. Its story takes place in a fictional feudal Japan shaped by classic cinema and animation, one year after the Highlands Continent enters a new era of peace. You fight through escalating solo campaigns or play multiplayer as six distinct characters, each with a different role in the story.

The Highlands Continent

The emperor’s death ended the central government and left four factions competing for power: the Nomads Confederacy, who support democratic government; the Dynasty, led by the late emperor’s self-proclaimed bastard son, who seeks to reform the central government under his rule; the Warriors Clans, led by warlords who also want control of the continent; and the Settlers, indigenous people seeking to reclaim their lost lands.

The conflict lasted more than a century, as clans defeated or absorbed one another. It ended with two factions: the Kokkai, formed from the Dynasty and the Nomads, and the Shogunate, which absorbed the Settlers and grew out of the Warriors Clans. The Kokkai prevailed in a decisive battle, bringing peace to the Highlands Continent. The characters are remnants of the war, some from the winning side and others from the losing side, pursuing their own paths in the new era.

The fighters

The six characters include:

• Ichi: A skilled and cunning assassin fox raised in the hidden mountain enclave of the Kitsune Clan. Trained in stealth, sabotage and survival, she seeks mastery rather than fame and avoids working for the new governments or crime syndicates.
• Fraug: A green-clad amphibian ronin regarded as the greatest warrior of the warring ages. He began wielding a blade at nine, has fought more than sixty duels without a defeat, and studies every movement after a victory. His composure, awareness and insight help him prevail even before a fight begins.
• Monk: Once an honorable general and renowned warrior, Monk lost an arm when Fraug defeated him. After resigning, he spent three years training in the mountains to wield his sword again. He now searches for Fraug to challenge him for the title of greatest warrior.
• Bluetail: A skilled lizard samurai and captain of the Royal Guard, born to a general and a captain. She became the youngest warrior inducted into the Guard and is known for the precision and force of her spear. She continues to strive for perfection and to surpass her parents’ legacy.
• Chaolin: Grandmaster of the School of the Flaming Fist. Once a quick-tempered Yakuza lieutenant, he and his crew were defeated by the school’s former grandmaster. Chaolin lost their rematch, left the Yakuza and became the master’s disciple, learning to turn his rage into discipline. He now teaches delinquents, ruffians and lost souls to control their emotions.
• Macaroni: A foreigner ostracized for his appearance and humble origins, he was mentored by an elderly Yakuza boss who recognized his cleverness and ruthlessness. Macaroni later usurped the boss and led the Yakuza as “The Pariah Oni,” pursuing the downfall of the nation through enterprise and corruption.