April 8th, 2024 (Mon.)
Now to introduce some of the game’s key features!
- Eastern fantasy manic shoot’em up Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage Steam version is set to release to the globe on April 18th!
- A perfected reworking of Shikhondo – Soul Eater, including various improvements, including to gameplay
- Your first time to learn of the key features of this game before its release! Nintendo Switch™ version to come in the future
- Promotional discount to celebrate this release! Owners of the previous title can get up to 55% off!
Global game publisher CFK (headed by Chang-sig Koo) is proud to announce today (4/8) that it has decided to release the Steam version of eastern fantasy shoot’em up Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage to the globe on April 18th and introduce the key features of the game for the first time before its release.
Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage was featured at the Shootersfes 2024 planned and operated by the Mikado City Connection Retro Arcade Center, where the global release date of the Steam version of the game was announced. This event was broadcast on the official Mikado YouTube channel on April 6th and 7th.
Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage, developed by Korean indie game company Deerfarm, is a vertically scrolling shoot’em up (bullet hell) game set to an Eastern background, centered around a plot where our protagonists must avoid the attacks of the youkai who have escaped from hell, collect souls, and then topple their foes with their powerful attacks.
The team behind the 2017 Shikhondo: Soul Eater are now working with CFK to produce the ‘perfected version’ of this game as Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage by improving gameplay and adding in new modes to take the game to the next level, planning to bring it to a new global audience on Steam and the Nintendo Switch™. Together, they plan to make the game more accessible to all players, from casual gamers to manic shooter enthusiasts alike.
● Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage Story
One day, the soul-starved youkai escape from the depths of hell.
Thus, the journey begins for the girl who fell into this world by accident and the Grim Reaper who happens to encounter her along the way.
Seal away the resisting youkai with your powerful, ornate attacks!
● Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage game features
▲ A unique concept hard to find among indie, shoot’em up games
Developed by Korean developer Deerfarm, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage is a shoot’em up (bullet hell) game that tells the story of the protagonists who must seal away the youkai that have escaped hell, all set to an Eastern fantasy concept.
Among the popular shoot’em up series currently on the market, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage stands out for having been created by a Korean developer and having a unique setting that’s hard to find among other games in the genre. In staying true to the shoot’em up genre, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage features colorful bullet patterns and quick movement while also flavoring the game with new systems unique to this game.
▲ Reimagining Korean folktales and legends from a new perspective
Featuring the Shingiwonyo (신기원요/伸妓寃妖), Chang-gui (창귀), and other mythical creatures from Korean folk legend, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage presents a creative reimagining of this material as it reworks the youkai from Korean traditional stories into bosses with uniquely grotesque designs.
▲ Soul Collect System
The ‘Soul Collect’ system allows players to gain souls every time they avoid attacks, gaining more souls the closer they get to enemy bullets. Once the Soul Gauge has been filled with souls, it can be activated.
Activating Soul Collect temporarily turns all bullets on screen into souls. If players can make good use of this, they can use it to break past dicey encounters while also using it as an opportunity to gain a large amount of souls at once and earn more points.
With its feature of getting closer to enemy bullets to charge the gauge faster, the game presents a ‘high risk, high reward’ system that increases the danger in the moment.
▲ New modes and a new array of difficulties
Shoot’em up games are normally only focused on and held in high regard by serious fans of the genre, but Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage has expanded and adjusted the modes and difficulty levels of its base game to open up the fun of the game to more players.
- Game modes
1) Arcade: A mode for enjoying the classic shoot’em up experience
2) Boss Rush: A mode for taking on the bosses all in a row
3) Hardcore: A high difficulty mode that charges the soul gauge twice as quickly, but any damage will result in a game over
4) Novice: A mode that unlocks the bombs and life given as clear rewards
5) Dual: A new single player mode added to Shikhondo: Soul Eater Refine, allowing players to enjoy both characters by switching between the two when moving at lower speeds. This allows players to switch out and attack according to the situation or enjoy the co-op story through a new single player mode.
- Difficulties
Difficulties range from Easy, Normal and Hard, with added Extreme and Story modes. The Story mode plays out like Extreme mode, but players avoid all damage, allowing them to enjoy flashy bullet hell gameplay in relative comfort.
● Key characters in Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage
1) The girl (Homing attack & induction type character): A girl who fell into this world one day, forgetting even her own name. She begins her journey of hardship, fighting against the youkai in search of her hometown, family, and the memories she lost.
2) Grim Reaper (Straight attack & power type character): The celestial emissary performing her given duties by facing those whose grudges have turned them into youkai. She happens upon the girl and decides to join her to help.
In the meantime, Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage was featured at the February 5th Steam Next Fest, where it succeeded in garnering gamers’ attention. It was also featured at the February 27th Tokyo Indie Games Summit, where this new perfected reworking of Shikhondo left quite the entertaining impression on attendees.
The Steam page for Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage was recently opened. By wishlisting the game before its release, gamers can check out all sorts of information about the game and its release in advance.
● Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage Steam store page
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2712480/_/
● Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage Steam Official Promotion Movie
https://youtu.be/D9KyHbx784M
In cooperation with CFK, the perfected version of Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage is dropping to the globe on Steam April 18th, and the Nintendo Switch™ version will be released at a later date.
● Screenshots
● Product information
Title: Shikhondo: Youkai Rampage
Platform: Steam, Nintendo Switch™
Genre: Eastern fantasy manic shooter
Release date: Steam – April 18th, 2024 (Thurs.) / Nintendo Switch™ – TBA
Price: $ 20.98
Supported players: 1 player
Supported languages: English, Korean, Japanese
Publisher: CFK
Copyright information: ©2024 Deerfarm. All Rights Reserved. Published by CFK.
● CFK Official Channels
Official homepage: https://www.cfk.kr/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CFKOfficialChannel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFK_NEWS_EN
Facebook: https://ko-kr.facebook.com/cfknews/