Biopunk Action Title Sonokuni Launching Early 2025

Biopunk action title Sonokuni – from Japanese hip hop group Don Yasa Crew – launching early 2025

Kakehashi Games and the Japanese hip hop group-turned-developer Don Yasa Crew are excited to announce that their upcoming 2D top down action title, Sonokuni, is set to launch on PC (Steam) in early 2025.

During a sneak peek shown during the PC Gaming Show Most Wanted Showcase 2024, a new track (“DO”) from Sonokuni’s award winning soundtrack was also revealed, alongside an updated playable demo which you can jump into right now on Steam.

Alongside the above announcements, also revealed is a brand new (and much requested!) ‘Speedrun’ mode which will be included with the game at launch. Players will have to operate at the bleeding edge of their abilities to overcome the challenges of this new mode, where speed and efficiency are rewarded with the best completion times. Check out the demo for an early look at this new mode in a challenging ‘mirrored’ version of the available stages!

In Sonokuni, players will take on the role of Takeru, a lone assassin tasked with raiding a surreal superpower empowered by biotechnology. Join in her struggle to balance the morality of extreme violence against the defence of her own people, in a story inspired by real-life Japanese mythology (with every moment punctuated with a visceral soundtrack from Japanese developer and hip hop group, Don Yasa Crew).

About Don Yasa Crew

Don Yasa Crew is a 7-person Japanese hip hop group who in 2020 – during the height of Covid pandemic lockdown in Japan – decided to make a game. With live performances impossible, their aim was to convey their particular have-not-hip-hop style through Sonokuni – a world and story infused with raw energetic music and a fresh biopunk take on Japanese mythology.

About Kakehashi Games

Founded in Tokyo in 2013, Kakehashi Games is a boutique publishing team that strives to build bridges between East and West.  Over the last decade they have helped release over 300 of the most acclaimed indie titles in Japan, including Hollow Knight, Sea of Stars, Dead Cells, Eastward, and more.  As of 2023, Kakehashi Games has become a worldwide publisher as well, with a focus on bringing the best indie games from Asia to the rest of the world. Check their website for more information.