Shogun’s duel makes you think at least two turns ahead. In this turn-based roguelite game, you can’t just attack whenever you want. Instead, you must apply a turn to load your attack into a queue, and then apply another turn to unleash that queue on your enemies, who come at you, turn by turn, taking their own actions in the queue. To further complicate matters, you have to take a turn to move one space forward or backward. You even have to turn to, well, turnbecause it matters which way you face.
In miniature, the whole game is about positioning. It’s about setting yourself up for success. In this way, it’s a bit like choosing when to release an indie roguelite game on Steam. It’s not enough to just go out swinging – you have to position yourself well.
You may not have noticed it Shogun’s duel I recently came across 1.0. You may not have heard of it at all since it launched in Early Access in 2023. I don’t. And that’s a pity. Developed by Roboatino, Showdown is a crunchy, satisfying roguelite game in which you play out a series of battles, combining shuriken into grappling hooks with a rope into a piece of blade as a final touch. Each 30-40 minute run (maybe a little shorter if you’re more determined than me) involves planning a series of attacks while your enemies do the same, each side setting their intentions and moving in a single 2D lane in turn-based combat, which is equal parts lethal and balletic.
If I have any real doubts about this experience, perhaps the meta-progression in unlocking up-to-date combat skills is a tad snail-paced. I could also quibble with the game’s soundtrack, which becomes a bit repetitive as time goes on. Although on both of those fronts I don’t really care. Even though I had just unlocked fancier abilities like a sword that gains one attack power per turn it spends in queue, and a kama that can strike two squares forward while ignoring the enemy directly in front of you, I never felt like bored with the game’s initial offering. Similarly, when it comes to music, the newly unlocked areas feature up-to-date songs, and honestly, as far as my media consumption habits go, the game is a perfect complement to any podcast. I played the game on Steam Deck, popping in a few battles in between other quests, and like any roguelite worth its salt, the game works as well in miniature bursts as it does in the long run.
Really, while I was playing, the only real thing that bothered me was why actually more people weren’t talking about it Shogun’s duel.
The obvious answer is the difficulty of discovering games in the year of our Lord 2024. I don’t want to pursue this further, but there is no denying the reality that even bangers like Shogun’s duel they’re not getting their due, at least in part because of the glut of great games on offer this year, month after month, week after week. But I want to go a step further than just explaining all of this with “too many good games, omg.” I think so too Shogun’s duel suffers primarily from positioning.
I’m not a programmer nor do I have any particular knowledge of when is the best time to release a game, but I can confidently say that it’s challenging to imagine a more challenging year than 2024 to launch a up-to-date roguelite. The year started with Balatroturning us all into card counting maniacs, and the Early Access version was released shortly thereafter Hades 2. If that wasn’t enough, A gust of windnext game with Dead cells developer Motion Twin came will be released in early access on October 24. Hell, to make matters worse, there’s even a turn-based roguelike UFO 50. It’s safe and sound to say that while it’s never straightforward to time a game’s launch perfectly, when it comes to releasing a roguelite game in 2024, the difficulty level borders on punishing.
Nevertheless, I would like to apply Shogun’s duelbecause honestly, he deserves your time. Here’s my suggestion: buy it, put it on your Switch or Steam Deck and forget about it. I mean it. The end of 2024 isn’t the best time to argue about buying your next roguelite, but there will undoubtedly come a time when, in between other obsessions, you remember that you bought it. You’ll see it in your library and go, Oh, this one guy at Polygon told me to buy it, and despite the weirdness of his argument, I listened. You will then launch the game, forgetting when it launched, what other games it was talking to at the time, and whether it compared more or less favorably to Hades 2and you just play it. You will play it and if you like this type of games, you will have a great time.
Shogun’s duel it teaches you, through its mechanics, to think ahead to the moment when action will be most beneficial. I’m willing to bet that you don’t have room for another game in your wallet right now. But you will do it. Probably. At last. And at this moment Shogun’s duelwith its fierce combat and perfectly podcastable gameplay loop, it will be there ready to attack. All you need to do now is get in line.
Shogun’s duel was released on September 5 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game was played on a PC using a download code purchased by the author. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.
