First of all, we want to thank again the time and energy that Michael has dedicated not only to this review, but also to our project. To have someone like him in the community, who from total independence reports what he thinks is the best and gives his opinion without any hindrance. And we assure you that our opinion of him would not change depending on his review. That said, we are incredibly happy and proud that his opinion about our project, based on the prototype we sent him, is so good. If someone like Michael, who set us as his most anticipated project for this year, says that the game has even exceeded his expectations, this is something we are proud of, very proud of. Even as creators, for him to consider that there are some of the mechanics we have added that are so clever that they will surely be included in other companies' projects, it’s amazing. We were also aware that not every element of the game would feel right to him, because there is no such thing as a perfect game. We will work hard to improve as much as possible our game as we have continued to do so far. On the other hand, we do want to make a couple of comments on some of the points that Michael pointed out, here they go: The variety of Shogun powers: In this prototype there are 9 cards, but we already have 55 developed for Act 1 of the campaign, there will be no lack of variety 😊. Simplicity in the tests during the Adventure phase: Apart from the skill tests, there are also tests (quite a few) that are based on equipped weapons (ambushes and several of the tests in the missions). There are also tests that are decided based on decisions or that depend on which character initiates them. About the possibility of creating tracking sheets: For the changes between Adventure and Exploration we are designing a tracking sheet. Between the different sections of the Exploration phase, Michael's idea of adding certain elements to the sheet to be able to stop the chapter in the middle of the phase and continue it later has seemed very good to us, so we will almost certainly add it. Related to being able to play only the exploration part: As we commented to Michael in act 1 we wanted to give this global vision of the world and the evolution of the story as a complement to the exploration phase, however, Act 2 (which we hope to add as SG’s to all the pledges during the campaign) it is 100% focused on the exploration phase, so the dungeon crawlers lovers will be able to focus on that part for sure. Finally, we hope to see many of you in the campaign, because this dream we've been working on for more than 4 years needs you 😊 Honor to you all!!!

I'm looking forward to this one! Can't wait to watch the full video later today!

Fifteen minutes of game overview, and then a FULL HOUR of review analysis. Harakiri is a very complex game, and it begs for this kind of discussion. Thanks! This video is terrific. - toby

I have been looking forward to this excited to see how it comes together. Thank you for your coverage.

Thanks for such a great, in depth review. My budget is pretty tight for December, but I am excited to follow the campaign.

Thank you for the great review and depth of information. I will be backing this one.

This looks really cool. I'll definitely be following this campaign.

I said in another video somewhere that this game is giving me VERY strong Folklore: The Affliction vibes, which is a very good thing for me. I'm currently only in on the Ronin pledge (base pledge) for now, but will most likely grab Jubei's Curse as an add on.

Awesome review, as always! And nice answers by Synergic! Currently all-in playable. Waiting to see if we do a group purchase.

Hello - and thank you for your review. I was lurking on the Kickstarter - but decided to back the basic game and the solo player expansion (and an extra set of dice). I like the grand strategic feel of the adventure map - and the dungeon crawl looks solid. The only two dungeon crawles I own are Blackstone Fortress and the (ancient) Warhammer Quest from 1995. Neither have the grand story. The mechanics in this one seem unique - and I think it will be a hit in my household and with my friends as well! Cheers!

I enjoyed this video and your thoughts on the game! Definitely inspired more confidence on backing it.

Thank you for telling me about the story issue. Maybe I am spoiled by games like midarra, sleeping gods and tainted grail. How does the story compare to gloomhaven or jaws of the lion. Gloomhaven was better then jaws of the lion. To me jaws was average to below average and gloomhaven is average to above average. This is how I rate games with stories I have played. Where would this game fit in this scale. Top: Midarra - S tier Sleeping gods A Tainted Grail - A- Seafall - B+ Kings dilemma - B+ Gloomhaven B Arkham Horror - B- Gloomhaven jaws of the lion C+ Pandemic legacy season 2 - C- Clank legacy - D+ I am looking forward to the following That I backed mostly for story Oathsworn Dawn of madness Divinity Nova aetas Renaissance Stormsunder Tanaras adventures Vampire the masquerade chapters Iss vanguard Etherfields Isofaren guard Artisans of splendent vale

Thanks for the review, definitely tempted to back this one! Just one concern I have - did you find yourself going back and forth between the two different game modes frequently? A bit worried that setting the map board up after the dungeon encounters might get annoying, or take up too much space having both set up simultaneously. How did you handle this aspect and was it frustrating at all?

Very comprehensive review! Lots of interesting info

Thank you for bringing up Shadows of Brimstone Forbidden Fortress. I'm the same way, I played SoB for a while and I haven't had it hit the table for so long because of the town phase. I was worried about that with this. Your review here was really helpful.

I love the idea of the Adventure phase. I want to feel like I'm walking around Japan. To see the Adventure phase makes me think that.

A great overview but I can see myself missing out the Adventure Phase if I get it?! I love the theme and the artwork and the fact that it takes up so little space is a bonus. Some games take up so much room on my dining table, that they have to be crammed on or I have things placed elsewhere e.g Kemet Blood and Sand, which I ended up selling on after spending hours painting it all!

This looks pretty similar to Folklore (in the exploration and adventure phases). Anyone played both to compare?

120 minutes??? this is bbiggg, thanks man!!! I will watch in multiple session kids are home...

Cool! A mixture of Okko Chronicles, Folklore the Afliction and maybe Andor. Hope the KS campaign is a huge success and what comes after goes smoothly!

Very interested in this campaign … all the best !!

Looks promising, thank you for the extensive prototype review. Will be checking it out, know vat is extra but hopefully they will have friendly shipping to add that fulfilment protection. Ps shouldn't your title say prototype so someone doesn't have to start watching to find this out?😉

This looks fun. Kind of a throwback to Arkham horror 2nd edition exploration and skill checks while adding to it a dungeon aspect. This looks like it has a lot of depth. I will enjoy it and I love the Japanese theme.

All in!!!

Have you played Folklore the affliction? The adventure phase seems similar to folklore, thoughts?

I'd appreciate your opinion on Harakiri and Skyrim comparison video?

Hi, I have a choice to back either this or Earth Under Siege: Flashpoint. I enjoy both themes and both look fun. Which one do you think will be the 'better' game?

If you had to pick one. Would you pick Harakiri or Oathsworn and why?

Oh baby!

It is important to note that the free Act 2 expansion called Harakiri: The Emperor's Legacy that will be unlocked during the campaign is played 100% in the Exploration phase.

Looks AMAZING.😍😍😍

i like the idea of the game but my problem is i feel like they where trying too hard to make it big for no reason. legit they could have maybe scaled it down just a bit

Hi all. Really interested in this. A lot of the exploartion phase mechanics feels like Middara; I'll list some below. How similar is it mechanics-wise? 1. Various dice ranging in power for weapons when attacking 2. Additional damage if triggering special via symbols on dice 3. Another optional dice that can be used when attacking 4. Weapons / armour adjust attack rolls. Remaining score is taken as damage 5. Action points spent to move / attack 6. 4 defined characters only 7. Monsters have AI, read from the top until an action is applicable 8. A number of tiles to build dungeons structure 9. Initiative track

I'm backing at the moment, but I'm not feeling it and I think I'll drop it... I think I'm burn out of campaign games, and Harakiri doesn't look the next best thing compared to what is coming my way or already is here: Frosthaven, Middara, Tanares, Stormsunder, AT:O, Oathsworn, ISS:V, Etherfields, just to mention some. I think I'll save it for something like Sankokushin that looks more mechanically unique and are under the Japanese theme that I'm looking to get.

Yeah probably going all in. I like both types of games, the Dungeon Crawl and the Adventure game. So combining them doesn't seem like it would upset me. Honestly doesn't seem that different from the Map phase of Oathsworn, which was basically just going to different locations around the town for the story, which may effect the boss battle which was the meat and potatoes of the game.

Sword & Sorcery AC is my current dungeon crawler of choice. The biggest issue I have with that game is the exploration/city phase is kinda meh, takes too long and is mostly in the way of the actual dungeon crawl. The adventure phase in Harakiri looks significantly better in terms of interesting & fun gameplay. In your experience King, about how long does the adventure phase take? Is it like a 30-45min stint or does it drag over an hour?

Funny you mention Shadows of Brimstone in relation to the overworld portion of these kinds of games. I am of the mind that if the game is going to have an overworld phase it better be worth it, I want it to be the whole deal. If it is too light then I prefer not to have it at all although some games have it light enough where they provide a nice little link between scenarios to ground the campaign. For example Gloomhaven and Too Many Bones abstract it enough with events and still provide a map for visual aid, so I appreciate the small break between scenarios. For Brimstone the official out of the 'core' Town Phase is way too light but still too involved to call it a break, but I now play with Hexcrawl and the official Town focused expansions which make it a fulfilling part of my gaming session. Folklore the affliction has the same problems for me, travelling around the map is not engaging enough. I love maps though, and I really like the appeal of an overworld wide angle view of events/locations as they relate to the fictional world they exists in, but most of the time they feel underdeveloped and disappointing. In Harakiri it seems they put plenty of thought into it but I am not a fan of go around the map and see what happens style mini games (I'm thinking Kilforth)

I am really satisfied with your explanation concerning the (not that interesting) adventure Phase. I get it - it is important for the story.

It looks a bit like IDW’s “Change is Constant”. Do you?

Thx a lot. Looks like rhe game I always wanted. But what about looting. Did I miss this?

The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/thekingofaverage11211 Updates: * There will be 55 shogun powers JUST in act 1! * Act 2 is all dungeon crawl (Exploration Phase) * Skill tests will be based on more than just skills, but the action seems the same. * Tracking sheets for mid crawl pausing - they are looking into it. * Rulebook uploaded to campaign page is miles better than our review copies.

Michael, I'm going to ask all the reviewers this, because it has not been addressed: Will the game feel a lot different when I play with different heroes? Is it interesting to decide which heroes go well together? (I'm thinking of buying the Wrath of God expansion, which provides more heroes and thus more possible combinations.) I shall appreciate your opinion. - toby

Harakiri: Blades of Honor looks like the best game on Kickstarter for the next six months! I’m backing it.

Do you need to keep switching between the large map board and the exploration tiles after each phase? man, that sounds troublesome and messy for me. Feels overscaled judging from the gameplay... looks better than Skyrim though.

The game look very cool , i hope for multylanguage

Do you believe this game will replaced Okko Chronicle,or would you keep both?

Just hopped on that early bird.

I just joined and does it take time to get a discord invite?

Dungeon phase is game I would buy but the adventure phase is just roll a dice and see what happens, I've played that game it's called snakes and ladders.

I really like Chronicles of Drunagor but the one criticism I have is the turtling before opening a door, something they are fixing for Apocalypse. I hope they see this video and consider the menace token method, I feel it would really complement their system. I am still undecided if I will keep my Harakiri pledge but you are winning me over to the yes side. My main concern is the text. In my experience, games from Spain feel a bit green, like they are growing into their own but are not quite there yet. In general terms, their story components lack polish and tend to rely heavily on old school tropes. Gameplay also tends to be overwrought and kitchen-sink-sh, where there are a bunch of concepts but no developer trimming the fat and molding the big picture. That being said, I think that pool of independent designers/publishers will improve rapidly once they have a couple good ones in the market and figure out how to playtest, develop and streamline for a modern market.

I can't.... It's breaking me but i can't. 1/3 of the price i would pay it's shipping and taxes for my country. I am struggling but the game looks awesome. I wish I had the money to get it ahah

Harakiri looks like if middara and eldritch horror had a baby.

Adventure phase - very Folklore Th Affliction mechanics wise. Exploration phase - very Middara

I think you should put prototype in the title

Have decided to back out in the end. I don't need another hardcore dungeon crawler, I LOVE the idea of this hybrid and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the theme & art of the game. But more than anything it's the added full VAT (which I find incredibly well presented - HUGE kudos for that), where the US gets shipping kinda subsidised. Because of this the game is of the same price as Agemonia or Arydia... And I've kinda told myself to not buy anything for that price. So with a heavy heart I'm going to back down.... P.s. yes, this comment is to appease the Algo Gods...

If there's meaningful choice relating to the story and perhaps inventory/character upgrades in the Adventure phase, it's worthwhile. But if it's just dice checks, that's superfluous, boring and pace breaking.

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Would love to back this but the price of shipping+vat in Europe is ridiculous. Going to have to pass :(

Too damn expensive + unproven publisher = pass.

I think I am gonna have to pass on this. I thought this game gonna be just a dungeon crawler, but it is not. Sorry, but I dont have enough time for another campaign game.

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