After keeping a low profile for some time, more information on Tenjutsu has resurfaced. The action roguelike from Dead Cells designer Sébastien Benard appeared during the latest Nintendo Direct with a new gameplay trailer, confirming that it is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and PC in 2027.
Tenjutsu takes place in Kuroboro City, a crowded, neon-lit city where former yakuza Ten is trying to rebuild her life after coming home from prison. What she does not know is that the city’s underground crime bosses see her release as a threat to their power and are determined to get rid of her. To survive against the three syndicates hunting her, Ten has to build on her martial arts training with new techniques and weapons. The order in which she takes them on matters, though, as every win makes the remaining syndicates stronger, leaving the last one standing as the most dangerous.
Combat is built around one-versus-many martial arts fights, with players able to shape their own style by combining melee, ranged and special weapons against a changing mix of enemies. The city itself is randomised and constantly shifting, and players are free to explore it. Jokers can be used to bend the city’s rules, for example by building vending machines suited to the current situation, changing what shops sell or how much they charge, or choosing to heal and keep fighting. Defeated enemies drop “tattooed teeth”, which can be collected to earn permanent advantages between runs, such as expanding the city, changing the game’s rules and unlocking advanced weaponry. These are handled by a mysterious Dentist, who is best not asked too many questions.
Between runs, the story plays out at home, in Ten’s apartment and in Nanny Hoken’s ramen shop downstairs. Visitors, including enemies, will drop by, mysteries will develop, and everyday life will give a wider view of what living in Kuroboro is like.
