Genki targets new Japanese assassin game

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, Japanese game developer Genki is making a new action game, titled Hissatsu Ura-Kagyou, for the PlayStation 2. The game is slated for release this fall at a price of 7,140 yen ($65.47). Hissatsu Ura-Kagyou is being developed under Kengo series producer Tomoharu Kimura. Genki is best known for the Way of the Samurai series.

Hissatsu Ura-Kagyou takes place in Edo-period Japan, where villains scoff at the law and wander unchallenged. The player takes the role of a man named Tatewaki Kyoujiro, who is a medical doctor by day and an assassin by night. Gamers will be at the call of powerless citizens, who will hire Tatewaki to both dish out vengeance and bring justice to the city.

Other characters in the game include Tatewaki Doujun, Kyoujiro's retired father, who also once-lived the doctor/assassin double life, and Kenji, a powerful monk who helps Kyoujiro out with his assassin duties. It is not known yet whether Doujun and Kenji are playable characters. One screenshot of the game shows silhouettes of six characters, suggesting additional key characters may appear.

During the day, Kyoujiro will cruise town as a doctor, picking up information that will help out with his night job. Meeting with townspeople under the guise of a doctor will sometimes lead to clues, and because Kyoujiro's nighttime activities are known only by his father, he can actually talk with his targets face-to-face. After all the details of his mark are in order, Kyoujiro will meet with Kenji to plan the assassination. When it's time for the kill, the two assassins will hit their target in various styles, depending on the enemy's position and the player's timing.

Famitsu reports that Hissatsu Ura-Kagyou is currently 60 percent complete.