Final Weapon recently had the chance to interview Yosuke Shiokawa, the studio head of 213℉ (Fahrenheit 213) and director of TSURUGIHIME, to learn more about the upcoming side-scrolling action RPG and its development. Shiokawa previously served as the creative director of Fate/Grand Order, lead planner of Kingdom Hearts II, and concept director of Dissidia: Final Fantasy.
Our interview with Yosuke Shiokawa delves into the development of TSURUGIHIME, changes since the game’s delay in December 2024, various in-game systems, and drawing inspiration from experiences developing Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia: Final Fantasy. We can also exclusively confirm that a TSURUGIHIME closed beta will be held.
Get the full interview below.
Could you introduce yourself and your role in the development of TSURUGIHIME?
Yosuke Shiokawa: My name is Yosuke Shiokawa. I represent 213℉ (Fahrenheit 213), an independent game studio based in Japan, where I serve as the studio head. I am also the director of TSURUGIHIME.
In the past, I have worked as a director and game designer on titles such as Kingdom Hearts, Dissidia Final Fantasy, and Fate/Grand Order.
Was TSURUGIHIME always planned to be a side-scrolling action RPG? Did you consider any other concepts or ideas before or during development?
Yosuke Shiokawa: From the very beginning, TSURUGIHIME was planned as a side-scrolling action RPG. Throughout my career I’ve worked on several full 3D action games, but that genre requires a significant amount of time and resources to produce. Since TSURUGIHIME is the first title we are developing as an independent studio, we chose a side-scrolling 2D format that allows us to focus the scope of development.
At the same time, the game incorporates the experience and know-how we gained from developing 3D action games. In that sense, TSURUGIHIME can be seen as an attempt to bring the design philosophy of AAA action games into a side-scrolling 2D experience.
The core development team has less than 10 people, with support by talented contributors. As experienced developers who have worked on Fate/Grand Order,
Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia Final Fantasy, what were some of your initial reactions working with a smaller team for an independent game?
Yosuke Shiokawa: Earlier in my career I also worked on a variety of smaller projects, including FLASH games, XBLA titles, tabletop games, and escape games. Because of that, I already had a sense of what it’s like to develop games within a small team.
I’ve also worked on projects involving several hundred developers, but small teams have their own strengths—especially when it comes to decision-making and flexibility. Right now I’m really enjoying working in that kind of environment.
It’s been more than a year since TSURUGIHIME received a delay in December 2024. How has the game progressed and changed in its development since that announcement was made?
Yosuke Shiokawa: First of all, I felt deeply sorry for the players who had been looking forward to the game. After announcing the delay, we entered a period where development went somewhat “underwater.” For about a year we focused on work that isn’t very visible externally—preparation behind the scenes and development of the core technologies that form the foundation of the game.
During that time, we still wanted to give something back to the community. With the help of our main character designer, KUROBOSHI KOUHAKU, we shared illustrations featuring the main characters so players could continue enjoying the world of the game.
Then at the end of 2025 we were finally able to reveal a new trailer along with fresh information. The response was even bigger than before, which was a huge relief for us and helped renew our determination to move forward.
The story of TSURUGIHIME unfolds over the course of 100 in-game days, and the player can “craft” their way to the one of multiple endings. Could you explain how TSURUGIHIME’s “craft” systems and gameplay loop work?
Yosuke Shiokawa: In TSURUGIHIME, “craft” is unquestionably the most important core mechanic. However, it doesn’t refer to crafting in the usual sense—collecting materials and combining them to create items. Instead, it represents a much broader concept of crafting.
In TSURUGIHIME, the story unfolds within a predetermined fate of 100 days. During that time, players combine the protagonist’s special ability—the power of the TSURUGI—to rewrite the progression of the game itself. For example, there is an ability that allows you to rewind the game from Day 4 back to Day 3. Because abilities can be combined, you might rewind time while also altering the situation from the previous day into something entirely different.
In other words, what the player crafts is not items, but fate itself. In addition, elements such as battle styles, character progression, and even the relationship with the protagonist’s younger sister can also be “crafted,” creating a system where many aspects of the game evolve through the player’s choices.
Players will be able to use up to 1,000 weapons on TSURUGIHIME. Did the team face any challenges while developing all these weapons and ensuring there’s enough variety between them?
Yosuke Shiokawa: This doesn’t mean the game contains 1,000 different weapon types. Instead, as the player progresses, the number of weapons the protagonist can wield at the same time increases—from one, to two, to three, and so on. The exact maximum is still being adjusted, but we want to allow for a level of freedom that enables some fairly bold gameplay possibilities.
Eventually the protagonist will wield many weapons at once. However, the meaning behind the concept of Sen-tō-ryū (Thousand-Blade Style) is tied closely to the story, so I hope players will discover its significance through the game itself.
213℉ has been sharing regular updates about the development of TSURUGIHIME on Steam and the game’s Discord server. What has the experience been like communicating with fans on a consistent basis?
Yosuke Shiokawa: Going forward, we want to increase the amount of information we share and communicate more directly with players—especially those outside the Japanese-speaking community.
We already try to share development updates through platforms like Steam and Discord, but to be honest, we’re still figuring out the best way to do that. By listening to player feedback and learning from the community, we hope to create more opportunities for players to become involved and enjoy the development journey together with us.
We’ve exhibited the game at many events in Japan and had opportunities to speak directly with players there. However, we haven’t yet participated in overseas events, so that’s something we’d definitely like to explore in the future.
Are you able to share an update about a playable demo for TSURUGIHIME?
Yosuke Shiokawa: We’re aware that many players are hoping for a playable demo. Of course we’d love to deliver one as soon as possible, but precisely because expectations are high, we want to meet them with the right level of quality. At the moment, the game simply isn’t at a stage where we feel comfortable releasing it publicly yet, so we ask for a little more patience.
That said, this is something we’re announcing publicly for the first time in this interview: we’re planning a closed beta, where a limited number of players will be able to try a portion of the game. The goal is to gather feedback and incorporate it into the development process.
Recruitment will be conducted through the official TSURUGIHIME Discord channel.
Did you draw any inspiration from other games or experiences you’ve had developing other titles?
Yosuke Shiokawa: In the past I’ve worked on character-driven 3D action games with broad accessibility, such as Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia Final Fantasy. I see TSURUGIHIME as a natural extension of that experience.
When designing action games, I believe it’s important to balance two things: the immediate fun when players first pick up the controller, and the sense of mastery that comes from improving over time. The game should feel enjoyable even when you’re simply mashing buttons, but as you become more familiar with the mechanics, combining different attacks—almost like crafting your own combat style—becomes part of the fun. That’s the kind of experience we’re aiming to create.
On top of that, much like in Kingdom Hearts or Dissidia Final Fantasy, RPG-style progression elements will also play an important role. In that sense, TSURUGIHIME feels like a culmination of the experiences I’ve built throughout my career.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yosuke Shiokawa: So far we’ve only been able to show a small portion of the game, but there are still many elements we haven’t revealed yet—such as character progression systems and gameplay involving the protagonist’s younger sister.
Although we are a small indie team, we’re focusing on delivering a tightly condensed and enjoyable experience. Our goal is to release the game in Early Access in 2026.
Wishlist numbers are a huge source of encouragement for the development team, so we would greatly appreciate it if you could add the game to your wishlist.
TSURUGIHIME launches in 2026 for PC in Steam Early Access.
