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KAGEBARA

Hinoe Ward has rules after dark.

A 1–4 player co-op beat 'em up. Break the urban-legend curses of Hinoe Ward, couch or online.

  • 1–4 players
  • Couch or online co-op
  • PC · in development
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Hinoe Ward

Every legend in the ward leads back to one class.

After the spike in missing persons near Hexwood Academy five years ago, a curfew was set. People kept going missing anyway. With the situation worsening and evil entities appearing in greater numbers by the day, four heroes of the ward band together when someone important to them disappears. 

They fight the city's urban legends one by one: conquering back alleys, rooftops and temples along their journey. Each curse they slay points them further back, to a mysterious burned classroom from 1996.

  • 共

    Nobody goes alone

    One to four players, couch or online, with drop-in. Every hero has their own moves, their own animations and their own way to win a fight.

  • 奪

    Claim what you kill

    Beat a boss and you can take its power for yourself. Some of them don't stay bosses for long. Be wary... as your friends may disagree about who it should belong to.

  • 破

    Break the curse

    Build your Soulfire by slaying monsters. As your soulfire grows, so too does your hero. If this isn't enough, every hero has one ultimate weapon against evil. Their Cursebreaker.

From the game

Take part in the action after dark.

Real frames from the game. Work in progress.

  • Sora's Cursebreaker: the stage goes dark under a black eclipse as ink lightning strikes the horde
    Sora · Soul Eclipse
  • The four heroes fighting the Veiled Bride, a white-shrouded boss, on a wet neon street
    The Veiled Bride
  • Itto, Kaito, Shiori and Sora against a curse pack in the back alleys
    Four past the last bell
  • Itto's Cursebreaker: pillars of fire tear up the alley street
    Itto · Hellgate
  • Shiori's Cursebreaker: green spirit wheels cut through a flooded juvenile hall corridor
    Shiori · Soul Rite
  • Kaito's Cursebreaker: columns of golden light slam down across the school grounds
    Kaito · Final Verdict
  • The heroes surrounding Kannuki, a hulking chained boss, under the cherry trees on campus
    Kannuki
  • Black roots erupt from a dead cherry tree as the heroes fight on the campus path
    The Roots Close
  • The heroes fighting the runners on the school track under floodlights at night
    Last Lap
  • Manga-style cut-in panels: the floodlights start to die, someone is still on the track
    Last Lap

The Cursebreakers

Meet only a few of our heroes

  • 雷Brawler

    Itto Akabane

    The Lightning Rod

    Hits first. Never says sorry.

    Cursebreaker HELLGATE

    Unleashes fiery hellfire pillars along the floor.

  • 牙Weapons expert

    Shiori Tsuchiya

    The White Fang

    Carries more steel than anyone. Wastes none of it.

    Cursebreaker SOUL RITE

    Spirit chains fueled by raging soulfire bind the room, then detonate.

  • 書Control caster

    Kaito

    The Grimoire

    Prefers saying few words. The book does the rest.

    Cursebreaker FINAL VERDICT

    A golden light of judgement seals all evil in sight.

  • 墨Soulfire brawler

    Sora Fudemura

    The Inkwell Menagerie

    Never fights alone, even when it appears so

    Cursebreaker SOUL ECLIPSE

    The stage goes dark and the beasts come out to play

Passed around Hexwood

Rules for Hinoe Ward after dark.

Everyone in the ward knows them. Nobody remembers who wrote them down.

  1. 1

    If the floodlights die,
    stay in the light.

    Last Lap
  2. 2

    If mourners turn the corner,
    don't let them see you.

    Bride's Procession
  3. 3

    If a door opens onto nothing,
    don't touch the floor.

    Beware of Falling
  4. 4

    The trees remember names.
    Don't let them learn yours.

    The Roots Close
  5. 5

    And never,
    ever go alone.

    Hinoe Ward

Recovered on campus

The Class 3-C Files

Notes found around Hexwood Academy. Read them in any order. Something happened here in 1996.

  • EV-01

    Notice to students

    Students must leave by 9 PM. No exceptions. No questions.

  • EV-02

    Missing

    Third student this month. Last seen near the trophy case.

  • EV-03

    Sealed shrine

    Do not open. Do not feed. Do not listen.

  • EV-04

    Cherry tree plaque

    "Planted by Class 3-C, 1996. Most improved class." Every tree in the grove is in bloom except this one. It has never bloomed.

  • EV-05

    Back field sign

    Hexwood back field: closed since 1997. Do not dig. Do not play here. Do not pick the white flower that comes up every autumn in the same spot.

  • EV-06

    Lost and found

    Alley shrine box: "Found: one wedding veil, 1996. Folded neatly by a schoolboy, who said he would keep her safe." The slot for the owner's name is empty.

  • EV-07

    Groundskeeper's note

    "Had the shrine bless the back gate bar again. Third time this year. It keeps working loose from the campus side, not the street side."

  • EV-08

    Cell card

    "Name withheld. Age 17. Brought in the night of the Hexwood fire, 1996. Asked to be put in detention. Collected at dawn."

More files turn up in the game. Some of them contradict each other.

The studio

Crownfield Digital Studios

We are a small independent studio. KAGEBARA is our biggest project yet. We make games for people who play together on a couch, in the next city over and across the globe. Stay connected.