Firstly, we would like to thank Alex for the time he has dedicated to our project. Regarding the manual, we are aware that we have been working with it and we have already prepared a version with a better layout, which has allowed us to leave it in about 30 pages 😉. Also, after the feedback received, we will also be including a reference sheet, besides a campaign tracking sheet as well, so no further checking of the rulebook will be needed for symbology. About the adventure phase, our goal is to give with it a global vision of the world, how it is affected by the events and to be the scenario where the story of the characters is unveiled through their personal booklets. As the campaign progresses, this phase will gain in options and interest. Even so, we want to emphasize that the fundamental part of the game is the exploration phase. So much so that there are multiple chapters during the first act of the game in which only the exploration phase is played, and as mentioned, Act 2, which we hope to unlock during the KS campaign, is focused entirely on the exploration phase. Greetings to all, and we look forward to seeing you in the campaign that starts soon, for which we have many surprises prepared.
I believe the criticism (by multiple reviewers now) is that the adventure phase needs to be more interesting and rewarding to play up front and then progress. If the two are not balanced people will get upset or it will be like another game where everyone like the monster battles but getting to the monster battles everyone hated and the game is not rated as well. There has to be a reason for me to adventure so when I get to exploration the whole thing comes together.
It sounds like it would be better to implement something like the event cards in gloomhaven for the adventure phase. Such as draw a card with a few choices and choose one. The results might be all bad/good/mixed, but you would still have narrative and a feeling of choice. You could even include a skill check e.g. If you have xx strength you can choose option c (maybe resulting in a better or worse result)
The random faktor and missing Influance at the dice in the adventure phase came also form KoA. I would really take this siriusly, cause I don't want to do house rule again for a poorly designed Map phase. Please.
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.
@@Infyra No, there is not. The Act 2 expansion will begin right where the Core game (Act 1) ends. There will be several different beginnings to Act 2 based upon which ending was achieved in Act 1. However, each of the other expansions will have some additional differences. The Wrath of the Gods Expansion will have the Chinese Celestial Beasts invading Japan while a combination of 4 historical and mythical Chinese heroes oppose them. This expansion will use utilize both the Adventure Phase and the Exploration Phase but without the Shogun and his forces or the Kami. The Jubei's Curse Expansion is a true-solo (1 character) prequel adventure using the most powerful of all the heroes: Jubei. This expansion will integrate the Adventure Phase together with the Exploration Phase.
so we're getting this beautiful and HUGE mat for less than half the gameplay? This also has a production cost, research and development cost, and shipping cost. Seems wasteful unless i'm missing something.
@@chickentruck75 The board and mat are double-sided. The reverse side of them has a giant combat tile that is used in both the game and the expansions. The map is also used in the Wrath of Gods expansion with the Celestial Beasts roaming on the map. So, your statement is incorrect.
I'm hyped for this. just backed Senjutsu and i might have enough Japan for now but this is definitely tempting. Thanks for the review just in time as always :)
Thanks for again a great review. Am intrigued as to what you think would be better for you (multi handed in coop way where necessary) in solo play: Harakiri vs The Witcher vs Skyrim.
Witcher I've only played competitively. For Skyrim, you can play any number of characters, I'd rather play 2 chars in Skyrim then 4 here,but that's not an apples to apples comparison.
Opinion: the reason the dice luck pass/fail bothered you in the AdvP and not in the ExP is because in the AdvP there is not decision you made behind the die roll. In the dungeon crawl you are making decisions like "I'll use this kami ability to shoot at the boss from farther away instead of going up close for a series of light attacks. Roll dice, see how you did. But YOU did it. Conversely, in the map mode you move from point A to B, draw a card and it says roll higher than a 4. You roll, that's it. You made no decision about that so you never get that feeling that YOU passed or failed, just rolled well or not :) It's actually my main gripe around check based rolling in games. There's never usually something I could have done smarter, or risk I could have taken or not gone for so it leaves the player detached from the result of the dice.
This is really helpful. I was a little iffy, maybe 60/40 to back it or not and as of right now I'm in for the second tier pledge but will probably drop to the base pledge. Based on your thoughts here I'm leaning maybe not backing it. The miniatures look really nice and I love the Japanese setting but I'm not sure the gameplay is enough to justify $250-300 for nice minis and ok gameplay that is difficult to even remember how to play correctly.
Thanks Alex!!! maybe this one will work to me more than Senjutsu that I skip because of the idea that you just throw card and the art and design was looking week. The fact that is easy to play can help but I'm wondering about this event card...
Thx Alex, this helps a lot. I will watch out for this adventure Phase, cause this can really kill it for me. pitty, I love the idea about the map and the bigger picture it gives me.
I love dungeon-crawler campaign games, so I'll be taking a closer look at this. However, I've already backed several such games, and there's only so many I have time to play.
question about adventure phase: could it be compared to Eldritch Horror by chance? that game is entirely "move to location, roll dice for a skill check, read some flavor text to see what happens." very simple... but it's just so damn fun lol. so if Harakiri combines an overland adventure phase similar to that with a dungeon crawler, that might be awesome. also: any chance for some gameplay vids? :)
Pretty interesting concept. Definitely fills the sadly empty niche of samurai games that are not block or chit war games. All I notice off the bat is how sparse the enemy types are. Would have liked to have seen more variation in enemy types. Especially considering how rich and interesting Japanese mythology is. Hope we get some decent let's plays before this ends. I might have to pick this up...
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?
I wonder how is the set up and changing phrases for the game. I do like the themes and the miniatures for the game but this game just looks like a set up and learning nightmare to me. I find it hard to get others interested in play with all those set ups and rules. What do you think?
Thanks for sharing! Excluding the campaign aspect, do you consider this game similar to Witcher? Meaning, in Witcher you travel around the map, have short stories, then have interactions, battles, etc.
I can see it is very similar to folklore the affliction. Adventure - exploration.. I like folklore a lot. How do you compare it? Is it as good? Thank you 🙏
Awesome review and work !!! Keep up your work ! With Arydia backed I think it will be a more epic adventure FOR ME than harakiri... hope it funds more than they predicted for them 😇...
As of right now I'm not. I enjoyed it but the adventure phase didn't do it for me and the exploration phase I get the same general tactical feeling from Wild Assent
Alex, I'm going to ask all the Harakiri 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
This looks great but as went all-in on Okko Chronicles, might be just too much and not needed. Hope it does well though and hope it gets a retail release at some point.
After watching a thorough video of Harakiri gameplay, and a thorough video of Wild Assent gameplay, I’ve come to the conclusion that Harakiri is a more immersive game overall. I choose Harakiri Blades of Honor over Wild Assent.
Everything about this game makes me want it... except, yes, seems very rules-heavy, but also how each hero is restricted to only be used in its own base/expansion box. Heroes can only be mix-matched in one-shots. While that's sort of minor, it really bugs me for some reason.
That's actually good to know. It's the main reason I didn't back Mythic Games' Hel. I prefer to play who I want, when I want. When I asked them (MG) how badly doing so would break the game, nobody could tell me.
@@elizabethlestrad5282 For Harakiri you kinda have to dig in the comments of a recent update, and maybe elsewhere, but the devs say it has to do w/ a focused narrative. I'm thinking maybe certain narrative aspects of Chapter 1, the Gods expansion, etc are balanced for those heroes? or maybe have their respective heroes' names on narrative cards?
Hey, question--as you are talking about the exploration phase (on the big map board) it is reminding me of Folklore the Affliction... would you agree with this assessment?
Their kick starter explained nothing. And saw them attacking people asking about it in their Facebook page. With that attitude I'm 100% out with this. Their kickstarter explains NOTHING
Outside of the theme and art which are top notch, it looks very average to me. But anyway campaign games are not for me so I'm not the target audience.
I wouldn't call it average but it also didn't stand out for me. My favorite part is the exploration phase, and speaking for myself, I'd rather play Wild Assent. This was fun....but I already have something in this genre that I really like.
@@BoardGameCo exactly, I've got wild assent and primal backed. Unless I see something that would seem much better than those I'm not backing any 'big' games.
This game is too huge of a campaign + dungeon crawler. Looking at the top down view gives me the shudders lol. This one takes more space and time. And that adventure phase doesn’t stand out. I will stick with senjutsu for now.
Really dislike the names for each phase of the game. Adventure and Exploration sound like they are describing similar activities. It makes it confusing when trying to follow what phase is being talked about in these reviews. Maybe it's just me as only a casual follower of the game, but it just is not clicking exactly what phase is being referenced when talking about adventure and exploration.
I think I am gonna have to pass on this. I thought this game gonna be a dungeon crawler, but it is not. I dont have enough time for another campaign game.
Firstly, we would like to thank Alex for the time he has dedicated to our project.
Regarding the manual, we are aware that we have been working with it and we have already prepared a version with a better layout, which has allowed us to leave it in about 30 pages 😉. Also, after the feedback received, we will also be including a reference sheet, besides a campaign tracking sheet as well, so no further checking of the rulebook will be needed for symbology.
About the adventure phase, our goal is to give with it a global vision of the world, how it is affected by the events and to be the scenario where the story of the characters is unveiled through their personal booklets. As the campaign progresses, this phase will gain in options and interest.
Even so, we want to emphasize that the fundamental part of the game is the exploration phase. So much so that there are multiple chapters during the first act of the game in which only the exploration phase is played, and as mentioned, Act 2, which we hope to unlock during the KS campaign, is focused entirely on the exploration phase.
Greetings to all, and we look forward to seeing you in the campaign that starts soon, for which we have many surprises prepared.
I believe the criticism (by multiple reviewers now) is that the adventure phase needs to be more interesting and rewarding to play up front and then progress. If the two are not balanced people will get upset or it will be like another game where everyone like the monster battles but getting to the monster battles everyone hated and the game is not rated as well. There has to be a reason for me to adventure so when I get to exploration the whole thing comes together.
It sounds like it would be better to implement something like the event cards in gloomhaven for the adventure phase. Such as draw a card with a few choices and choose one. The results might be all bad/good/mixed, but you would still have narrative and a feeling of choice. You could even include a skill check e.g. If you have xx strength you can choose option c (maybe resulting in a better or worse result)
The random faktor and missing Influance at the dice in the adventure phase came also form KoA. I would really take this siriusly, cause I don't want to do house rule again for a poorly designed Map phase. Please.
Finished your review - DUDE we are totally aligned!
Yep :)
Alex are you backing it? I know KOA is! Just hope they fix the adventure part
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.
Thanks! Pinned this so that it's clearly seen.
Seems weird, is there also an act 3 that is 100% in the other phase?
@@Infyra No, there is not.
The Act 2 expansion will begin right where the Core game (Act 1) ends. There will be several different beginnings to Act 2 based upon which ending was achieved in Act 1. However, each of the other expansions will have some additional differences.
The Wrath of the Gods Expansion will have the Chinese Celestial Beasts invading Japan while a combination of 4 historical and mythical Chinese heroes oppose them. This expansion will use utilize both the Adventure Phase and the Exploration Phase but without the Shogun and his forces or the Kami.
The Jubei's Curse Expansion is a true-solo (1 character) prequel adventure using the most powerful of all the heroes: Jubei. This expansion will integrate the Adventure Phase together with the Exploration Phase.
so we're getting this beautiful and HUGE mat for less than half the gameplay? This also has a production cost, research and development cost, and shipping cost. Seems wasteful unless i'm missing something.
@@chickentruck75 The board and mat are double-sided. The reverse side of them has a giant combat tile that is used in both the game and the expansions. The map is also used in the Wrath of Gods expansion with the Celestial Beasts roaming on the map. So, your statement is incorrect.
I'm hyped for this. just backed Senjutsu and i might have enough Japan for now but this is definitely tempting. Thanks for the review just in time as always :)
Maybe you need to check out Sankokushin before making a decision. It is arguable the most hyped Japanese themed game.
@@Syko1985 will do. Thanks :)
Happy to help :)
@@Syko1985 Except that has no crowdfunding campaign date? It could be 2022 or 2023 for all we know.
@@Syko1985 How did I not know about this game considering I’ve backed and received Axis Mundi games before? At least it’s on my radar now.
I really didn’t think I’d see the day but finally I’m at a point where games like this are leaving me cold. My wallet sighs in relief.
Lol that's a good thing that it's happening.
I still have so many campaign games to play or still coming! Hopefully it is a success and I can be there for a season 2.😉
Thanks for again a great review.
Am intrigued as to what you think would be better for you (multi handed in coop way where necessary) in solo play: Harakiri vs The Witcher vs Skyrim.
Witcher I've only played competitively. For Skyrim, you can play any number of characters, I'd rather play 2 chars in Skyrim then 4 here,but that's not an apples to apples comparison.
Getting folklore the affliction vibe from the exploration and then tile/dungeon crawl aspect. Looks cool
Nice, glad it's speaking to you.
Ooooh excited to watch!
Game preferences and Biases section - I LOVE it!
Opinion: the reason the dice luck pass/fail bothered you in the AdvP and not in the ExP is because in the AdvP there is not decision you made behind the die roll. In the dungeon crawl you are making decisions like "I'll use this kami ability to shoot at the boss from farther away instead of going up close for a series of light attacks. Roll dice, see how you did. But YOU did it.
Conversely, in the map mode you move from point A to B, draw a card and it says roll higher than a 4. You roll, that's it. You made no decision about that so you never get that feeling that YOU passed or failed, just rolled well or not :)
It's actually my main gripe around check based rolling in games. There's never usually something I could have done smarter, or risk I could have taken or not gone for so it leaves the player detached from the result of the dice.
100% agreed. Good clarity on the way you put it.
This is really helpful. I was a little iffy, maybe 60/40 to back it or not and as of right now I'm in for the second tier pledge but will probably drop to the base pledge. Based on your thoughts here I'm leaning maybe not backing it. The miniatures look really nice and I love the Japanese setting but I'm not sure the gameplay is enough to justify $250-300 for nice minis and ok gameplay that is difficult to even remember how to play correctly.
can you make a Harakiri and Skyrim comparison video? I'm torn between the two big time.
Thanks Alex!!! maybe this one will work to me more than Senjutsu that I skip because of the idea that you just throw card and the art and design was looking week. The fact that is easy to play can help but I'm wondering about this event card...
Thx Alex, this helps a lot. I will watch out for this adventure Phase, cause this can really kill it for me. pitty, I love the idea about the map and the bigger picture it gives me.
Yep, I love the idea, the execution sadly didn't work for me.
Yep really up my ally Campaign wise, probably going to go All-In but it all depends if my friend backs it
Lol, the benefits of friends :)
I love dungeon-crawler campaign games, so I'll be taking a closer look at this. However, I've already backed several such games, and there's only so many I have time to play.
question about adventure phase: could it be compared to Eldritch Horror by chance? that game is entirely "move to location, roll dice for a skill check, read some flavor text to see what happens." very simple... but it's just so damn fun lol. so if Harakiri combines an overland adventure phase similar to that with a dungeon crawler, that might be awesome.
also: any chance for some gameplay vids? :)
Awesome video alex!
Pretty interesting concept. Definitely fills the sadly empty niche of samurai games that are not block or chit war games.
All I notice off the bat is how sparse the enemy types are. Would have liked to have seen more variation in enemy types. Especially considering how rich and interesting Japanese mythology is.
Hope we get some decent let's plays before this ends. I might have to pick this up...
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?
I wonder how is the set up and changing phrases for the game. I do like the themes and the miniatures for the game but this game just looks like a set up and learning nightmare to me. I find it hard to get others interested in play with all those set ups and rules. What do you think?
Thanks for sharing!
Excluding the campaign aspect, do you consider this game similar to Witcher? Meaning, in Witcher you travel around the map, have short stories, then have interactions, battles, etc.
Not really but I understand why you would ask. Felt very different in the implementation.
Can we get your quote on the kickstarter changed, lol. I don't want to feel like im having fun, id rather have fun. LOL!
Well, there's a lot of ways to feel like you're having fun, but it won't actually be fun.
Lol they pulled it from the video :)
@@BoardGameCo Yes maybe you can help them with a better testimonial blurb, lol
Great video and the game looks good. I do not think I am willing to pay almost 300 euros (price + shipping + VAT) for this.
I can see it is very similar to folklore the affliction. Adventure - exploration.. I like folklore a lot. How do you compare it? Is it as good? Thank you 🙏
Awesome review and work !!! Keep up your work !
With Arydia backed I think it will be a more epic adventure FOR ME than harakiri... hope it funds more than they predicted for them 😇...
Great vid! I really want to know if you are backing this!
As of right now I'm not. I enjoyed it but the adventure phase didn't do it for me and the exploration phase I get the same general tactical feeling from Wild Assent
Waiting for Sankokushin...
Fair enough :)
This looks great! But I fear my table won't be able to support the amount of components. Might have to get a new table...
Anyway, thanks for this!
The actual game takes up a relatively small amount of space, especially in the second phase, where only one tile is used at a time.
@@haxan6663 ah so kinda like Shadows of Brimstone's town phase? If so then it's manageable now.
Only takes a lot if you want both phases on the table at the same time.
Hmmm think this will go in the wait and see category, Interested but not sure enough depending on price
Totally reasonable.
Really excited
Enjoy it :)
Do you think it's possible to play this with more than 4 players?
In theory yes, but balance would be messed up.
Alex, I'm going to ask all the Harakiri 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
This looks great but as went all-in on Okko Chronicles, might be just too much and not needed.
Hope it does well though and hope it gets a retail release at some point.
After watching a thorough video of Harakiri gameplay, and a thorough video of Wild Assent gameplay, I’ve come to the conclusion that Harakiri is a more immersive game overall. I choose Harakiri Blades of Honor over Wild Assent.
This one looks really cool unfortunately with how many campaign games I have coming just don’t think it would hit the table.
Everything about this game makes me want it... except, yes, seems very rules-heavy, but also how each hero is restricted to only be used in its own base/expansion box. Heroes can only be mix-matched in one-shots. While that's sort of minor, it really bugs me for some reason.
That's actually good to know. It's the main reason I didn't back Mythic Games' Hel. I prefer to play who I want, when I want. When I asked them (MG) how badly doing so would break the game, nobody could tell me.
@@elizabethlestrad5282 For Harakiri you kinda have to dig in the comments of a recent update, and maybe elsewhere, but the devs say it has to do w/ a focused narrative. I'm thinking maybe certain narrative aspects of Chapter 1, the Gods expansion, etc are balanced for those heroes? or maybe have their respective heroes' names on narrative cards?
Sometimes one just has to admit something is too much/big for them, this is one of those times. At least it saves me some money:)
Too much space and too much time, with you on this one.
Yep, campaign games there's always a lot out there.
Exactly what I was hoping for with Skyrim. Good stuff.
I can totally agree to that. Skyrim was such an disappointment for me.
Enjoy it :)
Hey, question--as you are talking about the exploration phase (on the big map board) it is reminding me of Folklore the Affliction... would you agree with this assessment?
I haven't played Folklore sadly.
Japanese Gloomhaven?
I mean high level sure.
Their kick starter explained nothing. And saw them attacking people asking about it in their Facebook page. With that attitude I'm 100% out with this. Their kickstarter explains NOTHING
Also look up what hara kiri means... kind of bad taste, no?
Outside of the theme and art which are top notch, it looks very average to me. But anyway campaign games are not for me so I'm not the target audience.
I wouldn't call it average but it also didn't stand out for me. My favorite part is the exploration phase, and speaking for myself, I'd rather play Wild Assent. This was fun....but I already have something in this genre that I really like.
@@BoardGameCo exactly, I've got wild assent and primal backed. Unless I see something that would seem much better than those I'm not backing any 'big' games.
I am sad because this review was helpful to me - even though I love the theme, this does not look like a game I will enjoy.
Is it not like a Japanese kind of Folklore the affliction? Fels like allt is the same. Folklore is a good game and i think tris is too.
This game is too huge of a campaign + dungeon crawler. Looking at the top down view gives me the shudders lol. This one takes more space and time. And that adventure phase doesn’t stand out. I will stick with senjutsu for now.
Really dislike the names for each phase of the game. Adventure and Exploration sound like they are describing similar activities. It makes it confusing when trying to follow what phase is being talked about in these reviews. Maybe it's just me as only a casual follower of the game, but it just is not clicking exactly what phase is being referenced when talking about adventure and exploration.
I think I am gonna have to pass on this. I thought this game gonna be a dungeon crawler, but it is not. I dont have enough time for another campaign game.
It's half a dungeon crawler.
Thanks for your work on this! Art looks great, but don’t need another campaign game yet. Maybe when this hits retail…
Totally understand that. I have campaign fatigue which means a game needs to really impress for me to pay attention to it.
This is exclusive to KS and will not be in retail. That's posted on the KS page.