Key information
SENSE SHARE has turned the Japanese sword-making process into a simulation game called "Japanese Swordsmith," announcing that a free demo will be released on Steam on October 9. Set in Bakumatsu-era Kyoto, players take on the role of a swordsmith, processing tamahagane steel into a blade. The focus is on the manufacturing steps and material conditions rather than swinging swords and fighting enemies.
The demo content includes managing charcoal fires, heating and stretching the steel, shaping, clay coating, quenching, and polishing. During operation, players need to observe the flames and the color of the steel, as temperature and metal state affect the processing results. These steps allow players to understand that the finished product is the result of continuous processing rather than just choosing an appearance once.
Among them, the clay coating process carries over to the blade pattern: the clay pattern applied by the player will only appear on the finished product after quenching and polishing. Japan's 4Gamer report also pointed out that the steel state and quenching temperature will also change the result of the hamon (temper line), and a finished product appreciation mode is provided.
According to 4Gamers' introduction, the game currently supports Japanese and English. The version opening on October 9 is a demo, and more sword-making steps are still planned to be added in the subsequent early access stage. The announced content can be used as a reference for the demo scope and cannot be directly regarded as the completion of all features in the official version.
