Thanks to everyone who has Wishlisted Kaido Genkai or otherwise checked out the game so far! As we have received more interest lately, we felt it would be a good time to post an update to let you know that the game’s development has been steadily progressing. Here's a short list of updates, though by no means is this comprehensive.
1) Big advancements to the game’s graphical style. Car windows have received an anime-style effect that is glossy and stylized, while remaining semi-transparent with interiors. Wheels now have highlights and moving brake callipers with 3D rims. Cars now receive shadows and lighting updates from the environment as well as specular highlights - this has been a huge upgrade. The skybox has also been improved with a day/night cycle, which also means working headlights! The car lights have also been improved with a glowing light trail when braking. Skid marks have also been implemented with stylized anime style smoke.
2) More cars have been added. Thanks to partnering with Hacao of Hacaosuka Works, we have updated the existing car models and added 5 cars in game now, each with a tuned variation and multiple liveries. We expect the final in-game car count to be around 19, and of higher quality than what was seen previously before this update!
3) Opponent logic has been created and iterated on, meaning races are functional and fun. Opponents will dodge obstacles and the player, and have configurable settings for us to implement races that are easy or hard. When not in a race, traffic cars will now stop at traffic lights (which now work), and they will also attempt to brake before colliding with the player. They’ll even turn around when stuck.
4) The world map has been expanded and is relatively the final size we think will be (I’ll probably eat these words later), though some additions and more details / better texture work are still going to come. More props have been added (things to hit), such as signage, and more is on the way. Grass and flowers have also been added, which make the world feel a lot more polished. Polygon counts for the world geometry have been increased, but are due to increase again in another pass through.
5) The narrative/story and characters are in development! I will leave details out for now, but we’re happy with the progress made and we think that it will be something entertaining and hopefully engaging. The goal for Kaido Genkai is to include a narrative that is unique from other racing games and more inline with an RPG.
With all of the points above said, we will continue working hard on the game, and are crossing our fingers for the potential of a playable demo in the fall of 2025 (though this is tentative – pending all goes well).
In the meantime our social media community has been active, and if you’d like to follow along with the game’s development in greater detail, more can be seen there. At the time of writing, Discord and X/Twitter are the best places for updates.
Thanks again for your interest in Kaido Genkai, and we hope you continue to follow along with game's progress and we hope that you are excited.
- Karoshi Electric Company