Incredible as it may seem, another Genesis game is on the way. This time, we’re getting a beat-’em-up that was recently funded on Kickstarter. French studio Tulfared Productions is hard at work on Kirito the Game, seeking to add to the robust library of 16-bit Genesis brawlers with a title that blends classic fighting action with an interesting take on retro gaming culture. Kirito has been under development for over a year, and it appears to be coming together nicely.
Kirito the Game tells the intense story of, well, Kirito, a retro gaming YouTuber whose quick rise to fame brings envy and betrayal. What starts as a passion project soon turns into a dark tale of rivalry and violence, leading to a brutal ambush that nearly takes his life. After being saved by a mysterious figure named Adam, Kirito trains in Japan to become a strong fighter. Driven by revenge, he returns ready to face those who wronged him, but the danger only get worse. Back in Brussels, a desperate call from his friend Léa and the theft of his beloved game collection push him into a new battle for justice and survival.
The game, created by a small team led by programmer Thulf Ham using Stéphane Dalongeville’s SGDK kit for the Sega Genesis, combines retro-inspired gameplay with a compelling revenge-driven story. It’s still early in development, but there’s a demo available to give you a clear idea of what to expect from the final product. The demo has three levels, each with a boss fight, and it ends with a glimpse of what to expect from the rest of the game. Even at this early stage, the gameplay seems fluid, although there isn’t a wide set of moves to execute, and I felt the collision detection needs just a bit of tweaking. There’s still a ways to go before release though, and we expect things to be tightened up by the time the game is ready to ship. There were plans for two-player cooperative play to be added if the campaign reached its €100,000 stretch goal, but it unfortunately fell short of that goal (c’mon, people!). Still, the demo shows that there’s enough action to keep single-player sessions fun and intense.
Kirito the Game makes an strong effort to create something fresh by incorporating the best elements of classics like Double Dragon and Final Fight. The vibe we got from our time with the demo was “what if Streets of Rage and DJ Boy had a baby?,” which I have to admit was a combination I didn’t think I would ever see. Kirito does take a few humorous jabs at Sega’s legendary franchise, but the game is more than mere inspiration and is framed in some great presentation. I liked the graphical style, which is cartoony, yet gritty, and the demo music is pure Genesis synth goodness by Belgian DJ REK1 Visqueux.
Despite not reaching its final stretch goal, the project was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in early 2025 and offered tiers that gave backers everything from a ROM and digital manual to a full physical edition with collectible cards, artbook, soundtrack, stickers, and a credit mention. The highest rewards had bonus cards, a magnetic illustrated box, T-shirt, and USB soundtrack, and the biggest backers could even have their approved logo included in the game.
There’s no word yet on who will publish Kirito, but hopefully, it will reach the hands of backers as promised and help wash out the bad taste the Paprium fiasco left in the mouths of beat-’em-up fans. The game looks promising, and it has a solid team and development tools behind it. We’ll keep an eye out for further developments and, as backers of the campaign, will be sure to give the game a full review when it ships. In the meantime, be sure to head over to the game’s official website to know if there will be a way to preorder a copy.
Recent Comments