When Akira saves Satoru from a battle where all is lost in the opening moments of Another Angle’s Shadow of the Road, the two lose their honor and become ronin, seeking a path forward in a world where their disgrace defines them. But as Akira points out, honor can be restored; life can’t. That dynamic forms the basis of the two men’s relationship as they set out in a fictionalized version of historical Japan.
Another Angle Games studio head Marek Oleksiak spoke to Game Rant about Satoru and Akira, as well as some of the other characters that join the ronin on their journey in Shadow of the Road.
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Shadow of the Road’s Ronin Duo
At the beginning of the game, a battle between the shogunate’s forces and those loyal to the Emperor leaves Satoru injured and their mentor dead. Akira rescues him from the shogunate’s devastating loss. This, however, strips both survivors of their honor. Akira argues with Satoru that honor can be regained, but life can’t. This effectively introduces players to the protagonists they’ll follow throughout the game.
This forms a strong connection between Akira and Satoru. The writing behind their journey, which initially brought Shadow of the Road to Owlcat’s attention, is also why it’s one of the first two games Owlcat decided to act as publisher for. Speaking about this relationship and all relationships players will encounter, Oleksiak said
“We have a lot of choices for the players to make, and all of our choices matter in the game. Some of them are more important, changing the actual storyline, and some are less important in terms of general progression but are also important in terms of the relationship system. We have one, and it affects how the party members relate to each other, how they speak to each other, and how they agree or disagree. And this relationship level also affects the combat system.”
Satoru is a man focused on the code of the samurai who is deeply wounded by the disgrace of surviving that initial battle. Meanwhile, Akira is somewhat irreverent, short-tempered, and more impassioned. While it could be easy to see Satoru as the primary protagonist, Oleksiak insists both share equal spotlight. This is illustrated by how both characters have dialogue option prompts, including prompts where the player can have one or the other respond to a situation.
Akira further stands out as an albino man, though in an aesthetic sense only. His archery requires his vision to be more functional than that of real people with albinism, bringing him in line with the ‘albino sharpshooter’ trope included in things like The Da Vinci Code. Even as just an aesthetic decision, however, this gives Akira more of an air of being an outsider. It further plays into his personality as more fiery and less bound to the same codes of honor Satoru follows while at the same time having a fierce loyalty to his friend.
Satoru, meanwhile, is a more typical samurai. He’s polite and diplomatic even in the face of very inappropriate nobles. He’s a professional, through and through, tamping down the feisty nature of his companion Akira. On a deeper level, he wants more than just the restoration of his honor; he wants love and a family. Something that, in a very strange way, his adventure in Shadow of the Road can offer him.
Found Family on the Road
At least three other companions will join Satoru and Akira on their journey, two of whom are met in the currently ongoing open alpha. Oleksiak was hesitant to say whether this would be the full cast for the final version of the game, but it is the full cast available at the moment. One noteworthy character is Toshiro.
Toshiro is integral to the story because he is the boy that Satoru and Akira are told can change the course of the war–a war the shogunate is currently losing. Toshiro is young, only 14, and desperate to prove himself and his value. His mother, Asuke, also joins the party. She can work with Toshiro to change herself into the arachnid yokai Jorougomo. Ishida is a yojimbo hired as a bodyguard for Asuke’s husband and Toshiro’s stepfather, the rude Kenjiro, who is incredibly aggressive to ensure he remains at the top of his profession. These characters have different views on the morality system the game holds as central tenets, as Oleksiak explained,
“There is, in fact, a common moral system in our game. It’s based on the Bushido; it’s called Kamido in our game. It’s a set of rules but with more emphasis on the more magical and mystical aspects of Japan. But the great thing is, not everyone cares about it in our team. We will have some units at our disposal, for example, who went abroad and visited the world outside of Japan, and they have a different point of view on a lot of things. It will leave the player in a situation where there is no clear good-versus-bad outcome.”
That complicated relationship with the game’s central moral compass plays into the larger sense of change in Japanese society that Shadow of the Road depicts. The nation is in a civil war over issues like opening its borders and relying on foreign technology, so accepting or rejecting the moral code is itself an impactful and political choice from an in-universe perspective.
Satoru, Akira, and their companions find themselves caught between several factions vying for power over Japan. The shogunate was the faction that the central duo fought for in the opening moments of the game, and one they hold lingering loyalty towards. Oleksiak was vague about whether the player can ally with the Emperor later on or not, but the Emperor’s faction is also supported by the East Nippon Company, a group of Westerners with advanced steampunk technology looking to control the future of the nation. Yokai are also present throughout the world, like Jorougomo, able to support the forces of the shogunate to balance the scales.
- Developer(s)
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Another Angle Games
- Publisher(s)
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Owlcat Games