Naraka: Bladepoint bringing ninja tricks to multiplayer brawling

While I'm very happy for folks who've been duelling knights and vikings in Mordhau and Chivalry and that, my tastes in melee combat are a little flashier. I am pleased tonight by the announcement of Naraka: Bladepoint, a multiplayer melee brawler coming next year with a big bag of ninja tricks. The big reveal trailer from The Game Awards shows garishly-dressed warriors using leaping across rooftops, wallrunning, firing grappling hooks to latch onto foes and to cling to ceilings, and striking moody poses in bamboo forests and fields of blossoms. These multiplayer melee murders have my attention.

"With an aim-at-whatever-you-want grappling hook and a sophisticated yet beginner-friendly combat system involving accessible block & parry mechanics, Naraka: Bladepoint is designed to provide a brand-new experience of melee combat and world exploration," Chinese developers 24 Entertainment said in today's announcement.

Details are on how this all works are a little thin for now. I am crossing my fingers for swish ninja action. That Sekiro hook action gives me hope. Some of those honking great firesword spins and things are clearly beyond the realistic remit of Mordhau and hey, I'm an unrealistic person.

Naraka: Bladepoint via Steam in 2020. It's got a website and all.

Check out the night's other announcements and trailers on our Game Awards tag.