Ato

Ato centers around an anthropomorphic samurai fighting a clan responsible for taking his child. The story is told entirely through short cutscenes with no dialogue or text. The protagonist must fight off his opponents in a quest to find his missing child. Story content is light, mainly taking place after a few key objectives are accomplished. Sword-dueling and martial arts combat is the primary focus in Ato's gameplay. The player starts out with only a simple slash move, but gradually learns additional moves from power-up scrolls that provide a variety of options in combat. Most fights are 1-on-1 boss encounters where players must overcome unique enemies, each with their own move-set. The world is laid out as a metroidvania, requiring the collection of power-ups (usually obtained after winning a fight) and frequent traversal of the map to reach new areas which were not accessible before. The art style seeks to give Ato a tranquil feel in between the heavy combat sessions as the player walks from one area to another.