'BAKUDO' Preview: Dodgeball With Souls-like Parry Timing
The previews consistently describe 'BAKUDO' as a 'death game' where the thrill comes from learning boss patterns, a rarity for a ball sport, suggesting it could carve a niche for action-game fans seeking a fresh twist on dodgeball.
Key Facts
- 'BAKUDO' is an action game developed by Taiwanese studio SAYIL GAMES and published by Shueisha Games, scheduled for release on PC via Steam.
- The game is set at Chekuri Academy, where protagonist Yuria challenges the Eight Stars, including the new boss Flash, who attacks with spears and lightning.
- The Steam demo includes a tutorial and battles against two bosses, while the gamescom 2026 build features a new high-difficulty boss named Seth.
- Battles use a BAKUDO Gauge that depletes on hits and recovers with perfect defensive actions; when empty, a Burnout state increases damage taken.
- The gamescom 2026 event is held in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to 30, 2026.
Reporting from 3 sources: Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Shueisha Games and Taiwanese studio SAYIL GAMES are bringing 'BAKUDO' to Steam, an action game that reimagines dodgeball as a one-on-one boss rush. The protagonist, Yuria, enrolls at Chekuri Academy to find her missing father and challenges the Eight Stars, the school's ruling warriors, to combat ball matches. Gameplay centers on a real-time deathmatch where the first to deplete the opponent's HP loses, but defense is where the game shines. Players catch blue balls with perfect timing, evade red ones, and toss up orange balls for a spike counterattack. A separate BAKUDO Gauge acts as armor; depleting it triggers a Burnout state, opening opponents to powerful smashes. Previewers at gamescom 2026 fought the new boss Flash, who throws spears and lightning, and praised the satisfaction of learning attack patterns through repeated defeats. The game's demo on Steam includes a tutorial and two bosses, while the gamescom build features a new high-difficulty fight against Seth, who uses a spear-like weapon. 'BAKUDO' is scheduled for release on PC via Steam, with other platforms hinted at.
The gamescom build introduces Flash as a new Eight Star boss, and he does not play fair. His spear comes out even during the player's turn, and his second form locks on with a thick red line before unleashing a big attack. Automaton's previewer faced the same boss and described a lightning strike that turns the entire field into a damage zone, an attack that can only be neutralized with a perfectly timed evade, plus thrown blades. Denfaminicogamer's writer needed five attempts to cut Flash's HP in half before time ran out.
Game Spark's hands-on covered a different new boss, Seth, who attacks with a spear-like weapon in a circular arena, a departure from the demo's Cade and his court-like stage. The same outlet noted that Cade also appears in the free Steam demo, where Automaton's writer beat the LEVEL1 boss and obtained the Gauntlet, an item that enables mid-air evades and tosses.
Previewers disagreed slightly on one mechanical detail: Game Spark says the BAKUDO Gauge recovers by landing attacks or catching with a perfect judgment, while Denfaminicogamer reports it recovers on defensive actions. Both agree Burnout is nearly an instant loss for the player. Game Spark also confirmed the official website lists "Others" among platforms beyond PC, hinting at additional releases. Automaton's results screen shows clear time, opening the door for time attack play.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.