K-indie game developer 1HP STUDIO has officially announced the pixel-art-style action platformer “INARI.” The game features extreme speed and shuriken-based action, and a playable demo will be released on Steam on January 13th, along with a Kickstarter campaign.
The Clash of Divine Power and Technological Civilization
The story of “Inari” begins when the rule of a powerful monarch begins to falter, leading to a rebellion by seven princesses. The High Realm, a symbol of divine authority, and the Mortal Realms, a technologically advanced nation, clash, igniting a massive war between the two factions. Players, as an Executioner dispatched from the High Realm, are tasked with eliminating the seven princesses and retrieving their souls.
Featuring fast-paced shuriken action in an oriental fantasy setting.
Set in an Eastern fantasy world, Inari puts players in the role of Izna the Reaper, an executioner who tracks down the “Seven Daughters,” seven princesses who rebelled against a powerful monarch. The game’s core mechanic is a lightning-fast combat system that combines shuriken throwing with teleportation.
According to the developers, players can instantly teleport to the location where they threw the shuriken, allowing them to freely control space and speed. Chaining attacks, instantly repositioning, and cutting through enemy formations without hesitation are key elements of the game. The game system, which forces players to face overwhelming numbers of enemies with just one life, maximizes the tension.
Inspired by ‘Katana Zero’ and ‘Nine Souls’
1HP STUDIO stated that they were inspired by acclaimed titles such as “Katana ZERO,” “Nine Sols,” “Celeste,” and “Ghostrunner” when developing “Inari.” These games share a common theme: fast-paced gameplay, precise controls, and a deadly combat system.
The game is crafted in a pixel art style, boasting natural character motion and battle graphics despite its fast-paced action. Gamers who played the previously released test version were amazed, saying, “The movements are so natural, it’s as if the entire physics engine was built into the game.”
A new game attracting attention in the domestic indie game industry
“Inari” has already garnered significant attention from the domestic and international gaming communities. Its high-caliber student development team demonstrated its exceptional skill by winning the BEST Student Award at the 2025 Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC). Users who played the game expressed anticipation for its official release, saying, “The level of completion rivals that of commercial games.”
In particular, the attack system using the number of shuriken moves was evaluated as novel, and it was well-received for providing intuitive controls despite the fast game tempo.
January 13th, Steam demo and Kickstarter launch simultaneously.
A playable demo for “Inari” will be released on Steam on January 13, 2026, with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launching on the same day. While an official release date has not yet been set, the developers are targeting PC (Steam) as their primary platform. Future expansion to other platforms will likely depend on the success of the Kickstarter campaign’s stretch goals.
Users interested in the game can add it to their wishlist on the Steam page, and can continue to follow development news through 1HP STUDIO’s official social media.
For gamers who prefer action platformers that require extreme speed and precise control, ‘Inari’ is expected to be one of the most anticipated games of 2026.
What about the indie development team ‘1HP STUDIO’?
This indie game development team, formed by former college classmates who went their separate ways after graduation, reunited to complete a project they had been working on together. Founded by six college classmates, the studio is currently developing the stylish action platformer “INARI.” Their development philosophy is to pursue extreme fun, embracing the belief that “games are most thrilling when you have only one stamina.”
| division | Key Contents |
| Studio name | 1HP STUDIO |
| Representative and Director | Lee Jung-hoon (JUNG HOON LEE) |
| Year of establishment | January 2025 |
| scale | 6 people (as of 2025) |
| Key milestones | • 2025: Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC) Exhibition • 2025: Winner of the Grand Prize in the General Production Category of the Global Indie Game Development Competition (GIGDC) |
| Kickstarter funding page | [INARI] KICKSTARTER |
| Official Trailer | [INARI] Official Gameplay Trailer |
| Steam Store Page | [INARI] – Steam Store |
