I had the privilege at PAX West 2025 to speak with Alex Ling, the Hardware Designer for Shrimp Fried Rice Games’ project, Sashimi Slayer.
The demo I played was phenomenal! Although Alex said there were improvements and hardware issues that needed to be improved with the controller, the prototype felt great to use. Sashimi Slayer is a rhythm game that utilizes a sword as its controller.
The main mechanic is to pull the blade from the sheathe in time to cut down fish coming from the sea, making sure to match the beat so you get the perfect score. The angle the sword is held changes the in game angle the player will cut, indicated by a long dotted line. Miss the right angle, and players will miss the beat!
Alongside attacking the fish, players also have to defend, using a purple and yellow button along the sheathe in order to coordinate a block from fish flying at the player. Some of these fish will become vulnerable to an attack after defending, so be sure not to miss the shot.
I loved the art style of the game, and it felt fitting for a rhythm game about cutting fish and making sashimi. The music felt a bit sparse in the demo, but the main melody for coordinated attacks made up for that. No point in having a rhythm game if the melody itself doesn’t indicate when to hit the beat.
The color choices were great as well. The contrast between them made it easy to see where the input was necessary and what kind of input whether a slash or tap.
It took a bit for me to get used to the slashing motion. It’s a move I see so often in anime, but trying it in real life as a mechanic definitely took some time to become familiar with. It was a blast though!
Speaking with Alex, I came to a better understanding as how to the game came to be and what the team’s journey in creating it was like.
The game began as a student project between Arthur Gan, the programmer of the game, and Alex. The two wanted to create an unconventional controller, bringing a bunch of items together to figure out what shape they wanted the controller to be. Lo and behold, Arthur brought a sword to the table, and it was set.
The game’s development stemmed from the choice of controller, so in making the game, the team decided what kind of game best fit the mechanic of a sword controller.
The biggest challenge for Alex was figuring out how exactly the controller would look and the placement of the inputs for it. Furthermore, the aerodynamics and overall shape was operant as well due to how different people hold controllers. From being a left or right handed person to keeping the grip comfortable, it was a challenge to make it a good fit for a large range of players.
Another challenge the team faced was that the project was as made mostly remotely. In fact, Alex told me the team had only met once before the exhibit to test the whole prototype together. It took a lot of communication, a lot of emails, to make the best product possible.
For Alex, he most anticipated how players would enjoy the sword controller. Since he was in charge of hardware, the player experience with the controller was important to him in that it worked, felt comfortable, and was fun for players. At the exhibit, it was easy to tell that the sword drew eyes to the booth, and for good reason.
Alex’s favorite part about the whole process was the exhibit. Him and the team are not specifically in game developing, so this project has been an unfamiliar process. But, the chance to meet people at conventions and tour has been a great experience for him.
Moving forwards, with the feedback they have received, Alex says that they want to expand on the idea of the controller. The hardware is limiting, and he wants to use pre-existing hardware to better the experience. One of his considerations was to use the switch port, using joy cons as an alternative to the sword controller.
Sashimi Slayer was a great experience, and I’m sure it will only continue to get better from here. What are your thoughts about utilizing a sword for a controller? Would you be willing to try Sashimi Slayer? Share your thoughts in the comments below or in our Boss Rush Discord!
Featured Image Source: Shrimp Fried Rice Games
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