The release of 'Rurouni Kenshin' was both online and in-store.
Players could buy a physical game cartridge at stores in major cities to play on supported consoles, or simply purchase a digital version for PC.
Since Jing Yu had spent a huge sum on distribution, his partners ensured a stable and high-profile launch for the game.
The official release time? 8:00 AM, sharp.
As a veteran gamer and hardcore fan of the 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' film, Han You woke up at 6 AM that morning.
It was a Saturday, so he didn't need to go to work. He even lied to his girlfriend, saying he had to go home for something urgent and told her not to come over. He also turned off his work phone — just in case his boss called him in to work overtime.
Han You was fully prepared to spend the whole day immersed in the game.
"Just don't let me down, Old Thief..." he muttered to himself.
As the minutes ticked by, his excitement and anxiety gradually intensified.
In-game groups and Jing Yu fan communities, more and more early risers were chiming in.
"Finally! After months of hype, we can actually play it today."
"The in-game model is literally Old Thief's face. Feels like we're controlling him directly."
"I just hope the controls feel as good as the trailers made them look. So many games are all style, no substance."
"Honestly? I'm nervous. Jing Yu's company made two games that sold over ten million copies before, but let's be real — it was mostly because of the story and music. The actual combat systems were pretty basic. But 'Rurouni Kenshin' is different. You can't rely on story alone for a game like this — the combat has to be solid."
"Only one more hour till the download link drops. Chill."
"Don't panic. Old Thief said the gameplay system is amazing. Look at the dev team — no famous legends, sure, but most of the core creators have worked on major hit action games before. So the foundation's solid. It all comes down to innovation."
After chatting in the group for over an hour, Han You finally opened his gaming account at 8 AM sharp, found the download link for 'Rurouni Kenshin', and hit Download.
Right then, his breakfast delivery arrived.
Although the Great Zhou only really embraced the internet in recent years, broadband infrastructure has developed quickly. Still, for a large single-player game like this, it would take a while to fully download.
Han, you couldn't help but envy the console players — those who had already bought the physical cartridge could start playing immediately.
While waiting, Han, you kept refreshing the fan forums.
Usually, if a game was bad, people would start complaining within 30 minutes. Haters would pounce at the first sign of weakness.
But the forums were... silent.
Most PC players were still waiting for the download to finish. Only a few console players had started playing, and they weren't saying much yet.
Finally, around 11 AM, a few early posts trickled in from the console crowd.
[Help!] The first boss in 'Rurouni Kenshin' is insane! I've died like 40 times!
"What the hell — this game is brutal."
"If this wasn't Kenshin, I'd have dropped it already. I just want to see the story — why is the boss this hard?"
All the posts were about the game's difficulty, and Han You couldn't help getting hyped.
He was the type who loved hard games.
Checking his download progress, he quickly closed the forum — no spoilers allowed.
By noon, the download was complete. His lunch arrived shortly after.
After eating, he launched the game with a heart full of anticipation.
First came the familiar Bluestar Media logo… and then a cinematic intro.
It mostly recapped the 'Trust & Betrayal' storyline from the film, but with extra detail.
The game added more background for Yukishiro's younger brother, as well as how Kenshin, after her death, became a wanderer, and his successor in the assassination squad — Shishio — was introduced in more detail, too.
From the CG alone, Han You already knew who the main villain was.
Even the mysterious master from the movie made an appearance — wiping out enemies in a flash, god-tier style.
Before he could finish enjoying the cutscene, the perspective shifted to a third-person view of a female character. As the player, he could now control her.
"Kaoru?" Han You murmured, reading the text prompt.
So this was the heroine from the trailers?
Turns out, you start the game by controlling her.
Of course, Jing Yu couldn't possibly cram the entire manga storyline into one game — the scope would be massive, and players might drop off halfway.
Generally, story-driven games that take 10–15 hours for skilled players are ideal.
Still, Jing Yu was careful not to cut too much — deleting too much would ruin the narrative flow. He cut filler arcs and minor fights but kept all the major storylines.
In the end, 'Rurouni Kenshin' came out with about 20+ hours of content, assuming you weren't stuck too long on certain challenging bosses.
About 30 minutes in, Han You was already sweating.
Ignoring the tutorial, the early plot matched the manga: sweet, naive Kaoru tries to protect her father's dojo legacy from evil in a chaotic world. At a critical moment, she's saved by a wandering red-haired man with a cross-shaped scar — Kenshin.
Classic setup. Predictable, but well done.
Kaoru initially mistakes Kenshin for a bad guy, and the player, as Kaoru, is prompted to challenge him.
Of course, fans knew this was Kenshin, and Han You eagerly jumped in.
But…
This was a scripted loss.
Given Kaoru's stat sheet, beating Kenshin — even with his reverse blade — was impossible.
This part was clearly just for flavor — to show how overpowered Kenshin was. The devs just wanted to see who was stubborn enough to try.
Kenshin's speed, reaction, health, and skill level were on a different planet.
But Han You was that kind of guy.
He spent two full hours — dying, respawning, retrying — until he memorized every one of Kenshin's attack patterns. He used Kaoru's weak little wooden sword to slowly chip away at his health.
Just when he thought he was about to pull off an opening-scene god-slaying upset…
The cutscene kicked in.
Kenshin, now serious, activated Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu.
A wide-area slash — instant death.
Before killing Kaoru, he even dropped a stylish NPC line:
"To make me use my full strength… you're already strong."
"WHAT THE—?!"
Han You slapped his keyboard. Furious.
"That's cheating!"
So yeah — Jing Yu's estimate that the game could be beaten in 20-something hours? That definitely didn't apply to Han You.
Most players would immediately realize this was an unwinnable fight. But Han You? He'd wasted two hours.
After that scene, the player finally switched to controlling Kenshin.
And just like that, the opening battle gave you a perfect taste of how powerful he was.
"Okay, that was actually kinda genius," Han You chuckled.
Now, he was fired up — because he could now use that insane move.
The game tutorial expanded, and the story deepened.
For example, Kenshin's early companion Sanosuke had a pre-friendship boss fight with him.
This one made Han You frown.
Sure, Kenshin was strong on paper, but all his real strength came from Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu.
And of course, early in the game, you couldn't use the full moveset. It would break the pacing — same reason games like League of Legends don't start you off with six full items.
These sword skills had to be unlocked gradually.
But Jing Yu hated annoying side quests. No fetch quests, no paying NPCs to unlock abilities.
Everything could be unlocked through the main story — as long as your gameplay skills were up to par.
For example, in the fight against Sanosuke, there were two phases.
The first was evenly matched — similar stats, normal swordplay.
For most casual players, even Phase 1 was tough.
Sanosuke reacted fast. It only took 3–5 mistakes to lose. You had to master Kenshin's moves to even hold your ground.
Han You, despite being a veteran, died over ten times before learning Sanosuke's pattern. Finally, he reached Phase 2.
In that second phase, he was allowed to use Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu — but he had to actually use it skillfully to win.
Half an hour later…
Han You slumped back from his keyboard, exhausted.
But he was thrilled.
Now he understood why people were asking for Sanosuke's boss tips in the forums.
Even he — with ten years of action game experience — had needed almost an hour.
Newbies? They'd be dying repeatedly, memorizing patterns, training their reflexes, pushing through with pure muscle memory.
But…
The feeling of overcoming that challenge?
Incredible.
Something inside him felt like it was awakening.
Closing his eyes, he replayed the fight in his mind — blade flashes, perfect parries, feints, and counterattacks. He truly felt like a swordsman, locked in a deadly battle with a worthy rival.
One misstep and you're dead.
Kenshin might be stronger than other characters, but he was still human. You couldn't brainlessly tank attacks and win. You had to play smart.
Just rushing in and button-mashing? Not gonna happen in this game.
Glancing at the clock, Han realized it was already 3 PM. He was falling behind.
After Sanosuke's chapter, the story shifted to Kenshin's clash with Aoshi's group.
This section had lots of cutscenes and numerous mini-bosses.
Before he realized it, Han You had played until nightfall, skipping dinner entirely.
By now, every game forum in Great Zhou was flooded with 'Rurouni Kenshin' threads.
"Too hard! Been trying to beat Kenshin with Kaoru for four hours! Anyone got tips?"
"Wait... you actually tried? That part's a scripted loss! He uses his ultimate at the end, no matter what. LMAO."
"How do you even know that... unless you tried too?"
"Gotta say, the story's amazing. Feels just like watching a drama. Ten years later, and Kenshin's grown so much."
"I suck at combat, but the narrative hit me hard. Kenshin refuses to kill even in danger, always using his reverse blade."
"'Swordsmanship is the art of killing.' When I heard that in the film, it sounded poetic. But now — after playing — I get it."
"Stuck on Aoshi! Anyone got a strategy? That dual-blade boss has way too much HP!"
"Old Thief really killed it with this game!"
"I'm addicted. The story's amazing. The combat feels so different from other action games I've played."
"Yeah, but I bet a lot of new players will be scared off by the difficulty."
"Whatever. Games with zero challenge are boring. I've played ten hours — it's tough, but fair. That satisfaction after winning? Unmatched. This is the kind of game that really pushes you."
By nightfall, 'Rurouni Kenshin' had only been out for a single day, yet forums were already completely dominated by it.
The reception was overwhelmingly positive.
Whether it was the story, the combat system, or the graphics, no one could find serious faults.
Was it perfect? No. But the quality, pacing, boss design, and character writing were enough to win over even the pickiest fans of the movie.
By midnight, videos and guides were already popping up across streaming sites like Qingyun Video, with streamers uploading boss strategies from the early chapters.