From the developers of “VA-11 Hall-A,” a new cyberpunk world. Hands-on report and developer interview for “.45 Parabellum Bloodhound,” “nearing completion” [TGS2026]

Sukeban Games’ upcoming title, *.45 Parabellum Bloodhound*, scheduled for release in 2026, will be showcased at the “Tokyo Game Show 2026.”

In this article, we’ll cover the hands-on demo of this title—described as a “cyberpunk active-time action game”—as well as an interview with developer Christopher Ortiz.

Retro visuals and quirky characters. Combat requires a lot of strategic thinking.

During the hands-on demo, just as in the trailer, the cityscapes and the cold, eerie atmosphere came through vividly.While large apartment complexes and skyscrapers line the streets, older residential neighborhoods still remain, and you’ll spot a girl in a cute nurse’s uniform and stylish billboards. However, the sky is a hazy white, as if mirroring the state of mind of the protagonist, “Leila.”

The camera work features a fixed perspective reminiscent of the PlayStation era; when the screen cuts, characters move from the background toward the foreground, creating a sense of nostalgia.

“Ana,” a mysterious girl who appears wherever Leila goes and constantly strikes up conversations with her, comes across as a friendly character—even calling Leila by the nickname “Le-chan.” Yet, glimpses of the game’s unsettling atmosphere can be seen in the content of her conversations.

Beyond a red door along the path lies a mysterious “space,” where the caretaker “Maria” and the gothic lolita girl “Julietta” welcome you.Here, you can adjust the “spells” used in battle, as well as purchase equipment and healing potions. Furthermore, if you venture deeper, you’ll find a corridor lined with televisions showing sandstorms, though it’s unclear what lies beyond.

Combat proceeds by managing the “ACT” and “PSY” meters in the top-left corner. ACT is consumed when used; it recovers over time, and once it’s fully charged, you can attack. PSY, on the other hand, allows you to use special abilities when consumed—for example, you can deploy a turret-like unit that automatically attacks enemies in front of you.

During the demo, I was able to use three types of weapons: melee, pistols, and a grenade launcher. Time stops while you’re selecting an attack, but until ACT builds up, you must dodge enemy attacks while planning your next move.

There is also an attack range, and attacks won’t reach enemies outside of it. Therefore, you need to get reasonably close, but if you get too close, you might get counterattacked while attacking. I struggled at first as I wasn’t used to it, but I felt that as I came to understand the system, I would be able to anticipate enemy movements and fight while mentally mapping out strategies to gain the upper hand in battle.

If you get a Game Over, you’ll wake up once again in a room filled with stacked TVs, where a woman named “America” will entrust you with a request. Could this request also hold the key to the story?

Although it was only a short 15-minute session, the cool visuals, the characters’ unique personalities, and the high quality of the localization all made for a captivating experience. As for the combat, I’m also curious to see what kind of bosses await.

Interview with Chris: What’s the Difference Between *VA-11 Hall-A* and *.45pb*?

――What is the current status of development?

Christopher Ortiz (hereinafter Chris): I’d say the game is almost complete. We’ve finished up to Chapter 7, and the game as a whole is complete. The polishing work is also nearly done.

Elements like the story and cutscenes are all in place, and we’re now at the stage of performing final checks on the sound and other details. While I can’t give a specific release date just yet, I’m confident we’ll be able to deliver it in the not-too-distant future.

――I was impressed by how Ana keeps popping up wherever Leila goes. I also really like her laid-back vibe, tone of voice, and dialogue.

Chris: As I mentioned in a previous interview, it’s the “star system.” I really enjoy having characters from one game appear in another.

In fact, many game characters appear in other titles, and I enjoy doing that myself. However, just because a character appears in another work doesn’t mean the character or their backstory changes. It’s strictly a matter of them “playing that role.”

――Since I’m a fan of Grasshopper Manufacture’s games, seeing Ana pop up wherever she goes reminded me a bit of Travis and Iwazaru from *killer7*.

Chris: Yes, that’s exactly right. I feel that *killer7* was one of the major sources of inspiration for this game. Specifically, not so much the style of the dialogue itself, but rather the reasoning behind why the dialogue is phrased that way.

As for the writing style itself, while we weren’t directly influenced by it, there might be a common underlying reason behind why it turned out that way.

――Why does “Julietta” speak in the Kansai dialect?

Chris: As for why she speaks Kansai-ben, she was originally supposed to have a Southern U.S.-style accent. However, I enjoy writing characters with a gap between their appearance and their behavior. I wanted to create a character who was unpredictable.

It’s not a common combination to have a goth-style character speaking Kansai dialect—she might even be the first of her kind.

――I hear a Japanese localization will be available at launch. Who is handling that?

Chris: A person named Taku (Mr. Yamanaka) is handling the Japanese localization. The game is being developed simultaneously in Spanish, English, and Japanese. It’s truly a simultaneous process. The development tools are also designed with these three languages as the top priority.

There’s one advantage to this: for example, when I’m making the game, if I write an English line of dialogue, a small window for the Spanish version appears right below it. That way, whenever the localizer has a question, he can ask me directly. He updates the dialogue, and I respond accordingly.Everything creates a synergistic effect, and I think this is very rare in game development.

――Is there any particular exchange that stands out to you?

Chris: For the Japanese translator, questions like, “Who exactly is this character?”“Why do they speak this way?” “Why does this girl speak in the Kansai dialect? Should we stick with the Kansai dialect, or is there another solution?” Because of this, I often look for similar titles that have been localized from English to Japanese to see how those issues were handled.

――I played it for the first time during the demo, and I found the battles—where you have to manage your time while guiding your characters—really fun.

Chris: Yes, that was intentional. We really wanted people who’ve played *VA-11 Hall-A* to give this game a try as well. To be honest, we initially planned to make it a pure action game, but in the end, it settled into something of a middle ground.

We don’t have specialized expertise in making action games, so this style also serves as a learning opportunity for us. Plus, I thought it would be a great way to introduce people who usually play visual novels to a game with strong action elements.

――Even though time stops when you attack, the enemies move while you can’t attack, so you have to dodge them. Since you really have to think carefully about how to manage that, I felt it turned out to be something even people who love battles can enjoy.

Chris: That’s right. When it comes to game balance, that’s exactly what we prioritized. Even people who aren’t used to this kind of action game can pause and think about what to do while playing, so they have time to get used to it.

If they play all the way through, they’ll be ready to step up to more hardcore action games… something like that. That’s why a battle system that lets you pause time might serve as a gateway for less experienced players to learn how to play hardcore action games.

――In *VA-11 Hall-A*, the protagonist was a bartender, and the story unfolded in a world where daily life continued uninterrupted while a war raged outside. This time, since the fighting is much closer to home, I think we’ll see that aspect more clearly.

Chris: One of the interesting differences between writing the scripts for *VA-11 Hall-A* and *.45 Parabellum Bloodhound*—as I mentioned earlier regarding the reasoning behind the dialogue—is that there’s a certain practical design intent behind it.I’d be happy if players could sense the difference—like, “This is Sukeban when I can write a lot of text,” or “This is Sukeban when I’m limited to a certain number of characters.”

――This June marks the 10th anniversary of *VA-11 Hall-A*, and there have been various announcements, such as the release of Jill and Dorothy figures and live performances. What led to the decision to hold a live performance in Japan?

Chris: Mainly because it’s more convenient from an operational standpoint. Our headquarters is actually in Japan, and while much of the development work is divided among teams in Argentina, Japan, and other locations, our composer is based in Venezuela. Although our team members are scattered all over the world, when it comes to actually moving things forward as a company—since we’re technically registered as a Japanese company right now—it’s simply easier to do so in Japan.

Also, we’d like to learn how to hold concerts in other parts of the world eventually. We’d definitely like to hold live concerts in the U.S., Europe, and especially South America. Well, that will depend on how things develop in the future.

――Finally, please share a few words for the fans of *Sukeban*.

Chris: Above all, I sincerely hope you’ll actually pick up this game. We’ve gone through a long development period and overcome various challenges. I hope all of that will ultimately pay off… I’d be truly happy if you all enjoy it.

――Thank you very much!

“.45 Parabellum Bloodhound – Cyberpunk Active Time Action” is scheduled for release in 2026 for PC (Steam).