Imagine you're a young samurai in Japan in 1701. You have to make an excruciating choice between family and honor – either go into impoverished exile with your mother and sister who will need your help to survive, or join your fellow masterless samurai in a quixotic quest to avenge the death of your dishonored lord. Which do you choose? Ako: A Test of Loyalty takes you into the story of the 47 ronin, one of the  most famous and still controversial episodes in Japanese history. For more about the game design process, see here. To play the game click here.

Ako: A Test of Loyalty is a visual novel game that gives you many opportunities to influence the fate of the protagonist, Hashimoto Kanpei and those around him. By making decisions, you have the potential to unlock 5 alternate endings that trace out what might have happened.  There are no right or wrong answers.  You must weigh the potential consequence of your actions on Kanpei and those he cares for.  But if you're unhappy with your choices, you can come back and play again as there are several different ways to experience the tale of the 47 ronin.

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Ako: A Tale of Loyalty has been used in college classrooms across the country. It is available for free download here. The game is well suited for high-school and university learners interested in Japan.

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The game was designed by Ashley Gelato, Michael Rader, Izellah Wang and Alex Aragon working as part of Epoch: History Games Initiative which later transitioned into JapanLab. It allows players to explore the tensions between the myths and the realities of samurai life in this period. To hear from some of the student designers, see below.