Stillstroke

Six duelists. One clean stroke.

Play Stillstroke — free, in your browser

Stillstroke is a samurai duel game in the visual language of a 1997 console: low-poly warriors, fog, dithered colour, a lone ronin against six duelists at an autumn shrine and in a moonlit bamboo grove. There are no health bars. One clean cut to the head, neck or body ends a round; a cut to an arm or a leg wounds it, and a second cut to the same limb kills. Cut, swing a heavy blow that breaks a guard, or thrust for reach; guard, parry a blow in the instant before it lands, or step out of the blade’s path. Every duel is best of three, and losing one ends the run. The duelists read you with human reaction times — they cannot see your quick cut coming any more than you can see theirs — and the last of them learns which attack you lean on.

Controls

• WASD or the arrow keys move; you always face your opponent
• J or Z strikes: tap to cut, hold to swing a heavy blow, forward + strike to thrust (the left mouse button works too)
• K, X or SPACE guards; tap it just before a blow lands to parry (or the right mouse button)
• L, C or SHIFT steps out of the way, in the direction you are moving
• ESC pauses
• Your left thumb moves from wherever you put it down; a quick flick-and-release steps
• Strike, Guard and Step are under your right thumb
• Tap Guard just before a blow lands to parry

How to Play Stillstroke

A run is six duels, each the best of three rounds: three duelists at the Autumn Shrine, three in the Moonlit Bamboo Grove. Lose a duel and the run ends.

There are no health bars. A clean cut to the head, neck or body ends the round. A cut to an arm leaves it wounded and your strikes slower; a cut to a leg slows you and takes away your step. A second cut to a wounded limb kills.

Tap strike for a quick cut. Hold it for a heavy blow, which breaks a guard — when one is coming at you, the blade glints as it rises. Push forward as you strike to thrust: the longest reach, on a narrow line.

Hold guard to block cuts and thrusts from the front. Tap it just before a blow lands to parry: your attacker reels, and your next strike is free.

Step to get out of the blade’s path — backwards, or to the side if you hold a direction. A step does not make you untouchable; it only works if you are no longer where the blade is going.

Stillstroke Strategy Guide

1. Nobody can react to a quick cut once it starts, including you. When you are in range, guard; when you are not guarding, stay out of range.
2. A heavy beats a guard, a parry beats a heavy, and a quick cut beats a heavy that is still winding up.
3. A thrust reaches furthest but on a narrow line. Sidestep it and its owner is left close to you and slow to recover.
4. Breaking a guard frees your sword at once. Follow it with a cut before they recover.
5. The later duelists punish attacks thrown from the very edge of reach. Walk in, then strike.
6. Score: 1,000 times the duel’s number for each duel won, 300 for every round you win without a wound, 500 for a kill made from a parry, and 500 for a duel won without being wounded.

Questions & Answers

What is Stillstroke?

A free samurai duel game for your browser, in the style of a late-1990s console: low-poly samurai, fog and dithered colour. You fight six duelists, each the best of three rounds, at an autumn shrine and in a moonlit bamboo grove.

Is Stillstroke free?

Yes. No login, no paywall, no download. Open the page and play.

Are there health bars?

No. One clean cut to the head, neck or body ends the round. A cut to an arm or a leg wounds that limb — a wounded arm strikes slower, a wounded leg cannot step — and a second cut to the same limb kills.

How do I parry?

Tap guard just before the blow lands — about a tenth of a second for a cut or a thrust, a little less for a heavy blow. A parried attacker reels, and your next strike is free. Pressing guard over and over does not work: a parry needs a fresh press.

What are the controls?

Keyboard: WASD or the arrow keys to move, J or Z to strike, K, X or Space to guard, L, C or Shift to step, Esc to pause. Tap strike to cut, hold it for a heavy blow, push forward as you strike to thrust. The mouse buttons strike and guard too. On a phone, your left thumb moves and the right thumb has Strike, Guard and Step.

How does scoring work?

Each duel won is worth 1,000 times its number, so the sixth is worth 6,000. Every round you win without a wound adds 300, a kill made from a parry adds 500, and a duel won without being wounded adds 500. A perfect run scores 33,600.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. It has touch controls, and it lowers its own detail on slower devices while keeping the same look.

Can the duelists read my inputs?

No. They play by the same rules you do and see you with a human reaction time, so they cannot react to a quick cut once it starts any more than you can. The last duelist does learn which attack you use most over the course of a duel.

If you like Stillstroke

• Dead Lot — Also in PS1-style games. Loot on foot. Smash with the car.
• Cindral — Also in PS1-style games. Fly the line. Break the Cinder fleet.
• Mirecut — Also in PS1-style games. Everybody in this town is lying. One of them about the murder.
• Hook Echo — Also in PS1-style games. Fix the van. Beat the funnel.

Also in: Free 3D Browser Games (WebGL, No Download), Free PS1-Style Browser Games (PSX Aesthetic, Vertex Snap, Low-Poly Horror) · All collections

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