Games Like Battle Hanafuda

Experience Koi-Koi, the most popular rule set of the traditional Japanese card game Hanafuda, reimagined as a fast-paced, strategic two-player battle.

Even if you’ve never played Hanafuda before, this game is designed to guide you naturally through your first match.

Highlighted card options, automatic capture suggestions, and intuitive visual cues ensure you always understand what you can do—and how close you are to completing a powerful yaku (scoring hand).

With a single button, you can check the full list of hands at any time.

Enjoy the depth of Hanafuda with the smoothest, most accessible experience possible.

🧩 Differences from the Demo Version

A free demo is currently in development for the upcoming Steam Next Fest.

The specifications of the full version are still under consideration.

If you have any ideas or requests, please feel free to share them on the community page of the demo version.

The following features are currently being considered:

🌸 Features

🎴 What is Hanafuda?

Hanafuda (花札) is a traditional Japanese playing card game derived from naipes, a type of card introduced from Portugal in the 1540s.

The deck consists of 12 suits representing the months from January to December, for a total of 48 cards.

Each month has four cards, divided into the following four categories:

Among the Ribbon cards:

Hanafuda is also known as Hana-karuta or Hana-koppai (literally “flower cards”).

Interestingly, Nintendo, originally founded in 1889 as Nintendo Koppai, began as a Hanafuda card manufacturer —

a fascinating piece of history showing how deeply these traditional cards are woven into Japanese culture.

🎴 What is Koi-Koi?

Koi-Koi is a two-player duel that blends elements of poker and mahjong.

The game begins with 8 face-up table cards, 8 cards dealt to each player,

and a remaining deck of 24 cards.

Players (dealer and opponent) take turns playing one card from their hand.

If it matches the same month as a card on the table, both cards are captured.

If not, the played card is discarded onto the table.

Then, the player flips the top card of the deck and captures or discards it in the same way.

These steps are repeated alternately until both players run out of cards.

When a scoring hand is completed with captured cards, the player may choose either to “Finish” (end the round) or declare “Koi-Koi” to continue.

If you declare Koi-Koi and your opponent completes a scoring hand afterward, the round immediately ends: your opponent’s score is doubled, and your score for the round becomes zero.

If your completed hand is worth 7 points or more, your score for the round is doubled.

Furthermore, if your opponent has declared Koi-Koi and you win with a 7-point (or higher) hand, the score is quadrupled.

Official matches consist of 12 rounds, and the player with the higher total wins.

In this game, you can also choose from four match-length modes:

Koi-Koi offers deeper strategy than poker while remaining much simpler than mahjong — making it a balanced game that sits comfortably between the two.

There is naturally some correlation between strategic depth and rule complexity.  

Koi-Koi is slightly more intricate than poker, but that added complexity createsa rewarding layer of decision-making that greatly affects the outcome of each round.

For example, if you declare Koi-Koi while holding five Animal cards (Tane), and later capture a sixth, this counts as completing an additional scoring hand.

After a new hand is completed during Koi-Koi, you are required to end the round immediately.

Rules like this add nuance to the game while giving skilled players more room to outthink their opponent.

To keep the experience approachable, this game streamlines such detailed rules through clear visual guidance and controlled flow, making Koi-Koi intuitive even for newcomers while preserving its strategic depth.

💠 List of Hands (12 Official Roles)

Press Y (or △ / S key on keyboard) during play to check the full list of hands anytime.

Cards you have already captured are highlighted in the list,

making it easy for beginners to see which cards they still need to complete a hand.

1. Gokō (Five Brights) — 10 pts

2. Shikō (Four Brights) — 7 or 8 pts

3. Sankō (Three Brights) — 5 pts

4. Hanami de Ippai (Cherry Blossom Viewing with Sake) — 5 pts

5. Tsukimi de Ippai (Moon Viewing with Sake) — 5 pts

6. Inoshikachō (Boar-Deer-Butterfly) — 5 pts + bonus

7. Animal Set — 1 pt + bonus

8. Red & Blue Combo — 10 pts + bonus

9. Red Ribbons — 5 pts + bonus

10. Blue Ribbons — 5 pts + bonus

11. Ribbon Set — 1 pt + bonus

12. Plain Set — 1 pt + bonus

🎮 Controls

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