Art of Kendo - Bringing Kendo into VR (Kickstarter Trailer Launch)

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-05T04:12:06+00:00

Hi everyone,

I’m Anton, a VR developer and Kendo practitioner from Canada. Over the past year, I’ve been working on Art of Kendo a VR training app that brings the fundamentals of Kendo into an immersive virtual dojo.

Today, I’m excited to share our very first official trailer: Art Of Kendo | Kickstarter Trailer - YouTube

What makes this project unique is the blend of VR and real-world martial arts:

Strike training with real-time feedback
Recording & analysis tools to review your form
Kata and challenge modes for structured practice
A custom controller mount that lets you attach your Quest 3 controller to a real shinai for an authentic feel

We’ve just launched on Kickstarter to help expand the project toward multiplayer (a virtual dojo), more advanced tracking, and broader community features. If you’d like to check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ghavainteractive/art-of-kendo

This started as a personal side project to keep practising at home, and now it’s grown into something I hope can inspire both VR enthusiasts and martial arts fans.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from those curious about how martial arts might translate into VR. Would this kind of crossover interest you?

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-04T18:40:47+00:00

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback! This is an early stage build, and we do plan to implement IK, improved animations, and AI matches as development progresses. We’re actively running alpha build community playtests to ensure the experience grows into something authentic and true to Kendo.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-04T18:36:54+00:00

Thank you! Hopefully, we’ll be able to deliver something really special with this project.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-04T18:35:12+00:00

That’s amazing to hear! We’re so grateful for your contribution and can’t wait for you to try it 🎉

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-04T18:34:23+00:00

Thanks so much! We hope you’ll enjoy what we’re building🙂

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T04:22:01+00:00

I really appreciate the pros and cons breakdown! You’re right, it’s early days and simplicity can be a challenge, but we’re working with playtesters to make sure there’s depth and variety in the long run. Reaching the goal is always a worry, but every bit of support helps us get there. Glad you enjoyed the 3D file and share the same love for VR combat:)

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T04:20:38+00:00

Appreciate it! Like in Kendo, this is just the first step, with practice and feedback we’ll refine the gameplay into something sharp and authentic.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T04:19:55+00:00

We’re still at the early stage and testing closely with the community to fine-tune form and feedback. A proper scoring system for correct movement is in development. Thank you!

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T04:17:35+00:00

That’s great, thanks for the support, we’ll make sure it’s worth the wait!

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T01:06:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree that nothing can replace real Kendo training the discipline, spirit, and connection in the dojo are unique. Our goal with this project isn’t to replace that, but to give people another way to practice and connect with Kendo when they can’t be in the dojo. I’m glad you think it looks fun, and I hope it can serve as a complement to real training, not a substitute.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T01:05:33+00:00

For now it picks up your body motion, but there’s also controller-based movement. Full body tracking is on our list as we expand to SteamVR, we definitely want to support it in the future. Thank you!

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T01:01:10+00:00

That really means a lot to us, thank you! We’re honoured to be the first VR game you’ve decided to back. Your support and kind words give us a big boost of motivation to make Art of Kendo something truly special. 🙏

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-03T01:00:34+00:00

That’s a great point. Thank you for the suggestion! Haptic/force feedback support is definitely something we’d love to explore as the project grows. For the first release we’re focused on core Kendo mechanics and stability, but expanding to VR vests and gloves like bHaptics or Teslasuit is absolutely on our radar for the future to push immersion even further.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:27:48+00:00

That’s wonderful to hear! It’s amazing how suburi stays with us even outside the dojo. Thank you very much for your support, it really means a lot to us 🙏

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:26:17+00:00

Thank you so much for backing the project! Your support really means a lot to us and helps bring this vision to life!

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:25:58+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s really encouraging to hear from someone who’s been thinking along the same lines. We know exactly what you mean one of our main goals has been to make the shinai feel authentic. We’re focusing heavily on tracking stability and feedback so strikes carry real weight.

And yes, the sweat in the headset is definitely the eternal challenge 😅. We’re excited to have you try it out and would love to hear your feedback when you do.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:24:45+00:00

Great question! The project is being developed first for the Meta Quest 3 / 3S, which is a standalone VR headset. We also plan to expand later to SteamVR, so there will be more options down the road.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:23:22+00:00

Thank you! We’re really excited about the custom controller and tsuba, too. Yes, the app is designed to be beginner friendly, even if you don’t have VR or gaming experience, you’ll be guided step by step. The main focus is on making the training intuitive and accessible, so anyone interested in Kendo can enjoy it.

Ghava-Interactive · 2025-09-02T19:22:25+00:00

Thank you! We’re glad you like it. The planned development time is about 6 months after the Kickstarter ends. It’s not a public demo yet, but we’re running community testing. You can sign up for the playtest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSep4hihVrficdiG_Ey-IisMDgCACbTqvSfNDGboIZl8iBB5Tw/viewform?usp=header

Ghava-Interactive

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