The last few years has seen China make greater pushes into the larger gaming industry outside the country’s borders. While companies likeNetEasehave done so by investing in notable developers like Bungie, developers within studios are making greater efforts to get worldwide attention on their own games. The latest developers to do so are Beijing Joyfun and Wangyuan Shengtang withFaith of Danschant: Hereafter, a game looking to combine the epic, action-RPG action ofGod of Warwith the style of Wuxia martial arts films likeCrouching Tiger, Hidden DragonorHero.
Faith of Danschant: Hereafteris a sequel to 2017’sFaith of Danschant, a turn-based action-RPG set in a fictional world inspired by Chinese mythology. The game put players in the boots of a young adventurer looking to restore balance to a world thrown into chaos after two mythical stars vanish. While the game did not receive international release on console, it is currently available to download onSteamand holds an 89% user rating.
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The newest trailer for the sequel was released as part of the Wangyuan Carnival, a special event Wangyuan Shengtang held as part of its July 2021 investor conference. It appears Joyfun and Wangyuan are ditching the turn-based style of the first game for a faster gameplay style, akin to theGod of WarorDevil May Cryseries. It also seems to be taking a cue fromGod of Waras the protagonist squares off with a mythical being in a large scale battle akin toKratos' epic battlesagainst the Greek and Norse gods.
To help the game stand out, the developers appear to be taking cues from China’s numerous and popular Wuxiamartial arts films. The trailer shows the protagonist effortlessly running up and across bamboo trees, much likeCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This style of traversal appears to give the protagonist more freedom in not only traversal, but in combat encounters to get over and around tougher enemies.
Joyfun and Wangyuan seem to be following in the footsteps of Chinese developer Game Science, which made a splash online in August 2020 with a 13-minute pre-alpha gameplay video for its upcoming game,Black Myth: Wukong. Both games look to be among the first of a new wave of Chinese games trying to make a splash in Western markets by taking familiar gameplay styles and giving them a fresh aesthetic twist. One factor working in both game’s advantage is how few games have explored or used Chinese mythology to this point. The most prevalent series isDynasty Warriors, which is a fictional retelling of China’s Three Kingdoms period, while Ninja Theory’sEnslaved: Odyssey to the Westis loosely based on the popular Chinese mythJourney to the West.
Faith of Danschant: Hereafterhas no official release date and is confirmed to be releasing on PC and console. The game will be localized for release in foreign markets.
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