It has been two months since the ninja team Team Ninja announced the first trailer of “Wolong: Fall of the Sky” (hereinafter referred to as “Wolong”) at the 2022 Xbox & Bethes conference, but players are very concerned about this set in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The Three Kingdoms “soul-like” epic is still full of curiosity.
This Three Kingdoms fantasy work, jointly created by “Nioh” series producer Yasuda Fumihiko and “Blood Origin” producer Yamaji Mako, has already aroused the interest of players in 2020. As a professional game player of the Three Kingdoms, Glorious Tecmo’s mature experience in historical research has given the quality assurance to the world view of “Wolong”, and the “Nioh” series and “Bloodborne” are combined in fantasy themes and difficult immersive design. , will undoubtedly make domestic players have different expectations for “Wolong”.
Today, Team Ninja released the first live-action preview video of the game, focusing on the battle scenes in “Wolong” and the various monsters and monsters that players will face in the game. Although “Wolong” is a work with the background of the Three Kingdoms, its ambition is not to reproduce “another” Three Kingdoms strategy game. For Team Ninja, creating a fantasy and troubled world that is more experiential than the “Nioh” series is their ultimate goal for “Wolong”.
Of course, for the two producers, the source of the sense of experience may be that the player “was abused by the monsters in “Shan Hai Jing” to believe that they are real.”
On the occasion of the announcement of the latest trailer, Youyan Club also chatted with the two producers Yasuda Fumhiko and Yamaji Mako about what players can look forward to in “Wolong”.
Youyanshe: We heard that the background of this new game has considered other Japanese themes such as the Genpei War. Why did you choose the Three Kingdoms as the background in the end?
Yasuda Fumihiko: We have considered various worldview designs, but we feel that the difference between Genpei Hezhan and Japan’s Warring States is not so obvious, and we can’t give you a brand new experience. I personally like the theme of the Three Kingdoms very much. The Three Kingdoms is a troubled time. It has both strategy and loyalty and love and hatred between the characters. In addition, Team Ninja has never made a game with the theme of the Three Kingdoms, so we decided to use the worldview of the Three Kingdoms. Create a new, engaging game.
Youyanshe: There are a lot of monster designs in the trailer. How are the elements of fantasy and monsters balanced with the history of the Three Kingdoms?
Yasuda Fumuhiko: The Three Kingdoms world is full of colorful heroes and magnificent war scenes, but as an action game, we hope to incorporate some powerful enemies in Wolong. Although the game itself contains the drama and heroism of the Three Kingdoms, the Three Kingdoms is a war-torn era after all, so we chose to add fantasy elements to this dark era, and there is a feeling of ghosts and monsters walking in the land of China.
Glorious has launched a variety of Three Kingdoms games, and we Team Ninja certainly don’t want to go the same way as others. We hope Wolong is a Three Kingdoms story with a hardcore fantasy setting. However, this does not mean that our plot will deviate from history, and the part of the Three Kingdoms will not deviate too much from the player’s understanding. For the creation of monsters and fantasy parts, we have already had relatively successful attempts in the “Nioh” series. However, at present, “Wolong” is not fully mature, and we will still pay attention to polishing it.
Youyanshe: The designs of gods and monsters in the trailer are very special. Are these also based on the background of Chinese mythology? In addition to Shanhaijing, did you draw on other literary and historical works?
Yamajima Akira: The monsters that appear in the trailer this time include water ghosts, ghost ghosts, acid and so on. In fact, they are all monsters that some gamers may be familiar with, although they may not all come from “The Classic of Mountains and Seas”, but We did refer to a lot of literature, trying not to violate the description of these gods and monsters in the legend. We hope to make “Wolong” a deserted, chaotic, and even somewhat dark world, so that historical facts and fantasy can be integrated as much as possible to reduce the sense of incongruity, so we will lean towards this worldview in the overall design.
Youyanshe: We saw in the trailer that there is a sense of desolation after the war, and there is indeed a feeling of doomsday and wasteland.
Yasuda Fumuhiko: Let me also add that in fact, the two elements of history and fantasy are the relationship between oil and water, and they sound incompatible with each other. For game production, improving credibility is the most important goal. Therefore, the player’s sense of immersion and experience has become the most important indicator. After all, a game is a world created through CG and design. Fortunately, “Wolong” is an action game. Players need to fight some evil guys. Unfortunately, there is a high probability that players will be abused by these monsters countless times. Such setbacks will form a very strong sense of experience, making the whole The viability of the worldview becomes very high. We have been working hard since the “Nioh” series, and I believe we can do it well this time.
Youyanshe: Many plots and concepts of the “Nioh” series are not only a challenge, but also a process of learning and discovery for players who are not familiar with the history of Japan’s Warring States Period. For many players in the early stage of the Three Kingdoms, it is also a relatively unfamiliar chaotic battlefield. In what way will “Wolong” show the charm of this period?
Yasuda Fumihiko: We don’t want to make Wolong a textbook game that popularizes history. For players who like history, seeing the gods and monsters in “Shan Hai Jing” or the battles in “Three Kingdoms” in the game may be a unique surprise for them, allowing them to have a deeper understanding of “Wolong” , and more fun. But as producers, our purpose and core goal is to bring the best action gaming experience to everyone. We hope that even players who are unfamiliar with history can enjoy the experience through cool combat graphics and a deeply rooted plot design. Of course, if “Wolong” can become an opportunity for everyone to understand history, we will also be very happy.
Youyanshe: Will there be historical characters in the game that break the conventional understanding and completely redesign the image?
Yamajima Akira: The male protagonist you see in the trailer is Zhao Yun, who is also an image we specially created based on “Wolong”. As for other historical figures, we wanted to create some slightly rough, wild directions for Team Ninja’s personality without breaking the historical image.
Youyanshe: I heard that there are Chinese people in the historical research team? What work did they do, and what were the unexpected discoveries?
Masaki Yamaji: In the Wolong project, the Chinese staff have a lot of jobs that suit their own advantages. In terms of design, Chinese staff participated in the verification of history and architecture, while in production, Chinese staff supervised and checked Chinese dubbing and localization. Especially the polishing of the wording of the sentences in the text. We attach great importance to the polishing of the Chinese version of “Wolong”, and the Chinese staff have undoubtedly made great contributions to the improvement of the quality of this game, and we are very grateful for this.
Action and design related:
Youyanshe: Is there a big difference in experience and design between Chinese-style sword fighting and Japanese-style sword fighting? During the development process, what sources of inspiration and references did you have for combat moves?
Yamajima Akira: There is indeed a certain degree of difference between the two. We drew on many books and videos for the action design of “Wolong”, and we also had Chinese staff to help study the movements in Chinese martial arts movies. Our motion capture also specifically invites actors who use Chinese weapons to participate. However, “Wolong” is still an action game rather than a historical game after all. I hope that Chinese players can experience some cool visuals and actions beyond historical understanding while being satisfied with our research.
Youyanshe: Will the game provide a protagonist customization system?
Mako Yamaji: Like Nioh 2, players can still create their own characters. We have also incorporated more Chinese-style elements into clothing and accessories, and I hope players can look forward to it!
Youyanshe: What well-known battles and battlefields can we expect?
Yamajima Akira: “Wolong” will contain a variety of famous battles in the Three Kingdoms. In the latest promotional video, it is believed that players have been able to see battle scenes such as Hulao Pass and Luoyang. But we can’t reveal too much information yet.
Gameplay:
Youyanshe: Does “Wolong” generally continue “Niwang” in terms of combat experience, or does it have some other new explorations?
Mako Yamaji: “Wolong” has similarities with “Nioh” in terms of combat feel and visual action, but the fighting methods of the Japanese samurai in the “Nioh” series will be very different from the action system of Chinese martial arts in “Wolong”. different. In “Wolong”, we adopted a concept of “Hua Jin” from traditional Chinese martial arts, and matched with the design of “Momentum Slot”, so that players can feel that the attack rhythm and attack strategy are completely different from the “Ni Wang” series. experience, please wait and see.
Youyansha: The battle in the PV uses magic like a summoned beast. Can you tell us about this battle setting?
Yamajima Akira: We designed the “Sacred Beast System” in the game. The summoned beast that the player sees in the trailer is Suzaku. Divine beasts will bring various help and bonuses to players during the game. Of course, mythical beasts are different from other monsters in troubled times in the game. They have spirituality and divinity, and will appear in the image of Xuanwu, Suzaku, and Qilin.
Youyanshe: How is the difficulty of the boss battle balanced this time? How did the development team decide if a battle was too difficult or too easy?
Yamajima Akira: The process of game design is repeated trial and error and polishing. We can indeed increase the difficulty of the boss and allow only a small number of players to pass the level, but we think this setting is not fun and unfair for most ordinary players, so when we design the boss battle, we will Pay attention to balance. We want players to beat a boss and never have to deal with it again.
Youyanshe: Will developers pay attention to the game style of speed pass players? The current world record for speedrunning in “Nioh 2” is 1:19. Do you have any special speedrunning skills that impress you? Or make you guys think “something like this could also be exploited as a game mechanic”?
Yamajima Akira: “Wolong” did not specifically consider or adjust the speed pass. As developers, we have no way of incentivizing players to do something like this (speedrunning). Only when the finished game is released and players actively discover it, will speedrun become an interesting thing. If developers can design, they can’t make fun things. We hope that after the release of “Wolong”, we can see players play to their heart’s content (speed pass mechanism). Personally I’d love to watch the speedrun videos, it’s very entertaining, but I’m out of my way in that regard.
Youyanshe: Finally, compared with the existing Three Kingdoms games on the market, what is the biggest special feature of “Wolong”? Is it a new interpretation of the story of the Three Kingdoms, bringing fantasy elements into the story of the Three Kingdoms, or is it a different experience as a difficult action game?
Yasuda Fumihiko: Team Ninja’s games are all in the same strain and have continuity. “Wolong” is an important game that combines history and combat after “Nioh”, so we will try our best to make it a solid action game, which will bring better immersion to the “Nioh” series sense. We hope that the end player will feel the same way.
Yamajima Akira: The biggest feature of “Wolong” is the philosophy of “Hua Jin” in our battles: in the death-to-death struggle, we use Chinese martial arts to defeat the enemy magnificently. It makes players nervous while giving them high fighting spirit. Precisely because we want to present such a philosophy, we believe that the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms are the best and the only worldview. We will definitely polish this concept and hope that players can feel this experience.
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