NARAKA: BLADEPOINT Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing developer 24 Entertainment about their upcoming Steam title, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT.

1. From the trailer, this game seems very mysterious. Can you tell us about the overall story–what is the mission in this game, and what are the characters’ stories?  
   
   We took inspiration from Chinese mythology, for example concepts such as the ‘Totem of the Three-legged Crow’ and the ancient story ‘Hou Yi Shoots Down the Suns’, amongst others. Each character has their own reason for setting foot on the island, be it love, hate, or something else entirely. This is just part of the story, and you will get to experience more of it once the game is made available. That’s all we can say for now.
   
   
2. The design of each character is beautiful and unique. Do different characters have different fighting styles, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, etc?  
   
   All we can say at the moment is that each character will have their own skill set. Each characters’ active and/or passive skills makes them unique; some can heal, while others may excel at assassinations, for example.
   
   In the end, NARAKA is more of an action game rather than a MOBA game, so we will ensure that each character has a chance to win, if played well. Players will be able to further customize how to play their character through their weapon choice as, there will be no restrictions in place for the types of weapons each character can use.
   
   
3. In the trailer I saw a brief clip of a character holding a huge fire sword. Can you upgrade weapons as you progress through the game?  
   
   Yes, there will be multiple ways for you to boost your combat abilities. Apart from being able to pick up weapons and equipment you find, we’ll also implement roguelike elements. This means that each match will provide a new and fresh experience.
   
   
4. You also mentioned an “aim-at-whatever-you-want grappling hook”–can you explain how this can come in handy?  
   
   Our motive for adding the grappling hook is to ensure that players feel the need to remain vigilant at all times.
   
   It enables you to move at high speed, whether entering or escaping combat, but you can also aim it at enemies as a form of weaponry too. To be successful, an important skill to master will be to hide in darkness, and take your enemy by surprise.
   
   
5. The overall design seems to have heavy Eastern influence. Can you talk about what the creative process was like for designing this aesthetic?  
   
   We took inspiration from Chinese mythology, for example concepts such as ‘Totem of the Three-legged Crow’ and the ancient story ‘Hou Yi Shoots Down the Suns’, amongst others. This is just part of the story, and you will get to experience more of it once the game is made available. When creating the art style, we wanted to capture the essence of brushwork and blank space as seen in traditional Chinese art.
   
   
6. Personally, what is your favorite aspect of the game? What do you think players will enjoy about it the most?  
   
   We believe that our combat system is more straightforward and beginner-friendly than the one in For Honor. What we have seen from our small-scale tests is that players tend to get the hang of it fairly quickly, and that things get really lively once they party up. We also hope that we can bring this fulfilling experience to as many gamers out there as possible.

Check Out the Naraka: Bladepoint Trailer:

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT will be releasing this year for PC via Steam.

For more information, please visit: https://www.narakathegame.com

Tiare Chen-Wong

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From the moment I first played Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on the original Xbox, I have always had an avid curiosity and enthusiasm for video games. I admire their ability to immerse us in completely different worlds, and I am always eager to see how they integrate the newest breakthroughs in digital technology to make virtual reality feel real. I am currently a senior at UC Berkeley, but when I'm not studying I always make time to play Xbox One with my younger brother.

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