NCsoft announces martial arts MMO Blade and Soul

by Michael Zenke Aug 4th 2008 at 1:00PM

Given the news of titles in jeopardy, MMO cancellations, and title delays, it's always great to hear about another new game in the works. This past week NCsoft let slip information about an upcoming title aimed at the Asian marketplace. Called Blade and Soul, it looks to be a unique combination of fantasy MMO and fighting game. It's being developed by Team Bloodlust in the Unreal 3 engine, giving it the visual aesthetic of a high-quality console fighter and the persistence of any of NCsoft's numerous MMO titles.

Traditional swords and sorcery Western fantasy seems to be out the window as an Asian aesthetic permeates the game. Martial Arts are the focus, with the themes of justice and chivalry apparently very important to the games' practitioners. The world itself is based on the Korean myth known as 'Song of Genesis', with other mythologies from that country playing a part in the game's backstory. The title will allow players the opportunity to manipulate their environment, while the the environment around them also changes gameplay possibilities.

To really get a sense of what the game is like, check out the lengthy trailer below the cut for all your martial MMO needs. It's probably the only bit of the game we in the US will see for a long, long time. Thanks to Yin for the heads up!

Tags: asian-mmo, blade-and-soul, fighting-game, korea, ncsoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

James Egan said on 4:34PM 8-04-2008

Gorgeous.

karl said on 5:30AM 8-06-2008

translated interview with many questions
http://www.bladeandsoul.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14

recursive said on 5:53PM 8-04-2008

Frogs in tophats. I'm sold! :D

Seriously though, I'm not overly thrilled with the anime bits, but the style around that looks interesting, could well blow the other "fighters" off the map.

Rhaegar said on 6:02PM 8-04-2008

According to the FAQ, that video was all in-game footage. If that's true, then just...wow. Also according to the FAQ, they haven't made any plans for localization yet, so it's entirely possible that it will release in the US. If it plays like that trailer, it could really get some attention from US gamers.

NekoDaimyo said on 3:38AM 8-05-2008

Hyung Tae-Kim sure does some pretty pretty work

Yin said on 4:19AM 8-05-2008

http://www.bascentral.com/news.php

Best source of info for this game. :) Welcome.

jmartin77777 said on 12:31AM 8-06-2008

Wow... I really hope this gets an international release. I'm a sucker for high fantasy martial arts, and I love the speed and mobility demonstrated in the trailer as well. And the animation was just beautiful.

Also, I love the anime-inspired look of the characters! I will definitely play this if it ever gets released outside of Korea.