The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, an open-world action RPG being developed by Netmarble, held its closed beta test (CBT) ahead of G-STAR. The game has been shown at various global events, including GDC, so many players are already familiar with it. But until now, those showcases didn’t offer enough hands-on time to evaluate the gameplay in depth. Up until this point, players have only seen brief glimpses of the game’s overall visuals and combat system.

As it was The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, this CBT, which runs for a week from October 30 to November 5, was especially welcome. It was an opportunity to confirm almost everything I was curious about the game. The visuals seem to speak for themselves. It was a surefire delight to see the original characters, each with their own unique charm, and the original characters, all brought to life with near-perfect accuracy. Of course, the fun as an action RPG was not overlooked. The tag system, which allows you to switch characters while engaging in action, and the synergy system, which combines special attacks between heroes, were also well-executed.

Among the titles Netmarble is preparing, through this CBT, we took a look at The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, which is particularly focused on, to see what unique charm it has compared to other open-world action RPGs.

Perfectly Captures the Visuals of the Original — Enjoyable Just to Look At

▲ You can see that the original style is almost perfectly replicated

Regardless of genre, personally, the first thing I pay attention to when playing a game is its visuals. Since everyone has different preferences, it doesn't necessarily mean that higher quality is always better, but if the visuals are good, then the game is also considered good., Iit's like saying that a visually appealing cake also tastes good.

From that perspective, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is definitely a very good-looking cake. It's not just high-quality, but it's also a faithful reinterpretation of the original manga's art style into a game. If you've read the original manga, you'll be thrilled, and even if you haven't, if you enjoy anime-style visuals, you’ll likely be satisfied.

▲ The thrill of exploring the world is undeniable. From soaring through the skies on a glider

▲ It offers a colorful and abundant range of adventures, including diving underwater

The completeness of Britannia, which is implemented as an open world, is also a noteworthy factor. Various regions, including the Kingdom of Liones and the Fairy King's Forest, appear. In the original comic, they were merely backgrounds, but in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, as an open world action RPG, players can roam around and fully experience the thrill of exploring what lies beyond.

Various direction and camera techniques are also indispensable. No matter how good the visuals are, if the direction and editing are monotonous, the charm is reduced. In this regard, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin demonstrates impeccable direction and camera work as expected from a seasoned Netmarble. Various directing techniques enhanced the game's immersion, and the various cuts naturally presented during the main story gave the feeling of watching an animation. Fans of cinematic cutscenes and anime-style storytelling will likely enjoy it.

▲ If you like this kind of direction and editing, you're sure to be satisfied

▲ They've put a lot of effort into the in-game cinematics

Lower Entry Barrier, Expanded World

▲ The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin features an original story.

This is not the first time that Netmarble has released a game using IP. In fact, there have been many. Prior to The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, they released a variety of titles, from The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross based on the original manga, to Tower of God: NEW WORLD, to Solo Leveling:ARISE. While this strategy has been advantageous in lowering the entry barrier for new players, it has also posed a challenge in expanding beyond the boundaries of the source material — a true double-edged sword.

This was not much different for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin. With the manga’s sequel, Four Knights of the Apocalypse, already in serialization, it wasn’t clear how the game would fit into the IP’s timeline. The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin solved this by setting it as a sequel to the original and a prequel to the Four Knights of the Apocalypse. By covering a period not explored in the original manga, the game has room to expand the story freely.

▲ The Book of Stars, with the power to bend space and time, introduces a unique story and setting.

In addition to the freely expandable timeframe— set three years after the conclusion of The Seven Deadly Sins and three years before Four Knights of the Apocalypse — The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin establishes a narrative safety net by introducing the Book of Stars, a key element in the story.

The Book of Stars is central to the main story of  The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, and it is an object that Tristan and Tioreh, who left on an adventure at the beginning of the game, found in a hidden dungeon. It has the power to bend space and time. In the game, it shows that the lake, which was dried up due to the confrontation between Estarossa and Escanor, is filled with water, or that a character from the past returns. It lets the game introduce original story elements without contradicting Four Knights of the Apocalypse.

▲ In the original manga, a Character who died may reappear.

As the original story, it is also undeniable that it stimulates more interest. Of course, this may vary depending on personal preference. Some people may want to experience the original comic once again through the game. However, personally, I found it even better because it was the original story.

If I had to watch the story that I had already seen through comics and animations once more in a game, I might not have found it as attractive as it is now. Since I already know it. In that regard, the original story of 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin' had the power to make me more immersed in the game.

▲ In the original manga, who is the character that resurrects Albion, who was killed by King?

What is the background surrounding the Book of Stars, how does the Book of Stars transcend time and space, and ultimately, what kind of story will unfold in the future, which is the most important thing, you can naturally look forward to while playing the game.

As a game that prides itself on an Open world, there are plenty of things to do outside of the main story. The most basic thing is the Treasure Chest. You can acquire Treasure Chests in various ways, from hidden in remote places to solving puzzles, so you can feel the excitement of exploration. In addition to this, you can also find various elements such as fishing, crafting, and cooking.

I could see that the materials I collected were used to make potions to restore stamina or to craft and upgrade equipment. This shows that the exploration content in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is not just about wandering around the world, solving puzzles, and opening treasure chests. Materials gathered during exploration are used for potions, crafting and upgrades, linking exploration directly to progression.

▲ Collect materials needed to craft or upgrade equipment

▲ You can also create potions with the materials you’ve collected

Meanwhile, in this CBT, we could see that some characters have unique field skills, which are presumed to be used for exploration in various ways. In the case ofSlader’s original magic, “Intimidation,” it has been transformed into a kind of stealth skill, allowing the player to remain undetected by enemies until stamina is consumed. Similarly, for Jericho, stamina is continuously consumed, but the field skill allows the player to exhale cold air, freezing the water and making it possible to walk across. Although we couldn't find specificclear uses for these field skills while exploring the open world in this CBT, it is presumed that they will be utilized to solve puzzles or assist in more convenient exploration of the area in the future.

▲ Jericho’s field skill emits cold air to freeze the water’s surface

The core of combat lies in the ensemble created by combinations, tag actions, and synergies.

The combat will feel familiar to players of other mobile-style action RPGs, but Origin adds its own twists through tag mechanics and synergy attacks.

If you have played games like Genshin Impact and Monster Hunter, you will find it familiar enough to learn the basic systems within five minutes of playing the game.

Of course, they're not exactly the same. The basic structure of Normal Attacks, Skills, Evasion, and ultimate skills are the same, but there are differences in detail. To explain in more detail, each Character has 2 Skills and 1 ultimate skill, and while Skills have no restrictions other than Cooldown, Tags and ultimate skills require separate Tag Points and ultimate skill gauges.

▲ Tag point on the left side of the health bar and ultimate skill gauge (bubble)

The key here is the Tag Point and the Special Attack Gauge. In The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, the reason why a well-coordinated party is stronger than a haphazardly assembled one is because it takes into account the synergy between the characters. The issue is that synergy doesn't just happen because you put a party together. To use Tags and Special Attacks, you need Tag Points and the Special Attack Gauge, and the way to fill these is simple: attack enemies. It's a natural consequence of combat. There's nothing more to explain.

In other words, the battle in The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin revolves around using skills and other abilities with a single character to fill a gauge, then tagging in another character to maximize synergy based on the situation. The combination of Tristan and Tioreh is a prime example. Tristan's Flame skill is key to quickly increasing the Flame attribute and triggering a Burst, while Tioreh's skill reduces the enemy's Flame attribute defense, allowing the two to rapidly accumulate Flame attributes on the enemy and trigger a Burst.

▲ The key is to consider synergy when forming a party

The use of tags doesn't just maximize synergy. It can also be used to disrupt some Bosses' patterns. During the Red Demon Boss fight, the Boss would sometimes glow blue during combat. If you tagged it at that time, you could disrupt its pattern and put it in a Groggied state. Maximizing synergy is important, but since you can also disrupt powerful attacks, it might be better to save your tags to disrupt patterns depending on the situation.

▲ Some of the Boss's patterns can be interrupted with a Tag Skill, so use this strategically

A synergy is an element that can be considered the pinnacle of a party combination. To briefly explain synergy, if you create a party with Characters that have a connection, like Tristan and Fiori, you can use their ultimate skills jointly.

Each Character requires a gauge to use their ultimate skill, so you need to collect a lot of ultimate skill gauge. However, they boast powerful performance that makes these disadvantages negligible. The ultimate skill effects are changed and special effects are applied to the combo, so they show performance that goes beyond simply using two people's ultimate skills.

▲ It's best to use Hapgi when you have at least two people

Despite how strong synergies are, the system has one notable drawback. It was impossible to know which characters could use the skill. If you know the original story, you can roughly guess the combinations, such as Tristan and Fiori, Diane and King, Merlin and Escanor, but there was no explanation in-game about which characters could use the skill. Therefore, you had to try out every combination of characters to find out which ones could use the skill.

Since it is still CBT and there is still quite some time until next year's release, it was disappointing to consider that there is enough time to supplement and improve the convenience-related factors. It was difficult to understand properly because it is the differentiation point and core of The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin.

▲ In the CBT, I couldn't tell which Character I could use to form a Fusion with, so I had to test them all.

Official Launch on January 28, 2026 — Final Refinements Needed

The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin' is scheduled to be officially released on January 28, 2026. With less than three months left until the release, it can be predicted that the final polishing will be done after this CBT and the upcoming G-Star demo. In other words, the evaluation during this CBT is crucial. Fortunately, 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin' showed commendable completeness. From the overall content of the game to optimization, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

However, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Several quality-of-life features still need improvement.While progressing through the main story, I encountered some elements that felt cumbersome. There were also instances where the game failed to properly inform the player about certain crucial aspects, such as the previously mentioned techniques. In some cases, the design of certain patterns in Boss battles was so questionable that it made me wonder why they were designed that way.

▲ A boss that attacks your legs, while laying down a poison field to prevent you from striking back

▲ I wondered if it was really necessary for the Wind-type attacks to take this long to fill the gauge

It may seem like there are many complaints, but fortunately, it's not a fatal problem. In the case of the Boss pattern mentioned as an example, you can avoid the unpleasantness by reducing the range of the boss's attacks or AOE skills while maintaining the concept of dodging attacks and exploiting weaknesses. Additionally, you can make the attribute gauge fill up faster as you progress through the main story. It's not overly complicated, and there's plenty of time.

Except for a few minor disappointments, I thought that 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin' is a game that has many strengths. It contains many elements that remind you of the original, so if you know the original, you can enjoy it as you know it, as an independent original story based on the original, and if you don't know the original, you can enjoy it as you don't know it, and it also faithfully has the fun of an open-world action RPG.

After three long years of waiting, the Closed Beta Test for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin has proven that the time was not wasted. Quietly and steadily focusing on development, the results have exceeded expectations. Now, the final hurdle of official release is just ahead. With the CBT feedback, the final polishing phase should help the game launch in stronger form.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.