'Sword Sage: Awakening' (original title: Yuan Gong Jian) is a martial arts action RPG developed by Chengdu Sword Panda Games, a startup based in Chengdu, China. The 25-person team was founded in January 2022 by veterans of the package game industry who previously worked at Ubisoft Chengdu/Shanghai and Virtuos. The game is being published by 4Divinity. It is set in a fictional world of immortal cultivation (xiuxian), inspired by the legend of the 'White Ape and the Maiden of Yue' and the classic novel 'Ping Yao Zhuan' (The Demon Subduing Story).

The core of the game is combat. There is no blocking or dodging. The game's identity can be summarized by a unique combat system called 'Pi Qing Ru Hong,' which involves parrying enemy attacks to deflect them and immediately diving into a counterattack.

Producer 'Sam Wu' answered a wide range of questions during a media briefing and interview at the Bilibili First Look event, covering everything from combat design philosophy and world-building to weapon composition, plans for the full version, and a potential Korean release. Here are the highlights of the Q&A.

Q. You are a small team of 25. How do you evaluate the current state of the game?

" It's hard to give a score. We are a small team of only 25 people. It's difficult to create flashy graphics or high-quality cutscenes like a major AAA title. That's why we focused on 'combat.' If players feel that our combat system is well-made, that is enough for us, and we believe we are heading in the right direction.

Q. Where did you get the idea for the 'Pi Qing Ru Hong' system?

" It came from two sources. One is the martial arts I have been studying for over two years. Chinese martial arts have the concept of attacks from three directions: high, middle, and low. The other is Shinji Mikami's classic game, 'God Hand.' I combined these two to create the current system.

'Pi Qing' means flexibly avoiding an enemy's weapon and techniques without meeting them with force or blocking, while 'Ru Hong' means diving into that opening to counterattack. We compressed the two beats of 'avoiding and hitting' into one. We aimed to implement combat that resembles Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do—overcoming hardness with softness and using the opponent's strength to counter. That is why there is no dodge roll in this game at all. If the controls feel unfamiliar, you can equip two types of talismans to significantly lower the difficulty.

Q. Foreign users may find it difficult to read the Chinese characters for high, middle, and low. Do you have any plans to improve this?

" We plan to add an option in the full version. We intend to allow players to replace the Chinese characters for high, middle, and low with arrow symbols pointing up, middle, and down, making it easier for foreign users who cannot read Chinese characters to understand.

Q. I didn't get the dual swords in the demo. What kind of weapon are they?

" It's a heavy burden for new users to learn three swords from the start, so we only provided two in this demo. Dual swords are completely different from other weapons. They are weapons that emphasize precise timing inputs. If you successfully land the first and second hits according to the input frames displayed on the screen, a more powerful and flashy combo is triggered.

Q. It was a bit disappointing that there were no cinematic sequences in the boss fights.

" You're right. Those cinematic elements are currently in production. This build is still in the demo stage, so cutscenes, audio, and UI are all using placeholder resources. We will refine and improve these in the full version.

Q. Are there any systems or content that were not included in the demo or are still under development?

" This demo stage is the game's first large-scale stage, and it's a combination of the beginning and end sections. Therefore, the story for the middle stages has not been played yet. In the middle stages of the full version, a core system called the 'Forging System' will be unlocked. It is a system where you can craft your own weapons.

While the overall volume of content is implemented similarly, details like cutscenes will be much more refined in the full version. We are aiming for a total playtime of about 15 to 20 hours. The games we are benchmarking are titles like 'Sifu' and 'Hi-Fi RUSH.'

Q. How many types of weapons are there, and will there be ranged weapons? How many bosses will there be?

" All weapons are in the form of swords. That is also the reason for the game's title, 'Yuan Gong Jian.' Our goal is to showcase three final types of swords in the full version. You saw two today, and the other is the dual swords. We do not plan to include dedicated ranged weapons in the full version either. Instead, each weapon has unique ultimate skills, action styles, and Five Elements attributes, allowing for diverse combinations. We aim to have at least 20 types of bosses in the full version.

Q. The game has a strong Taoist flavor, but the protagonist's sword is combined with mechanical devices. How did you come up with this unique setting?

" It is based on a fictional world of immortal cultivation (xiuxian). This might be a somewhat unfamiliar concept to foreign friends, but we jokingly call it 'Cyber-Xiuxian' among ourselves. It's a blend of the Eastern concept of humans becoming immortals through cultivation with a cyberpunk sensibility.

We also integrated the mechanical technology of the ancient Chinese Mohist school. This is because the concept of creating tools and weapons with machines existed in actual ancient history. The fact that the protagonist's sword has mechanical parts and the narrative structure of becoming an immortal both came from this.

Q. Unlike recent action RPGs, the game is bright and colorful. Is there a reason for this?

" There are three reasons. First, I adapted the beautiful scenery of my hometown, Sichuan, as a motif. Second, since many recent games opt for a dark atmosphere, I wanted to provide a different visual experience. Third, the journey to becoming an immortal is itself a cheerful and enjoyable story. While some dark areas will appear in the full version depending on the story flow, we will maintain a bright and colorful tone overall.

Q. Is character customization supported?

" It will be supported in the full version. As you progress through the game, you can obtain and change the protagonist's hairstyles and various outfits. It will be similar to 'Stellar Blade,' where you unlock and apply outfits in-game.

Q. What is the official release schedule, and do you have a message for Korean gamers?

" We are still coordinating the development schedule, so it's difficult to confirm a specific release date yet. However, we expect to share more specific information or schedules for the next open test around the end of this year.

Regarding Korean users, I have been very impressed by excellent games recently released in Korea, such as 'Stellar Blade' and 'Lies of P,' and I personally really like them. It would be a great honor for me as a developer if discerning Korean users enjoy our game as well. Furthermore, I hope this opportunity will allow gamers from both Korea and China to interact and empathize more through the medium of games.