{"id":1231643,"date":"2026-02-25T21:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=608227"},"modified":"2026-02-25T21:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:12:08","slug":"chinas-next-big-game-is-wowing-fans-with-its-high-gloss-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/chinas-next-big-game-is-wowing-fans-with-its-high-gloss-action\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s next big game is wowing fans with its high gloss action"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blood Message<\/em> is the first narrative-driven game in development by NetEase, the Chinese publisher behind hits like Marvel Rivals<\/a> <\/em>and Naraka: Bladepoint<\/em>, and it\u2019s swinging for the fences based on its first moody trailer. <\/p>\n

The game is a third-person action-adventure game that has a hint of Uncharted meets Assassin\u2019s Creed, which is another way of saying that it looks like a big-budget AAA game where the sheen as important as the gameplay itself. You play as a \u201cmessenger\u201d and his son, both of whom are caught up in an uprising that will test their familial ties and country loyalty.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how NetEase is describing it:<\/p>\n

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Set during the final years of the Tang Dynasty, players will traverse a treacherous 3,000-li (around 1,000 miles) odyssey back to Chang\u2019an, the heart of the Tang Empire. Cross lethal landscapes including desolate deserts and the vast wilderness of East and Central Asia to survive brutal sieges, unforgiving terrain, and overwhelming odds. The game\u2019s setting in the last years of the Tang Dynasty provides a cultural landmark of Chinese history that frames the story with customs, culture, and rich history of the era.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Blood Message <\/em>is the latest example of China flexing its growing dominion over prestige game development<\/a>, and the enormous potential for the medium as cultural export. In the same way Black Myth: Wukong<\/a><\/em> garnered interest by tapping into a popular Chinese novel, Blood Message<\/em> looks toward Wuxia as inspiration for its setting. It\u2019ll likely be a hit regionally, if not globally, through the sheer strength of its visuals and novel influences. <\/p>\n

At the same time, there\u2019s something deeply derivative at the core of Blood Message<\/em>, a game that wears its intention of courting mainstream appeal on its sleeve. The visuals are impressive, but the art direction looks like something out of an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo. Like, literally. Here\u2019s the reveal for the engine from five years ago; it also looks like an Uncharted action game partially set in a desert landscape full of vaguely cultural artifacts.<\/p>\n

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