The landscape of free-to-play video games is increasingly aggressive. From massively multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) to hero shooters, large-scale gacha role-playing games, and battle royales, the options for satisfying PvP cravings without upfront financial investment are numerous.
Amongst an increasingly congested gaming landscape, free-to-play (F2P) titles must delicately balance their offerings to remain competitive and maintain visibility amidst a constant stream of new releases each month. When something is deemed “free”, another activity often takes its place, requiring a significant investment of time or effort over the long term. To sustain a successful free-to-play game over an extended period, several factors come into play.
Naraka: Bladepoint has garnered significant attention from its dedicated fan base, boasting tens of thousands of daily players globally on Steam alone. With a significant proportion of its player base rooted in China, my curiosity was piqued after attending the Naraka J Cup World Championships last year; I sought to understand the game’s enduring appeal better. However, its developer, 24 Entertainment, is undoubtedly keen on expanding its global reach across various territories too.
While competing at the World Championships, I found that Naraka: Bladepoint is largely issue-free with only minor exceptions.
Initially, the game draws upon China’s rich linguistic tradition and historical heritage, presenting a more realistic graphical model than comparable titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, offering an authentically distinct experience that diverges from Western video games without feeling like spinoffs of their own gachas. With its unique take on the Battle Royale genre, the game incorporates a dynamic melee combat system reminiscent of iconic kung fu films deeply ingrained in Chinese pop culture globally.
Notwithstanding, I genuinely believe that its primary distinguishing feature is the extraordinary profundity and intricacy of its combat mechanisms, which Naraka executives liken more closely to a fighting game than a Battle Royale? While many melee games with complex combo strings and technical execution demands can feel like button-mashing affairs, even those with “one-button fight” mechanics, Naraka’s unique blend of skill-based nuance and fast-paced combat presents a steep learning curve that may deter new players if they’re immediately thrown into a match against experienced opponents.
With a deliberate effort to breach its perceived impenetrability, Naraka: Bladepoint appears to be widening its scope and inviting familiar figures to fill the gap.
Initially, our team decided to adopt a cautious approach by leveraging the buyout model for sales, notes Fei Hoing, Lead Designer at Naraka: Bladepoint. “Despite this, as recently as last year, we were proud to have exceeded 20 million registered players.” With our adoption of an open approach, we’ve embarked on a collaborative journey to elevate the sport, convinced that this path will yield the most promising results. The strategy has successfully introduced naraka: bladepoint to more than 40 million gamers, also bringing forth an abundance of high-quality user-generated content and additional features.
The shift to free-to-play has significantly reduced the entry threshold, effortlessly drawing in a broader audience eager to experience the thrill of intense close-quarters combat and immersive battle royale gameplay. Following the transition, Naraka: Bladepoint has pursued a diverse range of collaborative partnerships, including those with Nier, Bruce Lee, The Soul Land, and announcements of upcoming collaborations with Tomb Raider and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at Naraka Fest Direct 2024, infusing the game with fresh energy.
It’s not just about smoothly ushering people through the doorway alongside Geralt’s charismatic smile and an intriguing premise, leaving little to no impression once they’ve crossed the threshold. As Naraka’s biggest hurdle lies in keeping potential fans engaged for long enough to grasp its mechanics, a crucial aspect of building player experience.
“I envision a pivotal challenge being attuned to the gamers’ sentiments, deciphering their latent desires, and responding to their pleas for enhanced game experiences and innovative gameplay mechanics,” he posits.
Seamless wall-running and grappling hook features provide an effortless pursuit experience. The Rebirth appeal offers a second chance to gamers who have unexpectedly fallen short. In the Realm of Yang, players seeking a haven for intense, strategic one-on-one combat will find their ultimate destination. In the realm of first-person shooter (FPS) video games, excessive-risk air deliveries previously perceived as perilous in close combat were reevaluated and subsequently revamped, transforming them into “Spirit Nicely” zones – strategic areas requiring capture to unlock valuable rewards. Following the sport’s successful launch, numerous updates have been implemented, with a significant focus on incorporating feedback from our gaming community. After grasping the essence of their requests, we meticulously deliberate and subsequently infuse targeted alterations back into the game, a move that resonates with the allure of online gaming experiences.
“To show appreciation for their loyalty, we offered existing players a generous bundle of in-game currency and exclusive skins, demonstrating our commitment to making both newcomers and veterans feel valued.”
Despite this, attempting to perfectly cater to passionate gamers in an experience as complex as Naraka may inadvertently exacerbate concerns over accessibility, ultimately creating a more exclusive community by design. Instead of catering solely to hardcore gamers, 24 Leisure provides professional gaming arenas that feature tailored restrictions on staff compositions, allowing teams to adapt and innovate by making strategic pick bans, thereby redefining the style of play?
According to Fei Hoing, it’s not just skilled gamers that set them apart, but also high-scoring enthusiasts and individuals consumed by discovering combinations, whose focus often diverges significantly from that of the general population.
“We prioritise customer satisfaction by incorporating stability adjustments.” To maintain consistency among top performers in the competitive realm, we establish limitations through guidelines, as exemplified by rules prohibiting a single hero from being employed by an individual no more than twice.
As the coherence and consistency of character development within a game establish the foundation for driving long-term growth and evolution? We grant gamers early access to test new characters in our preview environment, allowing them to gain hands-on experience before official release and rapidly refine their performance based on player feedback. Despite this, fresh content is crucial because giving back to players is a game’s greatest gift. Innovative additions like new game modes, weapons, characters, and costumes empower players to explore fresh creative endeavors, fostering a community that thrives on generating unique content.
One prominent example of how 24 Leisure effectively integrates fresh content is through the introduction of new characters. In the latest installment of Naraka Bladepoint, Lyam Liu makes his debut as a martial arts master with the extraordinary ability to manipulate steel, embodying the perfect fusion of fantasy and traditional Chinese culture that Naraka aims to showcase.
“In his role as a character, Fei Hoing aims to bridge the gap between the martial arts and historic courtroom settings, weaving a rich tapestry of lore in Naraka: Bladepoint that captures the essence of both worlds.” Copywriters typically develop brand heroes first, crafting characters, visuals, and backstories that bring these icons to life. Primarily driven by a hero planner’s refinement of the hero’s skills, the latter leverages those abilities to unleash expertise. Incredibly, Akos Hu’s early life began with being rescued from a tiger’s den as an infant. It is logical to assume that his unique upbringing might have instilled certain skills or abilities, which could be reflected in his design philosophy, heavily influenced by the “tiger” aspect of his formative years.
While conventionally rooted in Chinese martial arts tradition, Lyam Liu’s persona embodies a fusion of backgrounds, identities, and characters that transcend traditional notions of “martial arts fanatics”. Practitioners adhere rigorously to the precepts governing martial arts and spiritual development, devoting themselves to a lifelong pursuit of self-improvement through relentless progression towards greater strength. In reality, individuals driven by an insatiable thirst for power are motivated by a profound inner desire rather than external pressures or scrutiny. The relentless drive to excel mirrors the unyielding dedication of top athletes seeking to outdo their previous performances.
Among the martial arts aficionados, the Lyam Liu household occupies a unique niche. The five primary households of the Wuji martial arts realm are a prominent entity. Attributable to their innate affinity for steel, which resonates with China’s Five Elements doctrine, a family has acquired mining, excavation, and entrepreneurial rights, thereby becoming the “iron officials” serving the court.
Inside the Naraka meta, each character has a specific role to play; however, professional gamers and content creators assert that 24 Leisure intentionally disrupts this balance by introducing overpowered weapons and meticulously fine-tuning new heroes to rival the best in Naraka Bladepoint?
Shayol Wei, the stalwart defender, boasts an impressive capacity for soaking up damage while utilizing her ultimate ability to seamlessly transition into devastating counterattacks that can swiftly turn the tide of battle in her favor. Given the unpredictability inherent in his playing style, it’s hardly surprising that Lyam Liu excels at executing longer sequences of complex combos and manipulating house positions, thereby not only disrupting opponents’ defenses but also enabling him to adapt and counterbalance the incredible mobility of previously dominant characters like Hadi.
According to participant feedback, it’s clear that Lyam Liu excels in solo performance, with Fei Hoing noting this observation. His greatest asset lies in his ability to seamlessly combine diverse weapons into extended combos that leave opponents reeling. With exceptional range capabilities and strategic aptitude, he serves as an invaluable asset on the team, excelling at initiating engagements and confounding foes in two-player and three-player modes.
“Lyam excels at executing diverse lengthy combo attacks, making heroes who facilitate extended combos ideal teammates, such as Yueshan, Tessa, Viper Ning, and Tianhai.” In addition to reliable friends, heroes like Ziping, with their exceptional ability to forgive mistakes, make excellent travel partners.
Amid prolonged combos, he is particularly susceptible to being disrupted by control-oriented champions like Tessa, Valda Cui, and Viper Ning.
Despite ensuring balance by buffing newer characters, this approach can inadvertently make original heroes feel underpowered, posing a significant issue for new players who start with these characters. To combat this challenge, 24 Leisure is dedicated to accelerating the development of each character to their current level in the game as soon as possible.
“We’re not going to completely overhaul the hero characters,” Fei Hoing clarifies. While attempting to balance the capacities of many protagonists mainly by combining talents. When considering power, heroes’ abilities can be fine-tuned according to a standardized benchmark, whereas individual expertise is optimized by addressing each hero’s unique pain points.
Naraka Bladepoint is now available for free download on Steam, as well as on Xbox Series consoles and the PlayStation platform. The game features a dynamic in-game marketplace that allows players to purchase microtransactions for bespoke outfits, unique skins, and a wide range of customization items.
