On August 26, the open-world wuxia game "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia," developed by Snail Games using Unreal Engine 5, officially launched at gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The first gameplay PV was released, and the Steam store page went live simultaneously.
Starting today, players can search for "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia" on Steam to view game details and add it to their wishlist.
— Real Environment, Real Objects, Real Kung Fu: Gameplay PV Reveals a New Jianghu
The gameplay PV released for "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia" includes demonstrations of open-world environments and inn combat sequences.
The PV initially showcases scenes with Jiangnan aesthetics, where taverns and tea houses blend with the sounds of the marketplace. Riding a horse through these streets brings the Jianghu atmosphere to life. Locations like Qiandeng Town, Yanyu Manor, Tea Manor, and the Salt Gang appear one by one. The music, unique to the Nine Yin Manual style, adds further wuxia charm and nostalgia. Scenes of practicing Qinggong using gourds highlight the imagination unique to the wuxia world. Various Jianghu inhabitants go about their lives, with scenes of blacksmithing and apothecaries outlining the daily gameplay of Jianghu life. The Jianghu belongs not only to heroes; everyone within it has their own story. Their obsessions, joys, sorrows, and fates subtly change through encounters with the player. Every step the player takes rewrites others' lives and reshapes the dynamics of the entire Jianghu.
The combat demonstration showcases the classic "Xu Shi Stance" system, presenting more flexible move combinations and offensive-defensive interplay. Facing different attacks, characters naturally chain dodges, parries, and counterattacks based on momentum and posture; after successfully evading an attack, they can follow up with techniques like acupoint striking to counter. Qinggong (lightness skill) is a hallmark of the Nine Yin Manual IP. In combat, it is no longer just about movement but integrates with borrowing and exerting force. Environmental objects such as load-bearing pillars, walls, tables, and chairs become fulcrums for leaping, flying kicks, and pursuit. During engagements, collisions between moves and internal energy create realistic feedback in the environment: tables and stools may sway from the impact or crack and topple when struck. Fallen characters do not vanish into thin air; stepping on them still produces physical feedback. Every detail reflects the dedication to creating an authentic martial arts world.
— From the Eastern Jianghu to a Global Encounter
On the first day of the expo, the booth for "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia" at Booth A-041 in Hall 8.1 (Consumer Booth at Hall 8.1, Booth A-041) of the Cologne International Exhibition Center drew huge crowds. The booth featured a strong wuxia aesthetic with elements like wooden dummies, while the first official gameplay PV played continuously on the LED screen, attracting players from around the world and allowing the Chinese martial arts world to meet global audiences in Cologne.
As an open-world game rooted in Chinese wuxia culture, "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia" brings more than just scenic landscapes and Jianghu atmosphere to global players at gamescom. It presents the "True Wuxia" as understood by the Nine Yin IP. This "truth" has its own warmth: seeing and countering moves during combat, soaring over eaves and treading waves while traveling; it captures both the bustling vitality of market streets and the unexpected romances of the Jianghu. True wuxia is not just about stats and levels, but is reflected in one's cultivation of internal energy, courage in action, and encounters within the Jianghu.
Now, as the spiritual successor to the Nine Yin IP, "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia" presents this "True Wuxia" in the form of an open world to global players for the first time.
The Jianghu has remained unchanged for years; today, it is up to you to change it. Visit the Steam store page and add it to your wishlist, awaiting the next encounter with "Nine Yin Manual: Wuxia."