Recently, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes interview video for the Indian AAA action game "Son of Thanjai" was released, revealing development details. Set in a fictionalized 11th-century Chola Dynasty of South India, the game will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with a release date yet to be announced.
Video Preview:
The studio is equipped with its own self-developed full-body motion capture lab, and all combat and character performance animations in the game are captured and recorded on-site. The video showcases the game's motion capture filming process and city-state scene development assets. It also features numerous realistic and gory combat scenes, recreating the fighting style of Kalaripayattu, the ancient Indian martial art.
Players assume the role of Vinnendhiran, a 19-year-old Chola prince who, after being betrayed and exiled from his pampered upbringing, infiltrates the empire alone to dismantle it from within. The development team consists of only around 30 people, but they invited renowned Tamil screenwriters to craft the entire plot, dialogue, and original soundtrack. The game supports full Tamil voice acting and is India's first locally developed AAA open-world single-player game aimed at a global release.
The core weapon in this game is the flexible steel whip-sword, Surul Vaal, capable of sweeping through large groups of enemies. It is complemented by traditional ancient Indian weapons such as the Aruvaal short blade and Valari throwing boomerangs. Combat isn't just about killing; beheadings, executions, and ambushing generals can break enemy morale, causing foes to scatter, beg for mercy, or flee. Players can use terrain to split enemy formations. The game features no enemy highlighting aids, relying instead on disguise, creating chaos, and eavesdropping to infiltrate strongholds, where even minor mistakes can trigger full-area alerts.
