NC revealed the battle system, content loop, and long-term operational plans for Asora: Wish Upon a Star during the Tokyo Game Show. The game will enter closed beta testing in its next phase, with test schedules and participation details to be announced soon. The first round of testing will support mobile devices only.
Asora: Wish Upon a Star is a magical RPG set in a fictionalized Tokyo. Players take on the role of a "Chief," a junior civil servant in the "Special Ward Office" responsible for managing mage administration, interacting with various characters and events through storylines, battles, and daily activities. The development team plans to continuously add new stories, characters, and events after the official launch.
The game's combat blends turn-based decision-making with the tension of real-time battles. Players need to allocate action resources by using skill combos and character switching coordination, while predicting enemy actions and expanding their advantage through "Territory Declaration" and "Artifact Release." The team stated that the system emphasizes prediction and strategic planning rather than reaction speed.
Characters are presented from different angles across three aspects: story segments use standing illustrations, close-up animations, and voice acting to shape personalities; battles feature 3D models with exclusive animations for key skills; and free time allows players to learn about characters' daily lives and build relationships. The main storyline plans to provide full Japanese voiceovers for all dialogue.
The closed beta will focus on testing the loop between story, combat, and daily content, as well as the overall smoothness of the experience on mobile devices. The test content will allow players to fully experience this loop, with an estimated playtime of 3 to 5 days. At official launch, the game plans to offer over 30 characters, with around 10 groups available for players to control.
The development team cited the competitive tension of Tekken and Street Fighter as references for battle design, while also incorporating the strategic elements of action point systems. The art style draws inspiration from light novels and magical题材 works from the early 2000s, with Tokyo chosen as the primary setting.
The game plans to launch simultaneously in markets including Korea, Japan, the United States, and Europe. The team is considering a PC version in the long term and has already conducted internal builds, but mobile experience remains the priority at this stage; the closed beta will not support PC, and the business model has not yet been announced.