On July 25, 2024, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the third batch of selected games for the third phase of the "China Star Project." The list included three games: "Jue Xiao," "Codename: Jin Yi Wei," and "Loulan: Cursed Sand." Among them, "Jue Xiao" and "Codename: Jin Yi Wei" had relatively complete gameplay demonstrations, while "Loulan: Cursed Sand" only revealed a few concept images. As mysterious as the ancient kingdom its name represents, it inevitably sparked considerable curiosity.
Additionally, the developer of "Loulan: Cursed Sand" is ChillyRoom, which is surprising information. Previously, ChillyRoom had been deeply involved in the pixel 2D game sector. Although they demonstrated excellent action game design skills in "Otherworld Legends," it remains uncertain what kind of game they will produce in the 3D action domain.
Fortunately, after more than a year, "Loulan: Cursed Sand" has finally lifted a corner of its mysterious veil, revealing glimpses of its true form at Bilibili's "You Xian Kan" event. We were also fortunate to receive an invitation from Bilibili to try out the DEMO content of "Loulan: Cursed Sand" in advance. Based on this试玩 (trial play) experience, I have written this preview report.
According to the producer, the development team for "Loulan: Cursed Sand" consists of 16 people, a small-to-medium-sized team. Consequently, they did not aim for AAA-scale production in terms of game size.
From a genre perspective, "Loulan: Cursed Sand" is a traditional linear top-down ARPG, a type that is relatively rare nowadays. First, top-down or 2.5D ARPGs have mostly shifted towards Roguelike directions. Second, modern ARPGs often incorporate some "Souls-like" elements. An ARPG with straightforward, classic gameplay like "Loulan: Cursed Sand" is becoming increasingly scarce.
The game is set along the ancient Silk Road in the Western Regions. Players take on the role of a royal guard known as the "Cursed Sand," entering the ancient kingdom of Loulan to search for their beloved. Since it is a DEMO, the story was not heavily featured in this trial. However, the protagonist's setting derived from this theme is quite interesting.
Ultimately, ARPGs depend on their action gameplay. Part of the foundation for this game's action mechanics stems from its story background. The development team summarized the action experience as "Blade, Bone, Sand," a description that is quite accurate.
The protagonist frequently switches between skeleton and human forms, with "Sand" being the key factor influencing this transformation. Before acquiring the ability to control sand, the protagonist remains entirely in skeleton form, with only a blade as their offensive tool. After a certain stage in the DEMO, the protagonist absorbs a large amount of sand to revert from skeleton to human form. This process closely resembles scenes from "The Mummy" series where Imhotep restores his flesh using sand. Indeed, all non-physical attack methods used by the protagonist in this game are related to "Sand."
The action system in this game consists of two components: "Blade" and "Sand."
There is no need to elaborate much on the "Blade" part, as it is largely similar to many action games we have encountered recently, representing a relatively common template.
However, it is worth noting that the weapon action system presented in the DEMO is quite solid. Although having only two slash animations might seem simplistic, it still possesses considerable depth. Besides normal slashes, players can use charged heavy attacks and parries. Charged heavy attacks can effectively interrupt the attack animations of most unshielded enemies, including large ones. Parries, besides interrupting any action, can also lead to powerful counterattacks.
The addition of charged heavy attacks and parrying allows players to handle many scenarios using only the blade. Additionally, the parry window provided in the game is quite generous. Whether in boss battles or against regular enemies, parrying can even be used as a primary offensive and压制 (suppression) tactic.
Furthermore, players can learn different actions using skill points during the gameplay. For instance, actions derived from parry counters can also be triggered after normal attack combos. The "Izanagi Drop" derived from grabbing enemies is also learned through skill points. Since the talent tree shown in the DEMO is incomplete, it is difficult to judge the full scope of the base action system. However, just with normal attacks, charges, and parries, the "Blade" module is already sufficient.
Because the "Sand" aspects of the action are the main highlight of this game.
The "Sand" mechanics in this game are quite unique, forming a system distinct from standard physical attacks. When the protagonist is possessed by "Sand," they transform from a skeleton into a human, gaining an additional attack method: launching long-range sand shurikens. Some enemies in the game, enveloped in a yellow glow, can only be defeated using "Sand"-related attacks.
After charging up the sand shuriken, the projectile condenses all the "Sand" on the character to form a giant shuriken and launch it. Using this move causes the protagonist to revert from human to skeleton form, temporarily losing the ability to use "Sand" until the shuriken returns. This mechanic bears some resemblance to the "Witch Hair" mechanic in the "Bayonetta" series.
At first glance, this might seem like a move with negative effects. However, it's quite the opposite; this mechanic is the most interesting aspect of the current DEMO. When players throw the giant shuriken without actively recalling it, it remains on the battlefield. This stationary giant shuriken becomes an interactive object with multiple ways to interact with it.
The thrown giant shuriken deals continuous damage to enemies on the field. Players can use normal attacks to make it spin faster and direct it toward desired locations.
Players can also directly use the grappling hook skill to grab the shuriken and bring it in front of them. At this point, the constantly spinning shuriken becomes a shield, blocking many ranged attacks and damaging nearby enemies. When the shield is not needed, players can repeatedly throw it to attack enemies.
By continuously grabbing and throwing, this giant shuriken can even achieve effects similar to the "Blood Droplet" (a traditional Chinese flying weapon).
Additionally, similar to the "Blade," actions related to "Sand" can be enhanced using skill points. After enhancement, various actions gain additional effects or衍生 (derivatives), such as splashing extra "sand bullets" to attack enemies when hitting shurikens on the field.
Charging, recalling, grabbing, striking, and holding—this action system designed around the giant shuriken provides the game's combat with diverse operational choices and a novel gameplay experience. It does not strictly follow conventional action game design logic, nor does it simply offer stronger options for players. In fact, players who use this action system less frequently when first starting out might perform better in combat.
It seems more like a product凝聚 (condensing) the development team's whimsical ideas, an action template rich in possibilities capable of carrying more functions, and... a toy.
Its presence significantly enhances the fun factor of combat. While players use precise controls and powerful skills to obliterate enemies, they can also engage in an additional layer of gameplay by interacting with the "moves" they themselves have unleashed during battle.
This extra layer of fun makes the combat experience in this title truly distinctive. Moreover, judging from the game's trailer, the application of the "Sand" concept goes far beyond what was shown in the DEMO. In the mid-to-late stages of the game, players will be able to perform actions such as spraying sand, burrowing underground, and teleporting. It will be exciting to see how these abilities introduce new dynamics to combat.
Besides the action system, the map exploration in this game is also worth mentioning.
Overall, the game follows a linear level-based structure typical of action games. However, through some "Metroidvania-style" level designs, the game offers additional趣味 (fun) in map exploration.
Although the levels shown in the DEMO generally follow a single route, the level maps are not flat planes but rather three-dimensional structures composed of many "layers." Players can find岔道 (branching paths) with hidden items or shortcuts that reduce traversal costs by breaking obstacles or jumping off platforms. Since the DEMO did not unlock all paths in the levels, we cannot yet judge the intricacy of the level design. However, when taking an elevator upwards in the later part of theFlow程 (process), one could see many unexplored areas in the background. From this perspective, the game's map possesses一定的 (certain) potential for discovery. Weapons, accessories, and rage skills in this game can also serve as rewards for map exploration.
Furthermore, according to the development team, the game will incorporate "Metroidvania-style" "ability locks" during map exploration. This means players must acquire specific abilities to access certain areas. This aspect was not extensively showcased in the DEMO, limited to interactions between charged shurikens and specific mechanisms on the map. However, in the game's trailer, abilities such as transforming into sand to pass through iron gates or burrowing underground clearly indicate they will play a significant role in map exploration.
Interestingly, acquiring new abilities during the game flow not only effectively improves players' map exploration efficiency but also brings more variety to combat.
In addition to head-on clashes with enemies, the combat in this game features numerous extra interactive elements. The DEMO prominently showcases the use of the grappling hook. Besides allowing players to leap over impassable terrain, the grappling hook can be used in combat to grab small enemies and throw them at other foes. In levels where enemies spawn outside platforms, this technique helps players quickly resolve situations where they are being focused fire by ranged enemies from multiple directions.
For enemies that cannot be grabbed, such as the Minotaur, players can use the grappling hook to pick up stones thrown onto the field by the enemy. By throwing these stones, players can quickly reduce the enemy's health and cause stagger. This means that an ability originally intended for map exploration can also be used to change the tide of battle.
Exploration, combat, and progression—the various gameplay systems in "Loulan: Cursed Sand" are tightly interconnected, showcasing the completeness of the game's design. The interactive elements within the combat system, where players engage with their own moves, also bring a fresh sense of novelty to the gameplay.
Therefore, although it is only an early DEMO, if subsequent content filling and game optimization do not encounter major issues, "Loulan: Cursed Sand" has great potential to become a standout new action game that catches players' attention.
Anyway, I had quite a bit of fun playing with my own shuriken in the DEMO.