On the eve of ChinaJoy 2024, Sony Interactive Entertainment Shanghai presented a new game Unending Dawn, developed by the Chinese studio PARCEA’S FATE STUDIO. This is an open-world action RPG in anime style, which promises challenging battles in the spirit of “soulslikes”. We have prepared for you a translation of an interview with the game’s producer Yin Chao, published on the popular Japanese gaming portal 4gamer.com.
Thank you for your valuable time. But let’s get straight to the point. How did the development of Unending Dawn begin?
Initially, we had the desire to create a new game based on our experience and knowledge. Since most of our team members have extensive experience in 3D graphics development, we thought that giving players even more choice in the action RPG genre would be beneficial both for them and for the market as a whole.
Action RPG is a popular genre, but at the same time it has a lot of competitors. Didn’t that bother you?
As I said before, we are trying to create a better game using our experience, so high competition does not bother us. Of course, we are trying to find our place by adding elements that distinguish our game from others.
What specific elements distinguish your game from others?
First of all, it’s the combat mechanics. We want to create a game with a high difficulty level that will allow players to constantly improve their skills and enjoy the process of developing their character. In my opinion, modern open-world games often focus on adventure elements such as puzzles and exploration.
I recently played the game and can confirm that the combat is truly impressive. So why did you decide to use anime graphics?
Firstly, we have a lot of people on our team who have a lot of experience in animation. And secondly, we wanted to attract a younger audience. Even though our gameplay is pretty hardcore, we decided to use anime graphics to attract a wider audience, especially younger players. Plus, many of us on the team are big anime fans.
As you mentioned, Japan produces a lot of great anime. But in the anime action RPG genre, Chinese developers have made significant strides. Why do you think China has advanced so far in this genre?
I think one of the main reasons for the popularity of Chinese anime action RPGs is the success of miHoYo. miHoYo’s success is a combination of objective factors and coincidences. I don’t think it’s worth simply copying their model. But having a founder who is passionate about anime, who created something that he himself loves, and still succeeds, inspires others to make even better games.
When successful examples appear around you, it is natural that you want to achieve the same result.
I think that in the last few years, Chinese animation, apart from the gaming industry, has made a huge step forward. In just a year, everything has changed beyond recognition. And I am sure that Japanese anime played a key role in this. We always have great respect for Japanese animation and consider it a kind of “big brother” from which we constantly learn.
You mentioned earlier that there are both patterns and randomness to miHoYo’s success. Can you elaborate on that?
In the gaming industry, where not every project is successful, I think a certain amount of luck is still necessary for every release to be a hit. Initially, miHoYo was a company that invested all its resources into developing a single project.
Putting all your energy into something that’s not going to be successful is pretty risky from a business perspective, right?
However, I think it is precisely because we don’t think too much about the commercial side of things and are completely immersed in creating a game we love that we succeed. This is the “necessity” I am talking about.
I see. Indeed, this is not an approach that can be easily copied. Let’s change the subject a bit. Please tell us why you decided to participate in the China Hero Project (hereinafter CHP).
We initially contacted SIE to inquire about console game development. There are very few companies in China that make console games, so it felt like there was a distance, like there was a wall between us. I even thought we would have to create a separate team to develop the console version.
Then I met Bao (that’s the same Bao Bo who leads CHP) and we discussed a lot. In the end, we both came to the conclusion that we should join forces, and we joined CHP. With the comprehensive technical support, we were able to successfully develop the PlayStation version.
Were there any benefits to this?
Yes, we realized that PlayStation makes it much easier to port games. And I think the walls we initially felt have been broken down. CHP invites overseas developers and gives lectures, which has greatly expanded our knowledge. For example, the producer of the Spider-Man series explained to us the importance of controller vibration and how to implement it.
If you did everything yourself, you would hardly have the opportunity to get detailed advice from foreign developers, right?
Absolutely right. Moreover, when we create a demo, they play long sessions and give us very detailed feedback. For example, they can say: “The effects should be changed like this” or “The level should be improved like this”. The biggest benefit of participating in CHP is that it has greatly expanded our horizons.
Let’s talk about Unending Dawn’s combat system, which is one of its defining features. While playing the demo, I noticed that the game has soulslike elements, but the difficulty is quite balanced and not as tough as typical soulslikes. What was the purpose of this approach to difficulty settings?
I think you didn’t get far enough into the game during the press demo. In reality, the enemies that appear later in the game are much stronger and harder to defeat.
So the game will eventually be as hard as real soulslikes? Does that mean the enemies at the start of the game will be pretty easy?
Yes, that’s right. We want players to be able to get used to the gameplay early on and not quit, and to have really challenging bosses at the end. We believe that many Soulslike players give up before they can appreciate the depth of the game due to its high difficulty.
I also often encounter this problem, so I understand you very well.
It is true that Elden Ring has become a huge hit and millions of people play it. But I think that there have been some steps taken to reduce the difficulty. For example, the use of an open world and a large variety of weapons give players more freedom of choice. We also adhere to this philosophy and therefore reduced the difficulty at the beginning of the game.
The game has an element that is typical for soulslikes: a yellow bar that shows the enemy’s condition, his balance. If you dodge or block an enemy’s attack, this bar is depleted, and the enemy becomes defenseless, allowing you to inflict many blows on him. What is the purpose of introducing such a system?
We wanted to create a unique combat experience that is different from typical Chinese action games. As many players have already noticed, this system was inspired by SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE. Chinese action games often focus on flashy moves and combos, but in reality, combat is not just about showing off your skills.
This is true.
We wanted players to consider not only their own actions, but also those of their opponents. That’s why we added this bar, which reflects not only an attack, but also defensive actions such as blocking or parrying. When the bar is depleted, it’s time for impressive combinations from the player. So there’s a clear distinction between defense and attack.
You mentioned that the game will support multiplayer. During a recent demo, I was told that the details were still being finalized. Can you elaborate on how you envision multiplayer?
We want to create a game that will be equally interesting in both single and multiplayer modes. After a certain progress in the game, players will be able to invite friends and play the game together. We are thinking about groups of 3-4 people.
In that case, will the characteristics of the characters or enemies be changed?
We don’t plan for a boss to become four times stronger if four players attack it at the same time. One of our goals is to lower the barrier to entry into the game. Also, when more people play, they can blame each other for the defeat, which also reduces the psychological pressure.
I see (laughs).
There are many examples of how increasing the number of players makes the game easier. For example, the RTS genre, originally designed for 1v1, evolved into MOBA with 5v5. The popular Chinese MOBA Honor of Kings even has a 10v10 mode.
I think a lot depends on the character of the player, but when there are a lot of people playing, it is indeed easier to take a defeat more calmly.
You said that many players abandon soulslikes without having time to appreciate their depth. What is the most interesting thing for you in games of this genre?
I’ll tell you about my experience. I’m not very good at action games, so when I was playing Sekiro, I spent 8 hours on the first boss. My wife came to me several times and said: “Go eat.” But every time she came, a big “Death” sign appeared on the screen…
(Laughs) You are very persistent to play for 8 hours straight.
Rather, I couldn’t stop, I didn’t even feel tired. And when I finally beat that boss, I felt an incredible sense of satisfaction. But thinking about it later, I realized that it wasn’t just because of beating the boss, but rather because of the process, over those 8 hours I gradually mastered the controls, became stronger.
So, you think that this process is the most interesting thing in games of this genre?
Yes, but 8 hours is too long for the average player. So with Unending Dawn, we want players to first feel a sense of achievement in a few minutes or half an hour of play, and then, once they get the hang of it, be able to dive into multi-hour sessions.
We are looking forward to it. We don’t have much time left, so we would like to know about your plans for the future. When is the release planned?
This is the first public demonstration of the game, and development is still ongoing. But we would like to do a closed test to get feedback from players. Ideally, the game will be released next year, but a lot will depend on whether we find a publisher and the timeline agreed upon with them.
Finally, what would you like to say to players waiting for the release of your game?
Unending Dawn is a new anime-style soulslike with long-term support. We need to understand how the market will react to such a new product, and we want to create a game that will meet the expectations of players. Therefore, we will listen carefully to your feedback.
Thank you very much for the interview.
