Blade & Soul Revolution Developer Q&A
Hyun Jin Jang_Blade & Soul Revolution Dev. Lead
Last month Netmarble and NCSoft set their sights on the global gaming market once again, announcing that Blade & Soul Revolution is coming to our audiences this year. The latest mobile evolution of the NCSoft portfolio looks set to be a treat for fans of the high adrenaline martial arts MMORPG Blade & Soul, and it has already managed a hugely successful launch on Eastern shores. Now, with a wave of NCSoft mobile games due to launch in the near future, we sat down to ask Hyun Jin Jang, Development Lead at Netmarble F&C, what to expect with the new Mobile Blade & Soul adventure and why you might want to pick up Blade & Soul Revolution before Blade & Soul 2 hits mobiles.
We’ve got some idea what to expect with the Blade & Soul branding. How close to the desktop MMO is this version going to be?
One of the important parts of the development direction of Blade & Soul Revolution was to portray original Blade & Soul of the PC version, so that players will share similar gaming experience to the original while playing Blade & Soul Revolution.
Why bring Blade & Soul to mobile at all?
One of the key characteristics of the original IP is its high quality combat compared to other action games. We focused our research and development to provide fascinating and fast-paced combat action that can be easily made on mobile platforms. Ultimately, we enabled easy controls and increased the depth of combat play by optimizing Blade & Soul for mobile platforms. We anticipated that if the original Blade & Soul’s open-world and fascinating graphic actions were added to the accessibility – which is the strength of the mobile platform, the game would be highly competitive in the market.
Back when Blade & Soul first came to desktop we watched the Hongmoon school burn. Are we going to relive those events or is this a whole new narrative?
Blade & Soul Revolution shares the same storyline as the PC version until the 4th Act after the fall of Hongmoon school. After that, the original story of Blade & Soul Revolution will proceed. When players experience the story, it will feel highly immersive, like if they were watching a movie. We will continue to add our own story and attractive characters in the future, so please look forward to that.
How do you make that leap from big to small screen without losing the essence of the original?
We have done a lot of research to make the game fit well on a mobile platform. The dev team members paid special attention to capturing the world and story of the original Blade & Soul, especially its splendid battles, characters and graphics.
Blade & Soul is well known for its free form combat and distinctive movement. How does that translate across to the small screen?
The actions and battles of the original Blade & Soul have been implemented well in Blade & Soul Revolution. We recreated Blade & Soul Revolution’s unique combat mechanics, such as chained skill system, and UI but tailored to the mobile environment so that players can experience the same familiar feeling, especially during Faction War. We believe that this difference will appeal to players across the globe.
How close to the L2 revolutions format will this look and feel?
While Lineage 2 Revolution features in-depth MMORPG systems, Blade & Soul Revolution stands out from those titles with its emphasis on fast martial arts combat that encourages active gameplay, and a fully integrated faction warfare system that encourages the community to work together to ensure their faction is the most powerful group in the game. In Blade & Soul Revolution, players can manipulate the character from a free viewpoint on the field or fly through air. Also, the character level and equipment growth system, especially the combat system are all different. When playing in PvP, players need to have skills such as high level of chained skill that is similar to the level of action fighting game or control ability to use evasion skill. These features are very unique to Blade & Soul Revolution.
What classes can we expect and how do you transfer these to the small screen?
At launch, 4 Races (Jin, Yun, Gon, Lyn) and 5 Classes (Blade Master, Kung Fu Master, Destroyer, Force Master, Summoner) will be available for players to enjoy.
There are two distinctive features to Blade & Soul Revolution . Frist, it portrays the graphics, skills and combat systems of existing PC Blade & Soul and fits well onto a mobile platform. Second, Blade & Soul Revolution’s unique characters, equipment growth, balance acquisition of goods and items and related content. We went through a development process to focus on those two.
What monetization structure can we expect with Blade & Soul Revolution?
The game follows free-to-play model, and the monetization structure includes various price ranges of item packages for character growth with high efficiency. Also, there are items that can be purchased when reaching a certain level, completing a mission, or logging on to the game every day.
While this doesn’t give us a hands on, I’m already pre registered to jump into Blade & Soul and see exactly how a Blademaster handles on a small screen. If you’re also ready to hunt down Jinsoyun once more then you can find out more about Blade & Soul Revolution over on the official website and pre register now before it glides onto iOS and Android.
