Nyheder
Genigods: Nezha could be Chinese mythology's own action-packed God of War
A
Alan Wen
Genigods: Nezha is arguably a combination of these two epics. For studio Genigod Labs—whose developers have around 20 years experience making games, previously working on mobile releases like My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero and Blade of God—it marks a shift into making a premium AAA title, with Genigods: Nezha being built in Unreal Engine 5.
There is certainly inspiration from Black Myth: Wukong, which was hailed as the dawn of premium AAA game development in China. But where Black Myth: Wukong took inspiration from the relatively modern Dark Souls, Genigods: Nezha harks back to a different (earlier) breed of action game.
"Our game is like God of War 3 with a balance of fast action and strategy," Producer Young Lau said. "Compared to other Chinese games, Black Myth: Wukong is like a superhero, Phantom Blade Zero is like wuxia punk. Our game is like a Chinese genesis myth."
Unlike the raging hulk Kratos or the mischievous boy in Ne Zha 2, this Nezha resembles a young woman (with high-fidelity facial capture powered by Unreal Engine 5's MetaHumans tech). Nezha is made into the first human from clay, water, and fire by Nüwa, the goddess of life. Creative Director Erdi Yao said that this interpretation was possible since in Chinese culture, Nezha's gender isn't fixed.
That fluid interpretation is quite appropriate to the way that Nezha's fighting style has been designed as well.
"Because you are made of water, you can copy and morph into other legendary heroes, like the fantasy world version of the T-1000," said Yao. "You have three fighting styles—one with your fists, second as a sword master, and third as a lancer, and you will have the ability to fight on the ground and in the sky."
The developers have similarly been inspired by Bruce Lee's philosophy to "Be water, my friend," a metaphor that the legendary martial artist used to describe taking a dynamic approach to real self-defense combat. This is implemented in the game through Nezha's Fluid-mystic mechanic. Essentially imbuing her with the power of sacred water (along with fluid water visual effects) she can flash-step to close distance on her opponents, maneuvering effortlessly between ground and air.
With first footage of Genigods: Nezha showing the protagonist dueling one-on-one with a boss called Xing Tian's Unbroken Frame, it may not come as a surprise that Yao brought up fighting games as foundational to the combat, including the genre's neutral mechanics and the ability to string together elaborate combos that can "juggle" your enemy and prevent them from recovering. This won't mean players will have to memorize long and complex inputs, though.
"For years, players have had a problem with stretching combos in fast action games, and it takes a long time to learn," Yao said. "So we made a control method like the modern one in Street Fighter 6, and this will help players start quickly."
Genigods: Nezha also includes relics that unlock special weapons and abilities, and Relic Fusion allows these to combine and form completely new powers—such as taking Nezha's multiple arms and combining it with the bow of the sun god to transform into something akin to a gatling archer.
While boss fights are a core to the game—and Genigods Lab plans to have around 60 enemies in total—this won't just be a boss rush. Nezha's epic quest spans 10 zones made from the bodies of colossal ancient gods. Unreal 5's capabilities allow for the development of a dynamic day-night and weather system, while Chaos Physics help visualize Nezha's power with destructible environments such as large buildings, trees, rocks and more.
You will also have companions in the form of legendary heroes Yi the Sun-Feller and Yu the Flood-Tamer. Perhaps the most important companion is the Heart of Sacred Water, which has different uses besides combat.
"The heart is also a container with water, so when you climb a big monster, you can collect water with the container to put out fire," Lau explained. "So there are puzzles to solve, and you will explore areas to get all the relics to grant you powers to defeat monsters. It's not just boss fights. Based on the different choice of relics you use, you will also unlock three different endings."
Having already spent several years preparing the pipeline for Genigods: Nezha, Genigods Lab is also envisioning it as the first of a trilogy of games, much like Kratos's original God of War saga. Hopes are high that this epic of Chinese mythology will come to stand in the pantheon of other ancient myths that are legendary in gaming.
Genigods: Nezha will release on the Epic Games Store in 2028.