Black Myth: Zhong Kui 

Black Myth: Wukong was one of the biggest surprise hits of recent memory, but developer Game Science has ensured that it has more games in the pipeline. Much like how Wukong took players to amazing worlds and made them face against awesome bosses, Zhong Kui is all set to take things up a notch above its predecessor. We don’t really know much about the game at this point in time, but it’s going to be a fast-paced adventure with plenty of boss fights and picturesque vistas. There is no release period announced yet.

Faith of Danschant

Faith of Danschant: Hereafter is a sequel to developer Beijing Joyfun’s 2017 original. The game puts you in the shoes of a warrior who must embark on a quest to cleanse his village of demon presence, and that journey is punctuated by plenty of thrilling battles against a slew of different kinds of beasts. The combat is appropriately flashy with a focus on chaining combos, and that combined with interesting set-piece moments should make Faith of Danschant: Hereafter a really fun time. It will be released for PC sometime in the near future.

Black Myth Wukong

Chinese developer Game Science’s upcoming Black Myth Wukong looks like an excellent adaptation of the popular action genre. Set against the backdrop of a fantasy kingdom with a diverse range of biomes, Wukong’s gameplay is a mix of Soulslike and hack and slash – which makes for a fun yet tactical combat loop. The art direction also looks stellar, and we are excited to see what’s in store when it releases for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 20.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter World and Rise enjoyed massive critical and commercial success on their respective platforms, and the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds is on track to keep that goodwill going with its vast open-world brimming with all kinds of ferocious monsters and new additions like weather calamities. It’s largely the same experience that fans are used to with prior renditions, but we are still here for it. Monster Hunter Wilds comes out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime soon.

JUMUN – Will on the Blade

Announced in January 2023 by a solo developer revealing little to no details about themself, JUMUN – Will on the Blade is an open-world action RPG developed on Unreal Engine 5 for PC and consoles. Details are scant on the setting, though there’s an influence of samurai and Japanese-style architecture.

As for the gameplay, based on the developer’s WIP videos, it combines fast-paced melee combat with high mobility, as players can dash in and inflict heavy damage with blades and martial arts before quickly retreating. Stealth also plays a role, as you can sneak through tall grass for quick executions, and the enhanced mobility even allows for quick traversal through treetops. There’s even a grappling hook, because why not?

Though it’s too early to say when JUMUN – Will on the Blade could launch, there’s definitely potential.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is an odd title. Developed by Leenzee Games, founded in 2016, it’s a historical action RPG set during the end of the Ming Dynasty. The overall direction is supernatural horror as the protagonist, Wuchang, battles overwhelming beasts alongside twisted human soldiers.

While the aesthetic looks promising, some are alleging similarities to the sound effects from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series and Bloodborne in its 2021 gameplay reveal (and that’s before getting into some of the similarities to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice). Perhaps these were placeholders, and things have changed since then. Regardless, it’s seemingly out in 2024, so maybe we’ll see more updated footage that provides a better picture.

Hellblade 2

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is an excellent continuation of Senua’s adventures across the Scandinavian islands, and it looks exactly what we want from such a sequel. Built using Unreal Engine 5, Hellblade 2 impresses with its high level of fidelity and immaculately rendered facial expressions. The actual combat loop is still pretty simple, but the excellent animation work and the sheer desperation on display as Senua flails her sword at enemies is what makes it worth checking out when it comes out for PC and Xbox Series X/S sometime in the near future.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring is the game that catapulted the Soulslike genre into the mainstream, and fans are understandably excited about Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Set to thrust players back to The Lands Between, Shadow of the Erdtree will feature a bunch of new bosses to fight, weapons to collect, and secrets to unfold which should keep you busy for dozens and dozens of hours. It comes out on June 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma is now available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on 22 March 2024. Dragon’s Dogma 2 allows players to craft their journey in a land overrun by all sorts of peril. While the combat isn’t as flashy as other hack-and-slash games on this list, it certainly has its fast-paced moments and the fact that it puts a ton of focus on build customization makes it all the more engaging. These themes of player freedom also extend to the campaign, where your choices during critical moments will decide the conclusion of this setting.

Honor of Kings: World

Currently in development, Honor of Kings: World puts players in the shoes of a warrior who must fight against all odds to save his homeland from the wrath of demons and otherworldly beings. It flaunts some amazing visuals and a combat system that revolves around stringing together hard-hitting combos along with cool traversal tricks like gliding – which should make for an experience that’s a consistently joyous affair. It comes out for multiple platforms which means it should hopefully be out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime soon.

The Perceiver

17ZHE Studio is hard at work on The Perceiver, an upcoming open-world action RPG that is highly inspired by FromSoftware’s works like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or even Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima. Set in a huge open world that’s brought to life with great attention to detail, The Perceiver is all about taking part in frantic sword fights that are a careful dance of swift strikes and last-minute dodges – making for a flashy yet tactical gameplay loop that forces you to pay attention to your enemy’s movements and come up with strategies on the fly.

Where Winds Meet

Where Winds Meet seamlessly blends Chinese history and fantasy elements together, making for a game that feels pretty unique in terms of the art direction. It’s a really ambitious game that juggles different gameplay types from traversal to combat and even puzzles, and that should culminate in a consistently engaging experience through and through. It releases for PC soon, though there is a possibility that it might come out for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 as well.

Marvel’s Wolverine

Insomniac Games has rightfully established its reputation as Sony’s top talent off the back of the excellent Spider-Man games, and the developer is now hard at work on Marvel’s Wolverine which will be released for the PS5 at some point in the future. There’s not much information on what the story or the gameplay might entail, but it’s almost certain that it’s going to be a hack-and-slash-styled experience given the developer’s past projects and Wolverine’s primary mode of attack. More details will probably surface soon, and we are really stoked to see how Insomniac adapts its learnings from past projects into this new realm.

Rise of the Ronin

Team Ninja has delivered smash hit after smash hit with its take on the Souls games, and Rise of the Ronin should have felt like a natural evolution of what we have seen in its prior projects. Set in an ancient era ravaged by war and conflict, Rise of the Ronin tasks you to forge your destiny through your choices in an open world ripe with opportunity. However, the game turned out to be a mixed bag with various gameplay issues. The combat, however, is flashy and methodical, and that combined with great traversal options could make a fun experience for some players.

Lost Soul Aside

Lost Soul Aside is the upcoming action RPG from developer UtilZeroGames. Its high octane gameplay mechanics are apparent at first glance, and it feels absolutely exhilirating. It flaunts some excellent visuals that are built using Unreal Engine 5 and combining that with a combat loop that prioritizes personal expression should make for a consistently engaging and action-packed experience. It’s set to release for PS5 sometime this year, though it’s likely that it might be pushed back to a later date.

Crimson Desert

Of all upcoming hack-and-slash titles, Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert is perhaps the most exciting. Set in the universe of Black Desert Online, it’s coming to consoles and PC. Players control Macduff, a mercenary who ventures through the continent of Pywel and faces numerous obstacles. Work-in-progress gameplay debuted during Gamescom Opening Night Live last year, showcasing fast-paced combat with extensive environmental destruction, stunning environments, massive battles and a large-scale open world.

Along with taking on tasks for NPCs, players could also hijack wagons, fish, explore surreal locations, climb almost anything (including massive monsters and even use supernatural abilities to fly through the air. It’s a lot to take in, and how extensive the scope and fidelity (especially on previous-gen consoles) can be remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Crimson Desert looks exciting, and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Black Myth: Wukong

Chinese developer Game Science’s upcoming Black Myth: Wukong is based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, and players embark on a grand quest to fight all sorts of monsters scattered throughout the kingdom. The combat is extremely fast-paced yet methodical, with boss fights obviously being a highlight of the experience. You can also turn into an insect or a giant monster to overcome difficult situations, and it looks absolutely gorgeous thanks to great use of Unreal Engine 5. Black Myth: Wukong will release for PC sometime in the near future.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Developer Fatshark’s upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a co-op survival game set against the backdrop of the Warhammer 40k universe. Assuming the role of Inquisition soldiers, players have to take the charge of defeating waves upon waves of cultists before they shatter the planet of Atoma Prime to pieces. Gameplay primarily revolves around defeating enemies using long-range weaponry, although players will also have the option to get up close and personal with enemies using melee weapons.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide releases for all major console platforms and PC sometime in 2022.

FAITH OF DANSCHANT: HEREAFTER

Chinese developer developer Beijing Joyfun recently unveiled its action RPG Faith of Danschant: Hereafter with a lengthy gameplay debut, and honestly, it looks really interesting. Inspired by Chinese mythology, it’s the sequel to 2017’s Faith of Danschant, and the gameplay trailer it debuted with was quite packed. Slick, action-packed combat, large-scale fights against mythical beasts, parkour-heavy traversal- it’s got all the elements in place to deliver a promising package.

Part of the reason for this shift can be attributed to the massive budgets that are required to develop and produce blockbuster AAA games that push for cutting-edge both in terms of visuals and gameplay. It has become somewhat of an exclusive club for that fact alone. It has become somewhat of an exclusive club for that fact alone, since it isn’t feasible for lesser studios on a tight budget to make experiences that rival the best of the best.

The Chinese region has been a major hub for developers pushing for this competition, with Black Myth: Wukong and Faith of Danschant: Hereafter being two of the standout highlights. While a lot has already been talked about the former, the latter is still relatively shrouded in mystery – so what the hell is exactly Faith of Danschant: Hereafter?

Well, Faith of Danschant: Hereafter is an action RPG set against the gorgeous backdrop of Chinese mythology, where players assume the role of Xing Yuan – a demon slayer out and about to rid his village of the hideous beasts that threaten the citizens. Of course, things quickly go south when his loving daughter gets kidnapped by a demon and the duo then gets embroiled within a larger narrative. Hereafter is a sequel to 2017’s Faith of Danschant – so references and mentions of past events and characters are a given. 

Faith of Danschant: Hereafter seems to be making great use of its setting with great art direction, and the visuals certainly look impressive. The developers have revealed that Faith of Danschant: Hereafter uses Unreal Engine, although it’s yet to be confirmed whether it’s Unreal Engine 4 or 5. Considering many next-gen titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and Black Myth: Wukong are switching over to Epic’s latest and greatest, it wouldn’t be surprising if Faith of Danschant: Hereafter decides to switch it over to.

2017’s Faith of Danschant was a turn-based RPG, and the sequel seems to be aiming for a radical shift towards a more action-oriented experience with the new martial-arts-inspired combat moves. From what’s shown in the trailer, the combat is extremely fast-paced and stylish – and clearly wears its inspiration from Chinese martial arts movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero on its sleeve. Protagonist Xing Yuan is quite nimble with his moves, and chaining together brutal combos is looking great fun right now. There seems to be a larger focus towards parries and blocking, as evident from the trailer but it’s flashy and combo-heavy at the same time – which results in a system with a lot of moving parts that should allow it to remain fun right from the outset while giving players a number of things to learn and master over its runtime.

Another interesting aspect of Faith of Danschant‘s combat has seemingly been pushed towards the wayside in the trailer. When Xing Yuan first encounters her daughter, fellow soldiers of the village form a sort of shield around themselves. Yuan refers to it as a formation, and orders the band of soldiers to stay put while he fights the demons. The soldiers also refer to him as the captain, which could hint towards a party system where Yuan could command companions to get into such formations and assist him in battle. If true, this could lend some interesting depth to the combat system as players continually issue commands to companions all the while juggling between dozens of enemies. However, given the fact that the particular combat sequence in the trailer ends in a scripted manner with the same mechanic not appearing again – it could just be a one-time affair as well.

In addition to combat, Faith of Danschant: Hereafter has equal parts focus on parkour as well, with protagonist Xing Yuan being able to effortlessly scale up bamboo trees. This certainly seems intriguing, and getting to higher ground also allows for air executions. The trailer showcases an encounter where Yuan has some time to formulate a strategy before going down for the initial blow, which seems to be adding some strategic depth in what is a fast and frenetic combat system. In addition to bamboo climbing, Yuan can also double jump and run across walls – and the developers have crafted a series of parkour challenges that will test players’ agility. An interesting point worth noting here is that parkour sections might have a bit of freedom in how players choose to get where they want to go – which should open the door for interesting side-paths and exploration.

There are also boss fights of course, and the trailer showcases the protagonist Yuan duel against an evil tree lady of sorts which has a lot going for it. The fight starts with a parkour challenge and the main duel features equal use of both parkour and combat prowess, with some great boss moves on show here. The trailer ends with what looks to be a second phase of this fight, which would probably provide more of a challenge and build-up on mechanics introduced in the first phase. The visual designs of the boss look equally daunting and intriguing, giving more than enough reasons to be hopeful about these fights turning out to be the highlight of the game.

Currently, there are no confirmed release dates and platforms to speak of. Faith of Danschant: Hereafter – unlike its predecessor – will be releasing globally with English language support. Beijing Joyfun states that it is coming to PC and consoles, although no specifics for next-gen or old-gen support have been detailed as of yet. To be on the safe side, it seems fair to assume that the game wouldn’t arrive at least until 2023 – which makes a great case to abandon the last generation of consoles in favor of a truly next-gen experience.

Faith of Danschant: Hereafter looks amazing right now, featuring a plethora of moving parts on a massive scale – which is an achievement for a lesser-known studio. This is in some ways reminiscent of Biomutant, which was a similarly large-scope project from a similarly less-experienced developer. Experiment 101 tried to do a lot of things with its game, but failed in meeting expectations for the promises it put up to fans. Beijing Joyfun can learn a lot from Experiment 101 in this regard, most importantly that focusing on the core tenants of the experience and polishing it to an immaculate degree rather than trying to push for the most features and systems within the experience.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Faith of Danschant: Hereafter is an action RPG based on Chinese mythology that serves as a sequel to the 2017 title, Faith of Danschant. Its gameplay debut shows densely wooded environments, with a focus on fast and kinetic combat. Something else that’s highlighted is slick traversal, with the protagonist running up and along tall bamboo trees, and even using them in interesting ways during combat (such as cutting off a tree and then kicking the cut off part into an enemy). Check out the full debut below, courtesy of IGN.

Faith of Danschant: Hereafter is being built on the Unreal Engine (though there’s no word on whether its UE5 or not). The game will feature support for RTX and DLSS. It’s confirmed for PC and consoles (though the developers haven’t specified exactly which consoles it’s targeting), and does not yet have a release date.