The two go into quite a few details about not only Woochi the Wayfarer, but also the studio itself. For instance, Youngmi refers to the game’s primary setting as being “Joseon fantasy”. Going into more detail, the art director explains it as being “a world based on historical research, blending in imaginative and fantastical elements to enrich the gameplay.” Considering the title’s setting, players will also get to meet characters from Korean myths, including Dokkaebi, Gumiho, and even characters that players might recognise from period dramas.

In discussing the challenges associated with working on a game based on Korea’s Joseon era, Youngmi speaks about there also being certain advantages, including comprehensive reference materials about various aspects of the setting, from culture to fashion and even food.

“The challenge is finding the right balance between accuracy and fantasy,” explains Youngmi. “Because the Joseon era was a real period in our history, accuracy and responsibility matter. At the same time, imagination and creativity are key to gameplay. So we’re always discussing what to portray realistically and what to reinterpret. When it comes to mythical creatures from folklore, reference images are often scarce or nonexistent. That makes them tricky to design, but also makes it exciting—we get to bring them to life through our own interpretation.“

Yeon describes Woochi the Wayfarer as being a story-driven single-player game that will have a fair bit of focus on combat. The story itself is aiming to deliver an emotional journey, and the game will make use of different kinds of storytelling methods.

“Woochi’s story has many traditional versions, which makes him open to broad interpretation,” explains Youngmi about how the game’s rendition of protagonist Woochi will differ from the original character. “We want to capture his existing charm, while adding our own vision—creating something distinct from films or TV dramas. We blend traditional Korean looks like gat, hanbok, and dorongi with fantasy elements to create our unique version of Woochi.”

While Woochi the Wayfarer looks like it might be a rather dark game when it comes to atmosphere and story if the original reveal trailer is anything to go by, according to Youngmi, the studio didn’t explicitly set out to make a dark game. Rather, in contrast to what we saw in the trailer, the game will actually be bright, full of vibrant colours and an “inviting tone” that the studio hopes will help distinguish the game from other fantasy games developed by East Asian studios.

Along with this interview, we also get to see a small clip of gameplay which showcases the exact kind of warm and inviting atmosphere that Youngmi describes. The clip features Woochi walking in a pasture to a large tree, in a field full of flowers. Unfortunately we don’t really get any more gameplay from the clip.

Woochi the Wayfarer is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Developer LoreVault, along with publisher Nexon Games, have unveiled a new game that focuses on the history of Korea. Dubbed Woochi the Wayfarer, the game was announced with a teaser trailer which you can check out below. The game is currently being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and is targeting a launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. However, no release date has been announced so far.

The teaser trailer showcases the visual style that Woochi the Wayfarer is aiming for, blending fantasy elements with a photo-realistic look. Unfortunately, however, the trailer doesn’t showcase any of the gameplay. Rather, it is more focused on giving us a look at the general vibes and themes that the game will be going for by presenting what appears to be a story moment from Woochi the Wayfarer in a CG cutscene.

In the trailer, we get to see a mysterious shaman, known as a Myoan, chanting an incantation. Protagonist Woochi is drawn to this event, which ultimately culminates in the Myoan chanting and transforming into something supernatural, who then goes to tell Woochi that he should “Proclaim it to heaven – we rise again.” The nature of this entity and who it refers to when it says “we” will likely be revealed as more details about the game are officially unveiled.

The title has been described in the announcement as an action-adventure game. The protagonist – the eponymous Jeon Woochi – is a Dosa (The Mage of the Way), and must set out on an adventure that takes place during Korea’s Joseon era. The story itself will revolve around a centuries-old folktale in Korea. For context, the Joseon era itself was a long period marked by the country being ruled by the Great Joseon dynastic kingdom that lasted for 505 years between 1932 and 1897.

As a result of its setting, there will be quite a few themes that will be readily visible to modern players, like the period essentially marking the origins of what can be considered the modern Korean language and its various dialects, and even cultural aspects like norms and societal attitudes.

A few details of Woochi the Wayfarer have been confirmed, including the fact that the music of the title will be handled by Jung Jae-il, who is known for his work on the soundtracks of critically acclaimed works like Parasite and Squid Game. Development of the title is also slated to involve LoreVault collaborating with experts across various fields like Korean literature and traditional music to properly depict the Joseon era that the game is going for.

While we haven’t gotten too many details about the gameplay in Woochi the Wayfarer, the announcement does confirm that it will be an adventure game, and that players will make use of Woochi’s powers to fight against injustice and corruption throughout the land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHH6xQT2-dw