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Solo Leveling: ARISE is set to arrive in the first week of May 2024, with millions signing up to experience the title. I got to have a chat with Seong-Keon Jin, the Project Director associated with Solo Leveling: ARISE.
We discussed the game's development, the anime inspiration, future console availability, and plenty more.
Seong-Keon Jin discusses Solo Leveling: ARISE, its development, adapting the IP, and more
Q: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Can you please introduce Solo Leveling: ARISE to those, beyond the millions who have already signed up, who aren't yet aware of the title?
Seong-Keon Jin: ARISE is a mobile and PC action game adaptation of Solo Leveling. Taking on the role of Jinwoo, players can experience his level-ups firsthand, taking on dynamic battles and creating their own combat styles with various combinations of skills and weapons.
Players can team up with hunters from the webtoon and can summon their own “Army of Shadows” with Jinwoo’s famous line, “Arise.”
We have created an immersive gaming experience and are confident that players will be able to visualize themselves in the role of Jinwoo as they play through the beloved story of the hit original series.
Enhanced with immersive combat full of variety and action, I believe fans of the series are sure to find Solo Leveling: ARISE’s fast-paced and action-packed gameplay very engaging.
Q: Will watching the Solo Leveling anime or reading the manhwa provide a fuller understanding and experience of the game? Is it something fans should strive to do before the main launch?
Seong-Keon Jin: Players can fully enjoy the story of Solo Leveling: ARISE without having seen the series.
However, users who have already experienced the webtoon can enjoy playing through iconic scenes from the series. They can also enjoy playing through the side stories of characters that were never explored in the original series, such as how Cha Hae-in became a Hunter.
We’re continuing to develop several ways for users to continue having an engaging experience while playing Solo Leveling: ARISE.
Also Read: Solo Leveling ARISE tier list: Best Hunters
Q: Adapting a different medium into a video game is never an easy task, especially factoring in player agency and interactivity. What was the experience like in doing so for Solo Leveling: ARISE? Any particular insights or difficulties?
Seong-Keon Jin: At the time we started developing the game, the webtoon was still ongoing. We developed this project with a fan's mindset and the best way to adapt this IP into a game.
Solo Leveling depicts various traditional fantasy elements. However, it also takes on many creative, unique, and original concepts such as outstanding artwork and direction that appeals to gamers. This makes Solo Leveling an optimal IP to adapt into a game.
In terms of gameplay, we strive to bring the elements of the original series as much as possible and only take creative liberties to enhance the game’s balance.
For example, ‘Kasaka’s Venom Fang’ has the [Paralyze] and [Bleed] debuffs as it does in the webtoon. Status Recovery from [Daily Quest Completion] restores Sung Jinwoo’s vitality to full power when activated.
Also, we referred to scenes from the original webtoon when creating and designing the Hunters’ various skills. We anticipate our efforts will leave fans who have watched the original webtoon with a satisfying experience.
Q: Solo Leveling: ARISE saw five million pre-registrations in less than a week. Did the numbers surprise you? Is there any sense of worry at the large number of players who will surely jump in-game as soon as it launches?
Seong-Keon Jin: I found the popularity of the original series, which hit 14.3 billion views worldwide, quite impressive. Fans across the world are showing a remarkable level of interest in Solo Leveling: ARISE.
The game achieved one million pre-registrations in just three days, and over 12 million global users have pre-registered, overall. It’s been less than one month since pre-registration began! The game has also secured the top spot for both popularity and revenue during its Early Access in Thailand.
We are all fans of Solo Leveling who love the IP and wanted to do our best to expand the universe and put it in the hands of players. Yes, we did feel some level of pressure as the IP and game are growing increasingly popular, and anticipation among fans is at an all-time high.
However, we’re continuing to work on enhancing the quality of the game and improvements to meet fans' and players’ expectations.
Q: While the Early Access preview received largely positive reviews (with Jason Parker at Sportskeeda calling it a brilliant adaptation), has there been any criticism or concerns from the community?
Seong-Keon Jin: We are aware that many players are looking forward to Solo Leveling: ARISE, and we welcome their feedback on the game’s balance and mechanics. We take this into account in our discussions as we continue to develop the title.
Solo Leveling: ARISE strives to offer a unique and immersive environment where users of mobile or PC can enjoy the best gameplay experience possible.
It’s an action game where players can participate in Dungeons, so we focused on maximizing the fun aspects while considering the level of farming necessary for players to obtain items through playing Gate/Dungeons or crafting items.
Some Hunters can be obtained through draws. However, players also can obtain them by using the game’s currency they earn through gameplay and story progression. We also provide a pity system as a safeguard for draws.
Solo Leveling: ARISE is a single-player game that focuses less on PvP. Players may choose to pay for additional rewards, but we designed the game to let them obtain and craft items through the gameplay itself.
Q: Are there plans already to expand the title to console platforms anytime soon?
Seong-Keon Jin: We plan on launching the game on consoles in the future and are currently hard at work in development. However, it will take time to develop Solo Leveling: ARISE on both Steam and console.
We are currently looking into launching on Steam first before a console release, following the launch on PC and mobile. We anticipate that we could release it on console as early as next year as we continue to develop the current builds of the game.
Solo Leveling: ARISE releases on May 8, 2024, on Android/iOS and Windows. Check out our Early Access preview to learn what we thought of the title. You can also keep a tab on when the game releases globally with our official countdown.
