Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling: ARISE: We interviewed one of the developers of this exciting new game.

There is no doubt that Solo Leveling is one of the biggest anime of the moment. What started as a Korean webtoon (and then went on to become a manwha) became a global phenomenon after the release of its anime adaptation by A1-Pictures. The story of Sung Jinwoo’s tremendous growth is truly inspirational and has resonated with many fans around the world, not to mention that it is packed with epic and unbridled action.

Imagen Oficial De Solo Leveling: Arise

As expected, this excellent adventure that is inspired by the world of video games is coming soon to the world of video games. Solo Leveling: ARISE is a new hack & slash that takes place in the universe of this series and even adapts the events of its story. We tried it out (and liked it a lot!) and now we had the chance to talk to Seong-Keon Jin, the executive producer of Netmarble, the developer studio behind this game.

Seong-Keon Jin told us all about his long career in the industry, the current state of the videogame market in his native South Korea and, of course, his experience adapting an intellectual property as big and successful as Solo Leveling.

Seong-Keon Jin tells us all about the development of Solo Leveling: ARISE

Imagen Oficial De Sung Jinwoo Y Su Ejército En Solo Leveling: Arise

ANMO Sugoi: During the development of Solo Leveling: ARISE, did you feel any kind of communicative connection with the Manwha story? Or with any particular character?

Seong-Keon Jin: While we were replicating the original series, we had a lot of discussions about how the different characters were going to feel and what motivates them to be reflected in the game. Through this process, we had the opportunity to specify the personalities and characteristics of various characters, including Sung Jinwoo, and we felt closer to them.

AO: What memories do you have of your experience working on Crazy Arcade, back in 2002?

SKJ: I started my career as a video game developer in December 2022, and at that time I was working on Crazy Arcade. I was a newbie who was so inexperienced that I could hardly call myself a developer. Although I didn’t have much skill as a developer, my passion for creating fun games and my efforts were unmatched by anyone. Come to think of it, I was developing games, just “bumping” into them, not knowing exactly what to do.

Crazy Arcade, Antiguo Viejo De Netmarble.

AO: How do you think the video game industry in Korea evolved from when you started your career until now?

SJK: That’s a difficult question. The Korean video game industry had a significant growth with online video games for PC. Korean gamers particularly preferred games that they could enjoy with other players over single-player titles, and put a huge emphasis on PvP (Player vs. Player) elements. I think that’s why the Korean gaming industry excelled in genres such as MMORPGs, Action RPGs, online arcade games and FPS.

On the other hand, Korean gamers were somewhat passive towards console or single-player video games. Perhaps I attribute this tendency to the fact that there was no home console. Also, the biggest strength of Korean game developers was in online or mobile games that provided additional content and updates through their service. They had more room to move forward, in terms of developing full-fledged games.

“In the past decade, (South) Korea has been in the midst of a mobile gaming explosion. “Seong-Keon Jin, Executive Producer of Netmarble and developer of Solo Leveling: ARISE

In the past decade, Korea has been in the midst of a mobile gaming explosion. Countless risky developers were established and shut down their business. With this hot competition, the gaming market in Korea has become fierce. Unless a video game is well made (In terms of quality and quantity of its content), it is unlikely to survive. This also changed the overall structure of the Korean video game market. Big studios focusing on huge scale RPGs are now the key players in the field, while it seems that the number of new developers suggesting new attempts and new gameplay experiences has significantly decreased.

I believe that more and more developers are now ready for more challenges, as they have recognized and reflected on the limitations of Korean-style RPGs/Mobile Games. There are an increasing number of developers who are trying to create console games and we have witnessed significant successes, such as Dave the Diver or Lies of P. My team and I are taking on new challenges and

I believe that more and more developers are now ready for more challenges, as they have recognized and reflected on the limitations of Korean style RPG/Mobile Games. There are a growing number of developers who are trying to create console games and we have witnessed significant successes, such as Dave the Diver or Lies of P. My team and I are taking on new challenges and Solo Leveling: ARISE just took its first step. We are waiting for Solo Leveling: ARISE to make a huge impact on the global market as the domestic level RPG.

AO: Of all the different video game genres you’ve worked on, which one is your favorite?

SJK: In terms of developing games, I’ve been working on action and arcade games for a long time. I’ve also developed PvP content in various forms. But, to talk about my personal preference, I enjoy playing video games with less competition and low tension. Another favorite of mine is CCGs (Trading Card Games) where I can collect different characters. I think my preference has changed since I got married because now I have less time to enjoy games that require a lot of immersion.

Póster Oficial Del Anime De Solo Leveling.

AO: How would you describe your experience working on an intellectual property as popular as Solo Leveling?

SJK: I found the global popularity of the original work, which reached 14.3 billion views worldwide, to be really impressive, and global fans across all regions are showing a remarkable level of interest in Solo Leveling: ARISE. ARISE has reached 1 million pre-registrations in just 3 days, and over 12 million global users have registered so far – and that’s less than 1 month since pre-registration began! The game has also managed to achieve the highest ranking in both popularity and revenue during its Early Access in Thailand.

“We are now working on improving the quality of the game and putting the finishing touches on it to deliver a game that will meet the growing interest we have seen around the world. “Seong-Keon Jin, Netmarble Executive Producer and developer of Solo Leveling: ARISE

Yes, we felt pressured as the original property and game became increasingly popular and anticipation among fans escalated. However, we are now working on improving the quality of the game and putting the finishing touches on it to deliver a game that meets the growing interest we saw around the world. Please look forward to the release of Solo Leveling: ARISE.

AO: Were you familiar with Solo Leveling before working on Solo Leveling: ARISE?

SJK: By the time we started developing the video game, the webtoon was not yet finished. I started this project with the mindset of a fan, thinking it would be cool to adapt this intellectual property into a video game. While Solo Leveling features several traditional fantasy elements, it also has some trendy elements, such as its exceptional art or its small protagonist, that appeal to younger gamers.

All of this makes Solo Leveling the optimal intellectual property for a game adaptation. While we are all Solo Leveling fans who love this work and want to inherit it, we have done our best to expand this universe and bring it to life.

Sung Jinwoo En Solo Leveling: Arise #1

AO: Did the process of adapting one of the most popular Manwhas of recent years present any challenges?

SJK: The video game industry is replete with numerous games that provide the player with high quality graphics and an immersive gameplay experience at the same time. In this environment, the biggest challenge was how to create a video game that can satisfy a wide range of gamers who have already experienced quality games. While working with Solo Leveling’s global intellectual property, we have continuously and repeatedly checked the following:

  • If the video game fully reflects the immersive storyline of the original series.
  • If the game has impressive and elegant graphics and cinematics
  • And if the game is ready to be presented to users as an Action RPG that offers a fun experience.

AO: The world of Solo Leveling already resembles that of a video game, did it make development easier?

SJK: (As I mentioned previously), the fantasy and fashion elements of Solo Leveling made it the perfect property to adapt into a video game. In terms of the gameplay, we sought to bring in as many elements from the original series as possible, unless they upset the balance of the game. For example, the “Poison Fang of Kasaka” item has the “Paralyze” and “Bleed” debuffs as it does in the original webtoon. The “Daily Mission Completion” Status Recovery restores Sung Jinwoo’s vitality completely when activated.

On the other hand, we also referenced scenes from the original webtoon when creating and designing the hunters’ abilities. We believe that our efforts will bring more enjoyment than expected to users who have experienced the original webtoon.

Ya Jugamos Solo Leveling Arise

AO: How has the process of adapting the intense action of Solo Leveling to the gameplay of ARISE been in a way that stays true to the original work?

SJK: The Solo Leveling: ARISE team is working on various skills, such as QTE, counterattacks and evasions, to provide more enjoyable gameplay for Action RPG fans. Users can also customize their own attack patterns by combining skills and weapons. That’s another huge difference. Players can not only experience various play styles by using different weapons for their characters, but they can also grant various buffs to their skills or explore different abilities with the help of the Skill Runes system.

AO: Can Solo Leveling fans expect many hidden surprises in ARISE?

SJK: Solo Leveling: ARISE seeks to expand the universe of the original series and we are not trying to deviate from the original property. That’s why we’ve been planning everything from the earliest stage to stay true to the original story, while also embracing additional stories that occur after the original plot ended. We try to reflect the original story of the game and use scenes from the webtoon at the same time. We have also implemented various narratives that capture the unique atmosphere of the game, and we believe that the game can offer a refreshing experience to users who are already familiar with the original work.

In the original series, there are some characters that are not really important in the story. Let’s talk, for example, about Song Chiyul. Song enters Cartenon Temple with Jinwoo at the beginning of the story and when they reach the climax of that arc, Song becomes the last hunter to escape from the dungeon with Lee Joohee (At Sung Jinwoo’s request). The original series establishes Song Chiyul as the master who taught Cha Hae-In his sword techniques. Doesn’t this make you curious about Song Chiyul’s relationship with the other hunters in the Solo Leveling universe?

“We worked in collaboration with the original author, Chugong. We had enough conversations with him about the locations and the original stories before we started to believe them. “Seong-Keon Jin, Netmarble Executive Producer and developer of Solo Leveling: ARISE

As in the case of Song Chiyul, we have created original stories of various characters in the game to expand the Solo Leveling universe and to make the user experience more fun. For all these new stories, we worked in collaboration with the original author, Chugong. We had enough conversations with him about the locations and stories before we started believing them.

We believe that Solo Leveling: ARISE can offer fans of this intellectual property the joy of exploring this universe and discovering new information. For newcomers, we will provide a lot of content to enjoy within the huge universe of Solo Leveling.

Póster Oficial De Solo Leveling: Arise

Many thanks to Seong-Keon Jin for answering all our questions. The truth is that we were really surprised with the level of depth and quality of the answers he gave us. Not only we could notice that he had a significant career as a videogame developer that taught him many things, but it is also evident that he and the rest of the team feel a lot of appreciation for Solo Leveling and that they put their best effort in adapting Chugong’s masterpiece that is being all the rage around the world.

We will see how this game is received by the public when it is officially released for PC and mobile devices on May 8, 2024. Of course, it is worth noting that so far it has received many positive reviews from people who were able to try it out, including ANMO Sugoi. If you are a fan of the original series and want to try Solo Leveling: ARISE, you can register through the official site and pre-download it on your preferred platform.

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