Naraka: Bladepoint (Chinese: 永劫无间; pinyin: yǒngjiéwújiàn) is a free-to-play wuxia action battle royale game developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase Games Montreal. It is a game where up to 60 players fight each other to be the last one standing. The game incorporates martial arts-inspired melee combat and features a rock-paper-scissors combat system.[3] There are vast arsenals of melee and ranged weapons to choose from, as well as a grappling hook that can be used for both combat and traversal. In addition, each hero has unique skills and talents, allowing for customization to suit your play style.[4] The game was released for Windows in August 2021 and was ported to Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022. An Xbox One version was later released on December 22, 2022. PlayStation 5 port of the game was released on July 13, 2023, and the game was made free-to-play on that date.[5] Naraka: Bladepoint has sold more than 6 million copies globally since its launch in August 2021.[6]
| Naraka: Bladepoint | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | 24 Entertainment[a] |
| Publisher(s) | NetEase Games Montreal |
| Composer(s) | Yunkoo TRI Studio Ryuu Zhang Shuhao G-Fun Chen Junhan Xiao Longlong |
| Engine | Unity[2] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | Windows August 12, 2021[1] Xbox Series X/S June 23, 2022 Xbox One December 22, 2022 PlayStation 5 July 13, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure/Battle royale |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Gameplay
editNaraka: Bladepoint sets its premise on "Morus Island" where heroes gather for battle.[7] Players can queue up for either solo games or in trios[7] and can choose from more than nine different characters, while each of those has two skills (F skill and Ultimate).[8]
In solo mode, players play alone, while in trio mode, players start the game with two other members in the same team to compete in the game. After matching with enough players (maximum 60 players in one round),[9] players choose characters with different skill set, called Heroes, to play. Finishing selecting heroes, players choose one spawn location on the map, and other teammates can choose to follow or spawn wherever they like. Once players are shown on the map, the team can search for weapons grapples, health or armors to equip them up. In the meantime, the team will have to pay attention to enemy squads showing up to avoid ambush.
While players keep searching and fighting on the map, the safe zone in Naraka: Bladepoint will get smaller with a random center. However, players have time to prepare for the spreading of shadow corruption. There are multiple events in one round of the game, such as eliminating the targeted enemy, praying in front of a Buddhism[clarification needed], etc.
When knocked down, players are able to get on their feet again if teammates come to rescue them in a short period of time; otherwise, they will die after being cairns. However, if it is before the first round of shadow corruption spreading, players can still get back on the map and fight again by using soul altars after their death.
In each round, a squad of heroes will win the game as the top one team.[10]
Seasons
edit| Number | Title | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Tidal | August 11, 2021~November 10, 2021 | 110 Levels in total, and the season has more than 30 season tasks. |
| Season 2 | Cavalry | November 11, 2021~February 14, 2022 | 130 Levels in total, and the new season has different awards including skins of new characters. |
| Season 3 | Echelon | February 14, 2022~May 21, 2022 | 130 Levels in total, and the new season has different awards including skins of new characters. |
| Season 4 | Ordeal | May 21, 2022~August 19, 2022 | 130 Levels in total, and the new season has different awards including skins of new characters. |
| Season 5 | Dawn | August 20, 2022~September 11, 2022 | 130 Levels in total, and the new season has different awards including skins of new characters. |
Characters
editNaraka: Bladepoint currently has 16 playable characters, the newest being Hadi Ismail, added on November 15, 2023 as part of the season 10 of the game.
Yoto Hime originates from another game made by NetEase Games, Onmyoji Arena.[12]
| Character | Release Date | English Voice Actor | Japanese Voice Actor | Chinese Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianhai | August 12, 2021 | Noshir Dalal | Makoto Furukawa | Li Yuantao |
| Viper Ning | August 12, 2021 | Erika Ishii | Hiromi Hirata | Huang Ying |
| Yoto Hime | August 12, 2021 | Fryda Wolff | Shiori Izawa | Zhang Qi |
| Temulch | August 12, 2021 | Greg Chun | Takuya Sato | Meng Xianglong |
| Tarka Ji | August 12, 2021 | Chris Naoki Lee | Yūki Ono | Liu Yijia |
| Tsuchimikado Kurumi | August 12, 2021 | Anne Yatco | Juri Nagatsuma | Tao Dian |
| Matari | August 12, 2021 | Xanthe Huynh | Kana Ueda | Yang Menglu |
| Valda Cui | September 17, 2021 | Judy Alice Lee | Shizuka Ishigami | Zhou Shuai |
| Yueshan | November 10, 2021 | Andrew Kishino | Kaito Ishikawa | Tony Leung |
| Wuchen | January 19, 2022 | Aleks Le | Natsuki Hanae | Li Lanling |
| Justina Gu | March 12, 2022 | Sumalee Montano | Yui Ishikawa | Zhong Ke |
| Takeda Nobutada | May 20, 2022 | Daisuke Tsuji | Tomokazu Sugita | Liu Beichen |
| Ziping Yin | August 19, 2022 | Angel Lin | Fairouz Ai | Yunhe Chasing |
| Feria Shen | December 22, 2022 | Emi Lo | Ikumi Hasegawa | Gui Niang |
| Akos Hu | March 16, 2023 | Stephen Fu | Ryōhei Kimura | Chang Wen Tao |
| Zai | June 1, 2023 | Kimberly Wong | Ami Koshimizu | Xiao Sibai |
| Tessa | August 9, 2023 | Stephanie Kerbis | Mao Ichimichi | Cai Na |
| Hadi Ismail | November 15, 2023 | Nezar Alderazi | Yūsuke Kobayashi | TBA |
Development
editNaraka: Bladepoint is a battle royale which was partly influenced by Devil May Cry and Sekiro. The game's producer had also included elements from the fighting game Meteor Butterfly Sword / Meteor Blade, which he had previously worked on, while Thunder Fire UX has helped with UX design and user research.[14][15] Naraka: Bladepoint, along with many other titles, was officially announced during the Game Awards 2019 ceremony on December 12, 2019.[16] From November 3 to 9, 2020, Naraka: Bladepoint had its steam server test in North America region to test its gameplay and performance.[17] It was then announced that Naraka: Bladepoint was in development for consoles, with the game being shown running on a PlayStation 5.[18][19] The mobile version provides the melee-focused combat gaming experience for mobile players globally[15][20] and was released in 2022.[21]
Release
editNaraka: Bladepoint launched worldwide on August 11, 2021 with more than 10 language versions.[22]
The game was released on Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022, with the game also being available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers at no additional charge. In September 2021, ThunderFire Universe X Studio[23] was officially established, shifting its focus to overseas markets and console development. The first job was to accept the commission from NetEase Thunderfire Business Division and 24 Entertainment to develop the console version of the game.[24] An Xbox One version of Naraka: Bladepoint was released on December 22, 2022 and it's ported by ThunderFire Universe X Studio. Alongside the release date, a crossover event with Nier series was announced.[25] The PlayStation 5 version was released on July 13, 2023 along with the game going from a paid service to free to play in all available platforms.
Esports
editThe first official Naraka: Bladepoint tournament in Southeast Asia, Celestra Cup, started on September 9, 2021, ended season finale on December 12 and witnessed the first winner of SEA Naraka tournament.[26]
In China, the Naraka Bladepoint League (NBPL) is a prestigious competition featuring multiple seasons throughout the year, boasting an annual prize pool of $750,000.
An integral component of this league is the J-Cup, an esteemed tournament recognized as the World Championship of Naraka Bladepoint. This pinnacle event draws participation from global regions, including EU, NA, AS, SEA, and CN, as teams vie for a substantial prize pool of $1,500,000.
To secure a spot in the J-Cup, regions host qualifiers with varying prize pools. For both the European (EU) and North American (NA) regions, qualifying rounds are conducted, each offering a prize pool of $15,000 per region.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 71/100[27] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| GameSpot | 6/10[31] |
| IGN | 8/10[28] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 73/100[29] |
| PCGamesN | 6/10[30] |
Naraka: Bladepoint received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[32] The game was nominated as Best Multiplayer Game 2021 of Golden Joystick Awards on October 19, 2021, which is one of the oldest game awards globally.[33]
Player count and revenue
editThe game hit over 120,000 concurrent players in its April Steam test.[19] By November 9, 2021, the game has reached more than 6 million copies selling globally. It means that it had more than $250 million gross revenue by selling copies and in-game virtual collectibles.[15][34]
Notes
edit- ^ Console versions developed ThunderFire Universe X Studio
References
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- ^ Scullion, Chris (April 16, 2021). "Naraka: Bladepoint will be the first Unity game to use DLSS technology". VGC. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ "Naraka: Bladepoint is a for Fighting Game Fans - IGN". November 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ "Naraka: Bladepoint sold 6 million copies. 30% off from Nov.10-17 UTC". 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (2022-06-23). "NARAKA: BLADEPOINT Xbox Launch Q&A - Plans for FSR 2.0, Ray Tracing, and PlayStation". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "6 Million Sales Record, Thanks to All Players！". www.narakathegame.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b Palmer, Jordan (August 20, 2021). "Naraka: Bladepoint review". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ Aitken, Lauren (August 12, 2021). "Meet the heroes of Naraka: Bladepoint". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "Naraka: Bladepoint Isn't As Easy As You Think". ScreenRant. 2021-08-17. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ "Naraka: Bladepoint gameplay and combat guide - Know thyself". PC Invasion. 2021-09-14. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ "Naraka Bladepoint Season 2 Release or Start Date: When it is coming out?". DigiStatement. 2021-09-09. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
- ^ "Onmyoji Arena Character List: Yoto Hime". Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ "Naraka: Bladepoint Official Website". Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ Brandon Adams (2021-06-27). "Naraka: Bladepoint Developer Interview - Launch, Monetization, Bots, and Shrek". Attack of the Fanboy. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ a b c "Bloomberg - Naraka: Bladepoint answers to Fortnite". Bloomberg.com. 9 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2019-12-12). "Naraka: Bladepoint is a multiplayer ninja game that looks dope". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ "Melee battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint launches a closed beta today". PCGamesN. 3 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (2021-11-01). "Naraka: Bladepoint Is Coming to Consoles 'Soon', PS5 Gameplay Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ a b Subhan, Ishraq (2021-07-29). "Naraka: Bladepoint is coming to consoles". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ "NetEase is planning to develop a mobile version of Naraka: Bladepoint". GamingonPhone. 2021-09-01. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
- ^ Madnani, Mikhail (2022-05-20). "'Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile' Officially Announced for iOS and Android, Built From the Ground Up for Mobile". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ Fenlon, Wes (August 11, 2021). "Here's when Naraka: Bladepoint unlocks in your time zone". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "Thunder Fire Universe X Studio Archives". Xbox Wire. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
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