If you asked me about an action-adventure game by an Asian studio adapting and riffing on a classic novel, Black Myth: Wukong would normally be the first game I'd think of. Today, I'm thinking about the newly revealed Woochi the Wayfarer, a new game from Nexon which has a remarkably similar origin story.
Woochi the Wayfarer was announced for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC earlier today. We don't have a release date yet. A press release says it's "inspired" by The Tale of Jeon Woochi, a classic Korean novel, and is set in a fantasy world based on its Joseon era, which began in the late 14th century and ended in the early 20th century (or, based on my research, the late 19th century, depending on who you consult). Jeon Woochi, the Dosa or Mage of the Way, seems to have gotten mixed up in the supernatural.
Nexon's most relevant recent release is probably The First Berserker: Khazan, by subsidiary Neople. We don't know exactly how Woochi the Wayfarer will play just yet, or if it will be as Souls-like (really, Nioh-like) as Khazan, but this reveal trailer, all curses and swords and monstrous transformations, definitely screams boss fight.
"The single-player narrative will deliver players a deeply immersive and thrilling action gameplay experience featuring magical settings along with Korean traditional monsters and music," Nexon says, which is pretty much exactly what I'd hope for.
Nexon Games CEO Park Yong-hyun served up some word salad: "Woochi the Wayfarer will provide a fresh and unique play experience that is based on traditional Korean materials while also having an emotional resonance that anyone around the world can relate to. We plan to present a game that will appeal to gamers of all cultures, telling an amazing story that fully showcases Nexon Games' development capabilities and accumulated experience."
Another attached name stands out: Jung Jae-il, the composer of the Netflix series Squid Game and the film Parasite, composed the soundtrack "inspired by traditional Korean music."
We don't have a lot to go on with this game just yet, but what's here is intriguing. This style of action game is really blossoming in China and Korea nowadays, the source literature is fascinating, and the teaser trailer is at least pretty, even if it tells us nothing about the gameplay. I'm quickly becoming a connoisseur of Chinese and Korean action games
The magic of Black Myth: Wukong was its ability to present such a dense fable as an explorable space filled with memorable boss fights and characters. If Woochi the Wayfarer can do the same for Korean fiction, it could be great.
