Honor of Kings: World is expanding the successful mobile game franchise from MOBA to ARPG, and for the first time will launch simultaneously on mobile and PC. It’s a move for the long-established franchise in mainland China that is capitalizing on the original game’s global launch and success and the anthology vignette feature in Prime Video’s Secret Level.
At GDC, we attended a behind-closed-doors demo and spoke with Simen Lv, Lead Designer at TiMi Studio Group, about Honor of Kings: World, putting Chinese mythology and culture at the forefront of gaming, and how the studio plans to approach rewarding solo play without devaluing the multiplayer action the Honor of Kings (HoK) franchise is known for.
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This last point stuck out to me immediately after I ran through combat scenarios during the hands-on appointment. Without animation locking Flow stance (the build types in this game) changes, the player is able to seamlessly move between dealing high DPS and healing themselves. The ability to wield two entirely different combat stances (called Flows) to make your build makes solo play easily viable and also poses a question for how a future end-game meta will develop with so many build options at the players’ fingertips.
“This is actually a funny story,” Simen Lv started, “It’s a very distinctive decision. When we started the project, we were talking with our combat designer [and] we realized that if we made just one class, you’d have a lot of abilities, but the progression would need to be much deeper than it exists now. So we thought, why not make a system where you have a team, like a card game?”
By having the player invest in multiple stances and work with others, figuring out what works for them and with a team is tricky, but the player agency also offers fun, and Simen Lv says that’s the point. “[To get there], we tried a lot of things and realized that combining both options was fun but also tricky. After much consideration, we found that it was a good balance. It’s simple enough for players to understand, but combining these different styles creates a lot of fun, so it was definitely worth it.”
Solo or multiplayer? Honor of Kings: World is striving to give both kinds of players a good experience.
When asked about balancing the single-player experience and the multiplayer aspect of Honor of Kings: World, Simen Lv explained it like progression. Start alone, then be comfortable enough to play with others. “Once you’re familiar with the single-player experience, there will be tough battles in the open world. These will reward you with unique titles. It’s kind of like the ultimate test.”
Lv continued, explaining what multiplayer character builds can look like, “For multiplayer, we have positions [like a MOBA], but you still get to engage in the action. You’re not just a healer standing on the sidelines. For example, you’ll have an attacker role where you constantly counter and engage with the boss, a ranger role that focuses on damage without worrying about everything else, and a utility role like a healer who can use time-based abilities. One character, for example, can freeze time once you stagger the boss, giving you more time to deal damage. Everyone will be in a DPS role, but each player will have a specific job [to do in the battle].”
But with such malleable and custom builds, the need for a meta doesn’t seem like it will be that easy to find. Still, does a meta matter more than falling in love with a specific combat style? Lv doesn’t think so.
When asked about balancing player agency and meta-design, Simen Lv said, “There will definitely be some selection when it comes to extremely difficult boss raids. But the reason we didn’t go for a fixed framework where we tell you exactly what the class should be is because we want to give players freedom. We want them to love the character they choose. So, while there might be some minor differences, players will likely ignore those based on how much they enjoy playing a certain combat style.”
Each of the Flows that players choose for their build is based on characters in the original HoK game. The speed of the combat was accelerated by having access to all of the current characters and their stances to choose from. But while that was overwhelming for some with the demo, the ramp-up will be slower for players at launch. Not to lose sight of the story, it is crucial to guide you through each new situation to meet new characters and learn from them.
Read more from our hands-on preview with Honor of Kings: World from GDC here.
“Normally, you start with one combat style and every time you reach a critical upgrade point,” Lv explained when asked about progressions, “There will be a trial that teaches you how to practice combos. Once you complete it, you get your upgrade and continue. The storyline will also help you learn the combos gradually. You won’t have everything all at once—you’ll get the first, then the second, and so on as you progress through the story. You’ll spend several hours before you get to the advanced combat stages [you saw today].”
In addition to the combat and sharp cinematics, Honor of Kings: World has a unique and intense sound design as well. From the music to the animation effects, it all comes together. “We have a director who has been working on this IP for 10 years, and the original [game’s] music is orchestral. With the combat-driven tracks, we bring the traditional music DNA into our world, but our world also has a touch of life and a flow that fits the setting.”
He continued, “The director composed different music for different areas of the game. He worked on multiple layers of music to capture the identity of the game but also create a new identity at the same time. If you’re familiar with the IP, you might recognize some classic music, like when you’re walking around the world at sunset. It’ll hit you with nostalgia, but there will also be a lot of new music, too.”
Ultimately, it’s all one game and the beauty and detail are captured best in the cinematics as a team effort. “We actually spend a lot of time on the cinematics. We’ve been working on them for years to really get them right,” Lv explained, “The way we do it is with a feature team. Once we want to develop a cinematic moment, the combat designer, sound designer, and everyone else are in the same room working together. The creative director will give them a scene, and they all collaborate to design it and integrate it perfectly.”
The Honor of Kings: World team hopes to push Eastern Fantasy even more to the mainstream.
It’s safe to say that Eastern Fantasy is growing in visibility in the United States, from Light Chaser Animation’s New Gods series enjoying celebrated U.S. theater releases, Ne Zha 2’s global success, the release and award nominations around Game Science’s Black Myth Wukong, the simulcast of donghua (Chinese animated series) on Crunchyroll, and HoK’s accolade as the most played Mobile game in the world. Now, Honor of Kings: World is spotlighting even more from Chinese mythology for players globally.
When asked about how he felt about the increase in popularity, Simen Lv responded, “We are seeing more and more works based on our culture. We are one of them. What we try to do in our game is take the best of our history and mythology and make it more popular [with a new audience]. We want to make it more accessible while [still] keeping the essence of it. The more we do this, the better we do it, the more naturally it will be introduced to a broader audience.”
One way to make sure that Honor of Kings: World is able to get players interested in Chinese culture and mythology is to make sure that those cultural stories are experienced through the gameplay, but also that there is lore accessible as they play. We asked Lv if the game would feature lore breakdowns to which he responded, “Definitely! A lot of the lore will be introduced through cinematics and story, but there will also be pages in the game that give the backstory.”
Honor of Kings: World will also feature dots to connect throughout its world, not just in character biographies. Simen Lv explained, “You can gather clues in the open world, too. Sometimes, it’s easier for players to connect the dots this way. We also want to give [players] the freedom to help share everything and connect the details.”
“I think stories are universal, and you don’t need a lot of explanations to enjoy them,” Simen Lv explained when asked what he hopes players will take away from the game when it launches. Right now,” he continued, “we’re just getting started in the international market, so we’re still learning what people like and how it differs from the local market. What we really want to do is introduce our culture and see how people respond to it. Then, we can gather feedback and keep improving from there.”
With dynamic combat, gorgeous cinematics, and an established IP to use as a launch pad, Honor of Kings: World has a bright future, and TiMi Studio Group is using that to share its culture and bring more people to the franchise.
Honor of Kings: World will release on mobile and PC, but has no release date currently set.
