Project Mugen is an action RPG spanning the streets and skyscrapers of a bustling metropolis by NetEase and Naked Rain. Read on to learn about its story and gameplay, as well as our first impressions of the game.
Project Mugen Review
Project Mugen First Impressions
The game hasn’t even entered any sort of public testing phase yet, and we’re already off to a good start. Project Mugen has turned many heads when its first official announcement and PV were released, and it continues to do so with its first product information promotion. As a testament to its popularity, it already has close to 3 million pre-registrations by the time of this article’s writing; a feat it has achieved mere months after pre-registrations were opened.
There’s not really much about the game that’s been publicized at the moment, so it’s difficult to get a gauge of the game when promises are often broken and such. However, considering the actual gameplay footage we do have, it’s easy to see that regardless of the final form Project Mugen will take on release, it’s definitely going to be a banger.
After all, this is going to be the first time a mobile RPG will offer its players that much freedom to roam its streets.
Everything We Know About Project Mugen
Project Mugen Story Plot
Project Mugen's story revolves around the player as the Investigator. Their role is to research Chaos, a supernatural affliction all around them. All the while, they'll be able to travel around the world and meet different people to work with. And then there's also the plot with Dila, a girl with a mysterious past investigating similar anomalies within the city.
From the few tidbits of info Project Mugen has provided us, it seems like its story combines multiple main plots interwoven to progress simultaneously. Each character gets to act as the protagonist of their own story. Meanwhile, you, the player character, will play a significant role in their stories as they progress. Of course, there should be an overarching plot that cohesively covers all of their tales.
Project Mugen Gameplay
Imagine the freedom that Marvel's Spider-Man offers you combined with Grand Theft Auto's. Project Mugen will allow you to grapple, swing, parkour, and wall-run through and around skyscrapers, as well as ride vehicles and swim on water seamlessly. Taffy, one of the characters you can play as in-game, is even shown to be able to summon her bike (which looks hilariously similar to a Honda Motocompo) mid-air and dive straight to the ground with it.
Whether or not there will be a system similar to GTA's Wanted Level system is unknown. But it makes sense to have such a feature considering the game's vehicle driving mechanics in an urban setting. It means you will often run through red traffic lights and slam into other cars. Heck, if it gets triggered by your grappling around buildings and causing public disturbances, that should add quite a bit of immersion and challenge.
As a game that gives particular attention to emulating the complete urban experience, Project Mugen has committed itself to replicating the freedom afforded to people living in a metropolis. This will include completely destructible objects spread across multiple massive, sprawling cities, a multitude of arcade games that you can play, and open shops and facilities you can peruse and explore.
All of this will be given life by thousands of ordinary folk wandering about and doing their business, depending on the time of day and the many stray animals you can interact with. And while that may sound quite daunting, Naked Rain has promised they won't stop with just a breathing city. In fact, according to the developers, the very first city the players will get to explore, Nova Inception Urbs, contains more than 10 distinct areas connected seamlessly. These include shopping districts, a beach, amusement parks, etc. More cities will become accessible to the players as they progress through the story, and each location will showcase different cultures inspired from real-world civilizations such as America and Europe.
In particular, their designers mentioned that objects shouldn't be mere decorations but should also be things they could utilize or "vandalize." With the many kinds of objects you can find in the game, that means countless hours of added labor to add interactivity and destructibility to them. The video shows that you'll be able to throw objects around, shove them out of your path, commit acts of property damage, or even use them as means to deal environmental damage.
To explore the vast cityscapes of Project Mugen, you'll need to construct a party of four characters. Each of them possess different attributes that interact with others, and synergize in different ways. Including their many special abilities and effects, it allows for a deep and complex team-building and combat experience.
Project Mugen Trailer
First PV Reveal | Tomorrow and Surprises Come Together
Being a newly-announced game, Project Mugen’s first PV is also their latest (not including their more recent Product Information release). It gives us a sneak peek into the game’s characters, exploration, combat and story. Here we see a glimpse of the lively metropolitan setting of the game, replete with commoners moving about and minding their own businesses. And then we have our characters, wreaking havoc in public with their vehicles and grappling lines.
It’s an amazing first look into a game with a lot of promise.
Project Mugen Product Information
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| Title | PROJECT MUGEN (No Official Title Yet) |
|---|---|
| Release Date | TBA |
| Developer | Naked Rain |
| Publisher | NetEase |
| Supported Platforms | Mobile, PS5, PS4, PC |
| Genre | RPG, Adventure |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | N/A |
| Official Website | Project Mugen Website |
