NCSoft is taking the term “remaster” seriously with free-to-play Blade & Soul NEO, revamping virtually every aspect of the game while preserving its unique kung fu action-based MMORPG gameplay. Blade & Soul wasn’t a half-bad-looking game by 2012 MMORPG standards, but this remaster has propelled the Wuxia-themed Korean MMO’s visuals beyond some of today’s most popular genre offerings. Beyond the obvious graphics update, Blade & Soul NEO has also built upon its predecessor’s gameplay features. There’s a reworked new player experience, a drastic enhancement of its traversal, and several all-new systems that add depth to the game’s build expression.
Game Rant was given a hands-off preview of Blade & Soul NEO comprising about 20 minutes of footage highlighting the remaster’s key additions. It’s a remaster, not a full-blown sequel, so fans of the original should have no trouble acclimating. There are no new classes or races, the combat system is largely unchanged, and, aside from some added systems, itemization should be familiar to seasoned kung fu MMO gamers. Meanwhile, the reworked onboarding experience should help new players effortlessly windwalk their way to success.
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Blade & Soul NEO Is a Massive Visual Improvement
Naturally, the big ticket item of this remaster is Blade & Soul NEO‘s substantially upgraded visuals. Side-by-side comparisons in the footage viscerally demonstrated just how much work NCSoft put into giving the decade-old MMORPG a makeover. Lighting and shading have seen a noticeable facelift, with more accurate shadows adding greater depth to geometry and enhanced lighting emphasizing the game’s vibrant color palettes. Overall, it’s brighter, more colorful, and holds up strongly to modern graphics standards. The geometry of static objects has seen improvements and a healthy injection of grass and foliage livened up spaces that were once merely green floor textures.
Environments themselves have seen major touch-ups. In one instance, a once-barren shoreline was replaced with a gorgeous vista with smoldering shipwrecks littering the water as a towering cliff face casts a long shadow over the beach. Another eye-catching example was a comparison of one of the game’s cities. Where once there were a few buildings with an empty courtyard, there is now a bustling metropolis illuminated by webs of string lights. God rays shine through tree canopies, and distant terrain features are rendered in finer detail. As far as video game remasters go, Blade & Soul NEO is a high-effort delivery.
Blade & Soul NEO Retains its Iconic Action Combat System
We were offered a look at PVE and PVP gameplay footage, and thankfully for fans, it looks like the same iconic combat system as its predecessor. How Blade & Soul NEO‘s combat system has players managing cooldowns between combo abilities feels like a mix of traditional fighting game and tab-target MMORPG, and the improved graphics and animations add intensity to the over-the-top spectacle of Blade & Soul‘s combat. Footage of a small 3v3 faction PVP bout was a chaotic display, but the free-for-all PVP was even more so. Players were seen desperately competing for a Scavenger’s Treasure Chest, using crowd control abilities on each other for a chance to grab the coveted loot.
The footage also revealed the revamped Tomb of the Exiles dungeon, which looks excellent under the new lighting and its surprising verticality leverages the game’s freeform movement system. We caught a glimpse of the Infernal Lord boss fight as well, which was kicked off with an impressive cutscene before the party got busy dodging his varied moveset. Frontal swipes, AoE knockdowns, fire breath, and a devastating grab attack might knock a few players down, but at least they’ll look good in the process.
Blade & Soul NEO’s Customization and Fashion Is as Deep as Ever
Speaking of looking good, Blade & Soul NEO retains its predecessor’s rich slider-based character customization system. Every bodily feature can be adjusted with immense freedom, with examples ranging from hideous to hilarious to beautiful. While some games limit the values of such sliders to keep players somewhat visually consistent, characters in Blade & Soul NEO can be modified to the extreme. Even the animal-like Lyn race has tremendous variety: an assortment of tails and ears were recolored and resized for unique results. There’s a granularity to the customization system that could keep virtual fashionistas occupied for hours.
As always, fashion is a crucial component of MMORPGs, and Blade & Soul NEO showed off a wide variety of diverse outfits spanning modern and fantasy aesthetics. Martial arts outfits, cute dresses ornamented with bows and ribbons, formal attire, and one standout armor set where the player’s joints are replaced with fireballs should give every player cosmetic options to their taste. For players interested in apparel that suits their class fantasy, we saw plenty of options that should help express their character’s fighting style.
Blade & Soul NEO Is Introducing All-New Systems
Blade & Soul NEO is bringing some systemic changes to the table in addition to its visual overhauls. The most immediately noticeable change is infinite windwalking: no longer held back by a stamina bar, players can windwalk endlessly. We witnessed players windwalking through the air for incredible distances from vantage points, while at other times they’d smoothly tread across large bodies of water. With the game’s freeform wall-climbing, Blade & Soul NEO boasts mobility not often seen in MMORPGs.
There are also new elements related to the game’s gear systems. The Weapon Core system enables players to slot Soulstones into their weapons to improve their stats and provide unique Soul Power abilities in combat. One example was the Infernal Lord Soulstone, which lets players unleash the same fire breath attack as the boss. Additionally, the Mantra system brings a new layer to itemization. Gear can be slotted with a combination of three color-coded Mantras. Depending on the combination, a random effect from that combination’s pool can be rolled. Players looking to emphasize certain stats or playstyles can target those with specific combinations, and the UI handily lists each possible outcome.
A new Skill Book is also arriving. This Skill Book system enables players to fully customize their abilities, sometimes completely transforming how they work. In one example, the Blade Master’s Take Flight ability could be transformed to Rising Dragon Isl. Rather than launching opponents into the air to stun them, this new form deals extra damage to already-stunned opponents—a near-opposite effect. It’ll be interesting to see how any two players from one Blade & Soul NEO class may differ thanks to this system.
So far, Blade & Soul NEO looks like everything an MMORPG remaster should be. It’s faithful to its roots, while improved visuals, streamlined mobility, and added spice from new systems should please longtime fans and hopefully pick up some new ones along the way.
- Developer(s)
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NCSoft
- Publisher(s)
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NCSoft