The Game Awards have seen a handful of really stunning trailers for games. With games like Ghosts of Tsushima and Bravely Default II showcasing some beautiful art direction and environments, it's clear to see that players will have some gorgeous games to look forward to in 2020.
However, one of the most visually stunning world premieres shown during The Game Awards 2019 came from the 24 Entertainment developed and NetEase published Naraka: Bladepoint. On the surface, the game seems very similar to both Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Ghosts of Tsushima in terms of setting, art-direction, and location.
The game is described as a multiplayer melee-oriented combat game that focuses on not only combat but exploration as well. The official summary reads, "Naraka: Bladepoint offers close-range action set on the mysterious Eastern realm of Morus. The game features a boundless movement system that allows players to climb, hang, and even parkour."
Like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Ghosts of Tsushima, which received a long-awaited and lengthy showcase during The Game Awards, it is heavily influenced by Eastern culture and history. Additionally, the traversal and movement also looks very reminiscent of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, even heavily emphasizing its own grappling hook system. The combat looks to be fast a fluid, involving familiar mechanics like a parry and block system in order to get an opening on the opponent.
The game was actually teased well before its official announcement by none other than Geoff Keighley himself. On December 9, Keighley tweeted, "Where cold steel collides and blood runs dry, Souls Blossom. Tune in for the World Premiere at #TheGameAwards to witness the Soulbloom in #NARAKATHEGAME."
The developer behind the title, 24 Entertainment, may possibly be a new studio to the industry as not a lot of information about them is out there. As for the game's publisher, NetEase is a Chinese-based internet technology company well known for partnering with Blizzard to help operate local versions of their popular titles like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. On a somewhat related note, Blizzard and NetEase recently won a major lawsuit over an Overwatch clone made by Chinese developers.
It's hard not to draw comparison to these two titles when looking at Nakara: Bladepoint, as the surface level comparisons are incredibly clear. Especially seeing as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is nominated for a handful of awards within the show that Nakara was announced in.
Nakara: Bladepoint is expected to release on PC in 2020.