Nexon’s making a pivot from live-service games to single-player. The publisher behindThe First Descendantjust surprised us with something completely different by dropping a trailer for Woochi the Wayfarer, an action-adventure game that draws from classic Korean literature.
This new trailer drop comes along with the announcement that award-winning Parasite and Squid Game composer, Jung Jae-il, will be on board for this game, which is currently beingdeveloped using Unreal Engine 5.
If you like watching Koreanperiod pieces, and you’re waiting for a game that celebrates Korean culture, this might just be our best chance to see it.
What is Woochi the Wayfarer?
Woochi the Wayfarer pulls its inspiration from “The Tale of Jeon Woo-chi,” a Korean classic about a scholar who uses his powers to fight injusticeand mock the corrupt elite like Robin Hood, except he’s got supernatural powers of his own.
The original folk story happens during a time of severe famine and pirate raids on Korea’s southern coast. While the common people barely scraped by on anything they could get their hands on, Woo-chi decided to use his abilities to help them out.
Now, if you’re expecting that this is going to be your generic “hero helps the weak” trope, you’re wrong. What makes this character fascinating is his complexity. He’s not exactly your typical hero because he’s a trickster who lies to royalty, pulls pranks on corrupt officials, and generally causes mayhem wherever he goes, but he sort of balances that out by helping the oppressed.
Eventually, Woo-chi is caught, because crime doesn’t pay, but when it’s time for him to be executed, he asks to draw one last picture, paints a horse, and then literally jumps into his own artwork and rides away. One day, he’s defeated by Seo Gyeong-deok, another magic user, and together they venture deep into the mountains for his spiritual training.
I know, it’s a bit oafish or even half-baked as an ending. But this is medieval Korea we’re talking about, and the Joseon period has a long stretch of back and forth between the educated elite and the masses.
It’s a rich history trove of around 400 years of advancements in pretty much everything, including the alphabet, culture, medicine, science, and technology. Plus almost a decade of being invaded by the Japanese. In the end, the Koreans and the Chinese team up, and together they will repel the Japanese invasion.
Bringing Korean Culture to Gamers
The Woochi the Wayfarer game is being developed by LoreVault Studio using Unreal Engine 5 in partnership with Nexon, who’s responsible for bringing us Maple Story, The First Berserker Khazan, and The First Descendants.
The other big headline is that Jung Jae-il, who recently won the Technical Award for Music at Baeksang Arts Award, and scored the music forSquid Game, and the moviesParasiteandMickey 17, will be part of this project.
Nexon has been committed to bringing Korean culture and artistry into the world of gaming. CEO Park Yong-hyun said last June that the “window of opportunity (forKorean games) will not stay open for many more years” because there’s stagnation in PC, mobile, and consoles. Now, whether you feel like his statement was rushed or not, I’ll leave it to you.
South Korea has been in the gaming space for as long as we can all remember. Whether it’s from legendaryStarcraftpros, to games likeMapleStory,Lineage,Stellar Blade, orThe First Descendant, it’s clear they have left their mark in gaming history.
Woochi the Wayfarer has no release date as of this moment, but will release globally on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
