Nexon, the Korean publisher behind games like The First Descendant, SINoALICE, and The First Berserker: Khazan, has revealed a new single-player action game called Woochi the Wayfarer. It’s based on a Korean folktale called The Tale of Jeon Woochi and follows a mage who is taking on supernatural threats.
It’s part of a recent wave of big-budget action games from Chinese and Korean game studios, which is best exemplified by 2024’s mega-hit Black Myth: Wukong. While we’ve yet to see gameplay, Woochi the Wayfarer’s teaser trailer does leave a strong first impression.
What is Woochi the Wayfarer?
And why will it appeal to Black Myth: Wukong fans?
Nexon describes Wayfarer as a single-player action-adventure game that is set during the Joseon era of Korea’s history. It follows the escapades of the titular mage Jeon Woochi, who has been the subject of Korean folklore, novels, movies, and TV shows.
The cinematic teaser trailer, which was scored by Squid Game and Parasite’s composer Juang Jae-il, shows his encounter with an evil shaman named Myoan after she performs and is corrupted by some sort of ritual.
It doesn’t show any gameplay, although a press release confirms that it is being developed in Unreal Engine 5 by Nexon Games’ LoreVault Studio. That press release also explains that LoreVault is location hunting throughout South Korea and working with experts in Korean literature, music, and history so it can properly represent Korean culture.
While Black Myth: Wukong was made by a Chinese game developer, it similarly embraced the folklore of Journey to the West and Chinese culture to create a AAA action game meant to compete with Western games. Comments by Nexon Games CEO Park Yong-hyun in the press release suggest that the goals for Woochi the Wayfarer are pretty similar:
“Woochi the Wayfarer will provide a fresh and unique play experience that is based on traditional Korean materials while also having an emotional resonance that anyone around the world can relate to. We plan to present a game that will appeal to gamers of all cultures, telling an amazing story that fully showcases Nexon Games’ development capabilities and accumulated experience.”
The success of Black Myth: Wukong demonstrated that there is a demand for games like that, which is why Woochi the Wayfarer is a game that I’ll be paying attention to going forward. Of course, I’m awaiting the reveal of actual gameplay so I can get a better idea of how this game will work from moment to moment and live up to the production value of its teaser trailer. I’ve been disappointed by games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers that were also attempting something similar.
Nexon did not provide a release window for Woochi the Wayfarer at this time, but has confirmed that it will release the game on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
