Blade & Soul Revolution Interview – Lead Developer on Challenges and Highlights

Blade & Soul Revolution is going global on March 4, 2021 with NCsoft and Netmarble, after a successful Asian release. A portable remake of the acclaimed PC MMORPG, it aims to please the mobile crowd by providing the elements that made the original famous while putting the necessary twist to suit the target platform. With Blade & Soul 2 looming on the horizon, this is a great time to enjoy Blade & Soul Revolution and become acquainted with the series' rich lore. We spoke with development lead Hyun Jin Jang on challenges and expectations for the global launch. Read our Blade Soul Revolution interview below.

Don't Miss: Blade & Soul Revolution Coupon Codes List

FreeMMOStation: Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hyun Jin Jang: Hi, my name is Hyun Jin Jang – Development Lead at Netmarble F&C. I am in charge of development of Blade & Soul Revolution.

FreeMMO: Blade & Soul Revolution is a remake of the PC version aimed at mobile devices. Do you think that it will also appeal to players who know the PC game by heart, and if so, why?

Hyun Jin Jang: We tried to depict the PC version as much as possible, but at the same time feature unique contents of its own. We think that people who know the original PC game would definitely love playing it.

FreeMMO: Which features would you consider to be the highlight in Blade & Soul Revolution? How does it stand out from other mobile MMORPGs, mechanics-wise, including Netmarble’s own Lineage 2 Revolution?

Hyun Jin Jang: When we developed Blade & Soul Revolution, our focus was to offer MMORPG fans a compelling gaming experience that transcends the limits of mobile gameplay. Because we know some players prefer console games, we aimed to create a high quality experience that is different from other mobile open world RPGs. We streamlined the controls, action, and story so players can have a smooth co-op or competitive gaming experience. Blade & Soul Revolution also has factional gameplay, so beginning and expert players can join in the fight to be the dominant faction. All of this has led to the game being a strong success in Korea.

FreeMMO: What kind of challenges did you face while porting such a rich MMORPG experience into mobile devices?

Hyun Jin Jang: One of the key characteristics of the original IP is its high quality combat compared to other action games. We focused our research and development to provide fascinating and fast-paced combat action that can be easily made on mobile platforms. Ultimately, we enabled easy controls and increased the depth of combat play by optimizing Blade & Soul for mobile platforms. At launch, players can easily fight others with more than 30 types of skills and colorful combinations that can be used with simple button operations. Good use of chained skills, joint attacks from the original IP, and diversifying variants are essential for players to experience more strategic and colorful battles.

FreeMMO: Do you plan on adding story updates to Blade & Soul Revolution in the future, like it happens on PC? At what rate can we expect new content?

Hyun Jin Jang: Yes. We do have unique stories of Blade & Soul Revolution ready to be updated in near future. We will share you with our upcoming update details soon. Please wait!

FreeMMO: What will be the level cap of the launch version?

Hyun Jin Jang: The level cap of the launch version is 200.

FreeMMO: Blade & Soul Revolution seems to offer a great selection of combos for the player to master. Did you pay special attention to combat depth, and how is it different from the PC version?

Hyun Jin Jang: When the Special Stance gauge reaches 100% during battle, you can inflict a lot of damage to the opponent through a combo that links the skill of the normal posture and the skill of the special posture while switching from the normal posture to the special posture. The play that creates a situation where this skill combo can be successful is the core of the battle and the part that creates the depth, which is the difference from the PC version. In addition, we wanted to give fun to manipulate through the use of two avoidance devices, lateral movement and rolling backwards.

FreeMMO: For a game that offers a rich fighting system, having auto-combat seems a bit conflicting. Why do you think auto-play still remains as an almost mandatory feature in mobile MMOs?

Hyun Jin Jang: Auto-play can make the game more effective, especially for players who would like to enjoy the game for a long period of time. We have been thinking a lot about this part for a long time. We adjusted for players to use auto function on parts where concentration is unnecessary – considering the unique characteristics of mobile platform. However, we allowed players to experience core fun of the game which are dungeons, battles and Arena to be played manually.

FreeMMO: Did you have to scale back anything regarding PvP modes? What would you say is the most appealing factor of PvP?

Hyun Jin Jang: The core game nature of Blade & Soul Revolution is competing between factions is based on the fun of PvP, and PvP is definitely the core content. It allows players to enjoy competitions with other forces on the field. We tried to bring back as detailed as possible regarding PvP modes.

FreeMMO: Anything else you would like to say to our readers about Blade & Soul Revolution?

Hyun Jin Jang: We’ve worked very hard for the global launch – and as this was welcomed in Asian countries we hope that global players will love playing the game. Please stay tuned as we will bring more exciting updates!

We want to thank for taking time from his busy schedule to answer our questions for this Blade & Soul Revolution interview. The fantasy martial arts MMORPG releases today, March 4, 2021 in global territories for Android and iOS.