Image: Action Square
Kingdom: The Blood looks a lot like Ghost of Tsushima, but with buckets of blood and lots of zombies.
Developer Action Square has released a first look at its upcoming action-RPG Kingdom: The Blood, a new game based on Netflix’s Korean zombie horror series Kingdom. Gameplay-wise, it seems to take after Ghost of Tsushima with its hack-and-slash gameplay and period-authentic setting. Just with a lot more blood and gore.
Watch the gameplay trailer below:
Much like the series it’s based on, this game isn’t taking it easy on the violence. You’ll play as a sword-wielding citizen of Hanyang during the Joseon period, trying to fight your way out of a zombie-infested city. The game has a character creation system, with multiple customisation options that let players battle in the outfits of their choosing - including traditional Korean clothing like the Hanbok.
Kingdom: The Blood has a few game modes for players to try out. Its Story Mode takes place between 1400 and 1900 during the Joseon period much like the show, but with a new protagonist: a young prince who’s fighting to save his city from a zombie apocalypse. While that synopsis shares similarities with the series, it doesn’t look like the two will cross over in any other way, so expect a standalone adventure.
If you just want to go to town on the game’s zombies, there’s also a Conquest Mode. In this mode, you’ll go through a sequence of five-minute battles, or a series of multi-boss fights, or duel other players in PvP. Just like the show, it looks like you’ll be fighting a fair number of regular humans alongside the zombies, which is where your dueling skills come into play.
Netflix’s Kingdom has run for two seasons and a special called Ashin of the North, following a group of characters trying to survive and subsequently halt the advancement of a zombie plague in ancient Korea. Even during the impending apocalypse, multiple characters vie for political power in multiple locations across 16th century Korea, while others struggle to find a cure for the plague.
Kingdom: The Blood will launch on PC and mobile platforms. Interestingly, Netflix isn’t backing this title despite the company’s recent push to turn its bounty of IP into games for mobile platforms.