The first-ever game adaptation from the globally successful manhwa and currently well-liked anime series is Solo Leveling: Arise, but does the eagerly awaited action gacha release live up to the hype?
With over 14 billion readers of its original manhwa, Solo Leveling has already achieved global success with its anime adaptation, which debuted to great reviews in March 2024. But Solo Leveling: Arise, the game’s debut title, is expected to propel the adored Korean franchise to unprecedented heights.
In January 2022, Netmarble revealed that Solo Leveling: Arise was under development. Since then, it has garnered over 15 million pre-registrations because of its newfound success and intriguing teasers, and on May 8 the gacha game eventually opened.
The PC and mobile action role-playing game tells the well-known tale of Sung Jinwhoo, the hunter with the lowest ranking in the world, as he strives to improve and become the best. It would be best if you put together a formidable hunting party by unlocking characters, weapons, and items in order to conquer the deadly bosses and get through the high-ranking Gates (dungeon sections).
Solo Leveling: Arise appears to have taken great care to recreate the stunning looks of the manhwa and anime, but does this translate to gameplay, or is it just a quick Gacha money grab?
Important information
- Cost: Nothing
- The developer is Marvel
- Date of Release: May 8, 2024
- Platforms: mobile and PC
Unprecedented life added to solo leveling
You will immediately become engrossed in the hunter Sung Jinwoo’s tale. Quests that make use of animated manhwa panels, intricate cutscenes, realistic gameplay, and even the voice actors from the anime do a fantastic job of illustrating each chapter.
In every way, Netmarble has produced a genuine love letter to the original work. In addition to bringing nearly every recognizable character, foe, feature, weapon, and item from the manhwa to life, Arise has also included all-new quests and characters to allow you to go deeper than before. Even though the graphics really pop on PC, they nevertheless hold their own on mobile. They bring the whole thing together brilliantly.
The gameplay in Arise is smooth but demanding.
The secret to taking down bosses and opening gates is to gather Jinwoo’s Army of Shadows and form a formidable group of up to four hunters.
The sheer number of elements you are taught to in the first hour, from how to use each hunter and level up to simply navigating all the menus, might be a little intimidating. Nevertheless, in your quest to become the world’s greatest hunter, you’ll quickly get the hang of these and develop an addiction to clearing Gates.
Even though some of the loading screens can be somewhat long, this is mostly due to Netmarble’s amazing work on the game’s slick gameplay. The mobility and fighting techniques feel natural while utilizing Sung Jinwoo or any other hunters that have been gathered. Because of this, playing the game is enjoyable, especially when attempting to learn new skills.
The primary objective of the game is to clear Gates and vanquish the recognizable bosses that reside within them in order to obtain some cool rewards. But you’re never off your toes because of how hard they get. In addition, there are seven additional game modes, minigames, events, and a ton of other stuff to go into.
Robust gacha system and formidable characters
Arise has all of the features and content you have grown to love from Genshin Impact and other gacha games. The 21 hunter characters have all been meticulously modeled, with fluid animations, and a wide variety of skills.
Casual players won’t notice much of a difference, despite the relatively low pull rates for drawing hunters, which may turn off some. If you already enjoy Solo Leveling, you won’t have any trouble grinding Draw Tickets to obtain characters like Taesik Kang and Jinwoo’s closest friend Yoo Jinho.
The customization options available to your hunters are virtually endless. Along the route, you’ll find hundreds of objects to find, including clothes, weapons, armor, artifacts, and much more. You may also purchase and sell these goods with the different in-game currencies.
Individual No Leveling
Despite all of its advantages, Solo Leveling: Arise has been let down by common gacha game progression system clichés. The free-to-play growth gets tedious as the honeymoon period wears off and you advance to higher levels, making it more difficult for you to have the necessary tools to open gates and take down bosses.
In a series where solo leveling is the main focus, the abundance of pay-to-win upgrades to advance the game will definitely entice you. If not, you’ll soon find yourself forced to grind nonstop in order to push through nearly unclimbable Gates.
The Final Score: 4 out of 5.
A near-perfect homage to the original manhwa may be found in Solo Leveling: Rise. Its most notable feature is its exquisite tale, which when paired with its gorgeous graphics, smooth gameplay, and captivating Genshin-like aspects, makes it an absolute must-play for fans of gacha and solo leveling.
It remains to be seen if the problems with the late-game progression mechanism will eventually undermine its longevity and drive away its enthusiastic player base.
