“Chinese and foreign co-production of Journey to the West”: What kind of two-part routine is the Chinese-style party + “killing chickens”? | Game Look | GameLook.com.cn

GameLook report/Outrageous, another “live and see”!

On April 18, Behavior, the developer of the asymmetrical competitive game “Dead by Daylight” which received 510,000 special praises on STEAM, suddenly announced that it would cooperate with “Yuanmeng Star” to develop its special mode “Don’t Catch Me, King”. Provide suggestions for Journey to the West themed gameplay. “Yuanmeng Star” officials later responded that “Dead by Daylight” producer Mathieu Côté will directly participate in guiding the gameplay design.

The next day, Mathieu Côté also responded via the official blog: “We are deeply excited about this design cooperation and are very happy to communicate with Tencent and bring a unique immersive experience to players.”

The sudden multiple rounds of “intimate” interactions between the two sides stunned the crowd. This joyful scene realized the Internet meme “Chinese and foreign co-production” Journey to the West. It can be called the “flowering of both culture and sports” on the domestic asymmetrical competitive circuit, and it soon aroused heated discussions and onlookers.

At first glance, this linkage is quite surprising: on one side is a cute-looking family party game, and on the other side is a classic asymmetrical competitive game with a unique style. The two completely different painting styles actually collaborated to design a new gameplay? But when I think about it more carefully, although it is unexpected, it is also reasonable.

Since its release in 2016, “Dead by Daylight” has sold over 5 million units and has become a top IP comparable to console masterpieces. However, due to various reasons such as the subject matter, “Dead by Daylight” is relatively embarrassing in China: there are many core fans, but it has never been able to break out of the circle. However, as an evergreen game that has been online for nearly 8 years, it urgently needs to cooperate with large DAU games to attract more new users.

The core of asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay: first, strong sociality, and second, high playability. The resulting fun performance brings explosive live broadcast effects—both of which coincide with the attributes of party games. In February of this year, “Yuanmeng Star” launched the special gameplay “Don’t Catch Me, King” to initially test the asymmetric competitive field.

“Yuanmeng Star” wants to further expand the party user experience and conduct a more in-depth exploration of asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay. It relies on the orthodox “killing chicken” and developer Behavior Interactive’s professional capabilities in asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay design. Needless to say, it is natural for both parties to cooperate in guidance. The background of “genuine family fun game” makes the compatibility of “Yuanmeng Star” with other game IPs almost unlimited, giving it more space to explore innovative experiences of subdivided gameplay.

Chinese mythological themes + asymmetric competitive multiplayer gameplay create the most exciting sparks

The name asymmetrical sports is a bit unfamiliar to the public, but in fact, in addition to symmetrical sports such as Go and chess, we have been playing various games since childhood, such as eagle catching chicks, ghost catching, hide and seek, to werewolf, etc. Games, essentially games of few versus many, are all asymmetrical competitions.

Why is asymmetry so popular? Because in fair competition, the players’ intelligence, physical fitness, and skills are compared under the same conditions, while in asymmetric competition, different skills of characters can be added. Characters have advantages and disadvantages, division of labor, camps, and more diverse gameplay.

In fact, our human DNA also likes this kind of asymmetrical game, because asymmetry reflects real life, and complete equality in symmetrical games does not exist. The weak must form a team, and they must unite vertically and horizontally. Although the strong have advantages, they must avoid being caught in their weaknesses. This is not only the survival rule of the real society, but also the fun of this type of game.

Returning to the gaming industry, asymmetrical competition and tactical competition, which emerged at almost the same time, are both cross-generational gameplay innovations. But the different encounters between the two are more like the helplessness of “how to be good when you are good” in the gaming industry.

At that time, part of the reason why asymmetric multiplayer games failed to become as popular as Tactics Arena was because the user scale of the category was still insufficient, and the supply of homogeneous products was redundant, causing players to flock to the most popular products, resulting in the emergence of “Dead by Daylight” has been on its own for a long time.

However, in recent years, as this gameplay has taken root in the huge mobile game market with players, a large number of products with different styles have emerged, continuing to expand the size of the user base and providing ample space for category innovation. Unfortunately, in most cases, latecomers only replace in-game interactive elements or characters, without touching the real pain points of the category.

Usually, the strong enjoyment of asymmetric multiplayer games comes from the interpretation of dark themes, gothic style and horror legends, etc., but naturally prevents the player experience from expanding to a wider dimension. If we just continue to innovate horizontally on the subject matter, it will be difficult to come up with new ideas in gameplay. It must be admitted that the mobile game market is faintly reappearing the situation of “one company dominates” the PC game.

Taking root in the relaxed and enjoyable genre of party games with low thresholds and easy access, Yuanmeng Star has begun to conduct “dramatic” innovative explorations into asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay.

On April 19, in the preview live broadcast of the new season of “Chaoyin Imagination”, “Yuanmeng Star” announced some new season fashion and key content. Among them, the Chinese style Journey to the West themed 3v9 “Three Kings” mode, which will be launched next season in “Don’t Catch Me, Your Majesty”, is impressively on the list.

It is reported that the “Three Kings” mode will bring an exclusive map theme “Three Kings Ridge”, and the original monsters Golden Horn, Silver Horn, and Dragon-pressing Immortal will join the Dark Star camp. The “Master and Disciple Group” Sun Wukong and Tang Seng will appear in the Xingbao camp. Players can transform by finding the golden hoops/staffs scattered around the map and use skills to fight against the Dark Star. In terms of gameplay, civilians are given more abilities, a stronger sense of conflict, and more interactive elements. Players from both camps need to actively communicate and cooperate, think about how to rationally use transformation props to win, and bring diverse fun.

The “King, Don’t Catch Me” special mode was originally a gameplay created by players using the editor function of “Yuanmeng Star”. After that, the official continued to optimize and derived the “big and small king” gameplay of double dark stars. Nowadays, the “Three Kings” gameplay designed in cooperation with Behavior Interactive has further deepened the intensity of camp confrontation, and the importance of teammate cooperation has also increased accordingly.

The casual temperament and family atmosphere of the party game itself eliminates the tense atmosphere of competition and instead highlights the playability of the gameplay itself, which can create more fun and allow more people to experience the charm of this gameplay. The unique temperament of the “Three Kings” mode is rarely seen in other asymmetric multiplayer games.

For most users who have been facing mature fair competition experiences all year round, although they long for fresh experiences, they are often turned away by the traditional terrifying competitive atmosphere of asymmetrical competitions. Now using the “Three Kings” mode as an incision, the asymmetric multiplayer gameplay is expected to move from a small circle to a larger user group, and will feed back “Yuanmeng Star” itself.

Of course, the bolder innovation of this mode is to replace the gameplay elements with mythological stories that are familiar to Chinese people. In the story of Journey to the West, the scripture-seeking team faces eighty-one difficult monsters, which is essentially an “asymmetric confrontation”, and it seems logical to integrate it with the gameplay. Coupled with the legitimacy endorsement of Behavior Interactive’s participation in the design, core players can also accept this seemingly bold innovation.

And this kind of innovation combined with Chinese culture can also bring more universal appreciation. It’s similar to the shock that makes people’s hair explode when the “Cloud Palace Sound” sounds in the PV of “Black Myth: Wukong”. When the collective memory of Chinese people is deeply bound to the gameplay itself, it also lays the foundation for the “Three Kings” model and even the entire category to break the circle. This means that “Yuanmeng Star” can continue to work hard on gameplay innovation and expand user experience in the future.

Yuanmeng finds the rhythm: gameplay innovation has no upper limit

Coincidentally, the theme of Journey to the West itself is an asymmetrical competition, Sun Wukong > Big Demon > Bajie Sha Monk > Little Monster > Tang Monk, and Tang Monk can control Wukong, and each episode of Journey to the West is interconnected. In fact, it is all the above core logic, coupled with different stories and maps, plus different character skills, bringing together the ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties on the way to learn the scriptures.

The “Dead by Daylight” model born in the West, coupled with the well-known Journey to the West theme in the East, is actually the most suitable for an asymmetrical competitive story. Therefore, Yuanmeng Star’s “Chinese and foreign co-production” Journey to the West theme is the realization of “blooming both style and style”.

On the other hand, the nature of party games naturally tends to bring about a shorter boredom cycle. Once users cross the threshold of familiar routines, the novelty will quickly disappear. To put it more simply, as a large DAU game, it must have high-quality content that can retain players in the long term.

Judging from the continuous new and frequently updated entertainment gameplay, “Yuanmeng Star”, which has achieved a user growth of 130 million within 100 days of its launch, has obviously found its own rhythm.

At the beginning of its launch, “Yuanmeng Star”, which integrates racing, shooting, brawling, level-breaking and other gameplay elements, was defined as a “little metaverse” that integrates online social entertainment methods. This label means that the game has almost unlimited space for innovation, and you can freely explore the possibilities of party play experience.

Indeed, “Yuanmeng Star”, which has an obvious trend of platforming, has always maintained its exploration of diversified gameplay in the field of party games.

On the one hand, the game insists on digging deep into the vertical depth. For example, through high-intensity operational investment, Werewolf, which has declined in popularity in China, has once again aroused heated discussions. The entertainment mode “Who is the Werewolf” has become the core gameplay because it is too popular; on the other hand, The game uses a series of cross-border IP linkages to expand horizontally and introduce new gameplay with a variety of different experiences.

For example, the racing mode that is linked between “Yuanmeng Star” and the original version of its own “QQ Speed ​​Mobile Game” will not only include classic elements such as drifting and cornering, nitrogen acceleration, etc., but will also introduce some tracks and modes. Currently, officials have revealed that it will be launched in the new game. The season continues to update 7 QQ Speed ​​co-branded maps and 2 new theme maps. Along the same lines, the game is now cooperating with “Dead by Daylight” to design and create a 3v9 “Three Kings” mode.

The eager response of players also reflects the fact that external brand linkage and momentum building are only “surface”, and the most important “foundation” of party games is always gameplay innovation.

Therefore, “Yuanmeng Star” strives to explore and expand the gameplay possibilities, and digs deep into each independent gameplay experience, and has already jumped out of the conventional party game ideas. It not only shows Tianmei’s great sincerity and development strength, but also means that there is still no ceiling for the new gameplay of “Yuanmeng Star”.

With the foundation of level-breaking gameplay and the continuous innovation of superimposed entertainment modes, “Yuanmeng Star” has planted the seeds of “possibility” in this unrestricted game world: players can always find the familiarity of family fun here, and always retain the The freshness of gameplay content. Continuously bringing players a better party game experience is expected to promote “Yuanmeng Star” to seize new opportunities in category evolution.

After all, the ultimate goal of “Yuanmeng Star” is to completely evolve into a “little metaverse” with all-inclusive content and linking all online entertainment methods.

With the upcoming launch of the “Three Kings” mode in the new season, people are even more looking forward to the next update of the entertainment mode. If this momentum continues, where will “Yuan Meng Star” that has fully exploded with all its potential energy go in the future, and what will the “little Yuan Universe” look like? No one could have predicted it.