Loulan: Everything We Know

Sony Interactive Entertainment has been encouraging Chinese developers to tap into their creativity via the China Hero Project incubation project. The project aims to create global exposure for China’s game development teams. So far, the project highlights nine titles, including Unending Dawn, The God Slayer, Exiledge, Awaken – Astral Blade, and Loulan, among many more. While the new game has only just been announced, we’ve compiled everything we can find about Loulan down below.

What is Loulan?

Loulan is an upcoming single-player action-adventure game. It was first unveiled at ChinaJoy 2024. The announcement was in the form of a panel talking about the development process and what players can expect from the final game. While the event featured several playable games, Loulan only had concept artwork to raise anticipation for the new game. It highlights fantasy elements, such as the ability to fly. The lands seem to be steeped in some kind of drought, with harsh sunlight enshrouding the skies and sandstorms raging throughout the world. We don’t see many NPCs besides the main protagonist, a guard, for whom we aren’t quite sure what role they will serve in the campaign.

Story

Players will take control of a guard, and that’s about all we know about the story, at least officially. ChillyRoom is keeping information on Loulan’s story and gameplay under wraps. They have only released concept artwork so far, with a story and gameplay description expected to grace our screens sometime soon. Based on the artwork, we presume the story will take place in a monastery of sorts. We see the guard approach the monastery-like building, the entire region bathed in harsh sunlight. We also see a winged character, hovering in the sky. He looks similar to the guard. So, in addition to swordplay, you’ll most likely have fantastical powers that allow you to fly.

Loulan’s producer has worked on God of War: Ragnarok while at Sony Interactive Entertainment. What’s more? He’s lived in Xinjiang for several years and will therefore transpose his knowledge and experience of the place to the new game. As a result, you’ll likely draw similarities between Xinjiang and the game’s ruins. Further, the history of the Western regions and the Silk Road will largely influence the upcoming game’s design. 

Gameplay

Loulan plans to feature puzzle-solving in the gameplay. It’ll cast players as guards who must explore open-world areas. You’ll run into puzzles that test your skills. But you’ll also run into hostile enemies that demand mastering combat. It’s unclear what type of combat you’ll tinker around with or whether it’ll be Soulslike. However, you can expect to unlock powerful weapons. In the artwork, the guard wields a sword, suggesting hack-and-slash gameplay. The art pieces also portray different types of swords, from a double-edged sword to a staff with a pointed edge. 

Moreover, you’ll encounter formidable enemies and bosses. Rather than hordes of enemies, you’ll likely take on one-on-one faceoffs, as depicted in the artwork. There are two winged characters, so perhaps there are other guards besides you, some of whom may be hostile. Overall, you’ll explore surreal environments that pack surprises and captivating areas to explore.

Development

ChillyRoom is currently working on Loulan. The studio is an indie developer based in Shenzhen, China. You may know them from their work developing roguelike dungeon crawlers like Soul Knight and Otherworld Legends. According to the studio’s website, ChillyRoom developers are “continuously developing games in different genres with a single purpose: to bring fun and joy.” 

The studio has only just announced Loulan will be in development at the ChinaJoy 2024 event held on July 28, 2024, from 14:00 to 15:00 CST. The event ran from July 26 to July 29 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai, China, and featured a good number of upcoming game announcements. It seems ChillyRoom will have its hands full over the coming month, with the website adding that “We have around 20 projects in development that cover mobile, PC, and console games across various genres.”

Trailer

Unfortunately, ChillyRoom has yet to release any official reveal trailers or teaser videos. The first announcement at ChinaJoy 2024 only showcases early concept artwork. So, we have no story trailer or gameplay footage to go by, and as a result, we know very little about the game in general. If you speak Mandarin, though, the nearly 20-minute-long panel of Loulan at ChinaJoy 2024 on YouTube could provide some insight into the story and gameplay you can expect in the final game. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for the artwork, which looks intriguing. The artwork alone seems to lean on the Soulslike genre, with fantastical elements in a region bathed in golden sun’s rays and steeped in yellow sand.

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

It’s too early for a concrete release date. ChillyRoom has only just announced the ongoing development of Loulan. Moreover, the announcement only revealed concert artwork that may likely change by the final game. And so, the release date is likely a long way off from now, perhaps late 2025. At least we can confirm that the new game will be launching on PlayStation 5 consoles. The project is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s China Hero Project initiative. So, having Loulan launch on PS5 comes as no surprise. 

However, we’re still unsure whether the new game will make it to the PlayStation 4, let alone the Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. But we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you. Lastly, if there will be any editions, they remain unconfirmed at this time. Quite a ton of information is still unknown about Loulan. Yet we’ll surely be receiving more updates over the coming weeks and months, especially since Sony seems to have taken a keen interest in the game. So, be sure to stick with us right here on gaming.net for new information on upcoming games.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Loulan when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.