Justdan has released a free Steam demo for its debut in house game, Dinghai The Ocean Pillar. The project shifts the Asian distribution company into game development with a top down action RPG roguelike inspired by ancient Chinese myth. Players can currently sample roughly 2 hours of combat across 2 introductory stages.
The game draws its world directly from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, a historic Chinese text packed with mythological creatures and regional folklore. The plot opens with a severe twist of fate. A mortal hero named Yi suffers a fatal wound, forcing an ancient entity known as the Abyssal Dragon to take over his physical body to keep him alive. Yi's displaced soul ends up inside Yujia, a tiny mythical bird hatchling.
This dynamic sets up an unusual cooperative journey. The fallen dragon general embarks on a quest to reverse destiny and resolve deep regrets from a past life. Meanwhile, the original owner of the body tags along in bird form to witness the unfolding adventure.
Combat plays out from a top down perspective, taking visual and mechanical inspiration from fast paced action titles like Diablo and Furi. Players control the dragon possessed warrior in real time encounters. You carry 2 weapons into battle at all times, combining 1 close quarters melee weapon with 1 ranged attack option for crowd control.
Surviving enemy waves rewards you with randomized Relics. These items alter your capabilities on each run. You can stack positive stat boosts to raise your raw damage output, or build around effects that weaken enemy defenses. The setup encourages players to adapt their combat loadout depending on the drops they secure throughout a dungeon run.
The current Steam demo gives players an extensive early look at the game systems. It features 2 full areas named Huxiu and Buzhou Mountain, containing enough encounters and boss fights to fill around 2 hours of playtime. Justdan intends to release the complete edition of Dinghai The Ocean Pillar on PC through Steam later this year.
