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In a world besieged by monsters, being the weakest hunter is a hard burden to carry. Yet that’s the position E-Rank hunter Sung Jinwoo is in. The Nerd Stash was invited to check out a test build of Solo Leveling: Arise, an upcoming gacha game from NetMarble. The developer has previously taken on giant franchises like Star Wars and Game of Thrones, so taking on this webtoon is an interesting choice. Though the game isn’t finished, there’s more than enough content here for some hands-on impressions. Here’s what you need to know about the highs and lows of Solo Leveling: Arise at the test build stage.
From E-Rank to Excellence in Solo Leveling: Arise
Sung Jinwoo’s story kicks off in typical anime fashion when a violent confrontation in a dungeon unlocks unsuspected powers in him. What follows is our hero’s somewhat reluctant climb up the ranks of the Hunter’s Guild. Along the way, he makes friends and enemies including WhiteTiger Guild Master Baek Yoonho, surveillance agent Kang Taeshik, and Chief Inspector Woo Jinchul. Arise is a gacha game first and foremost, so winning these characters in draws, adding them to your team, and leveling them up is the core gameplay loop. The designs, powers, and voice acting all do a good job of expressing the cast’s personality.
Many scenes in Solo Leveling: Arise are panel-for-panel remakes of the original South Korean webtoon. That’s great, because the original art and character designs were stylish, and Arise lives up to them all. Graphically, there’s little difference between these characters and those you’d find in Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail. They’re not the most unique looks in the world, but at least they’re not the weird clones HoYoverse keeps making. The same can’t be said for the setting. There’s a lack of texture and visual interest overall. The big caveat, of course, is that this is a test build. Things may improve before Solo Leveling: Arise goes live.
The Highs and Lows of Combat and Gacha Draws
Unlike Genshin and its open world, Arise funnels you through a series of short, linear levels. Between them, you’ll return to a hub to draw new characters, improve your gear, and cash in daily quests. Combat is fast and stylish, with no turn-based element to slow it down. You can blow through the early chapters easily just by spamming special attacks and calling on teammates for their support skills. In addition to changing equipment, you can also swap Jinwoo’s job, giving him a different look and move-set. It’s a great touch. Eventually, however, you’ll hit a wall and need better gear and better characters to progress. The dealbreaker may be the gacha draw system.
Having better characters makes progressing through Gates and story chapters much easier. Unfortunately, I found the draw system in Solo Leveling: Arise more intrusive and frustrating than the one in Genshin. Though the game will be free, the presence of a premium Battle Pass alongside gacha tickets leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If you’re okay with this level of microtransactions, Arise is shaping up to be a solid experience. It’s designed to be mobile-friendly, and with the presence of Auto-Fight mechanics for AFK grinding, that’s ideal. We’ll have to wait and see whether Jinwoo can hone his edge enough before release for Solo Leveling: Arise to make the cut.
Solo Leveling: Arise will be available for PC, Android, and iOS in April, 2024.
