GeniGods: Nezha Is a New “Chinese God of War” from the Creators of My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero

After the massive success of games like Black Myth: Wukong and the strong hype for Phantom Blade: Zero, with the appetite for high-fidelity Chinese action games at an all-time high, GeniGods: Nezha is the latest project to be announced in this vein. Developed by GeniGods Lab, the studio behind the mobile game My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero, it aims to bring a 'Chinese God of War' experience. The game is a single player hardcore action RPG tentatively slated for a 2027 or 2028 launch on PC and PlayStation 5.

In This Article:

• GeniGods: Nezha Preview
• Roundtable Interview with Devs

GeniGods: Nezha Preview

Wccftech recently participated in a remote presentation and roundtable interview with two members of the development team, Producer Yan and Art Director Erdie, who explained that Genigods Lab, while not well known in Western countries, now employs over 70 veteran developers with more than 20 years of industry experience.

GeniGods: Nezha is their big bet, and they chose a Genesis myth from Chinese mythology. The titular character is one of the three most famous heroes in Chinese myths, alongside Wukong and Yang Jian. The backstory is that Nüwa, the God of Creation, was dying, but before that happened, she created Nezha from clay and water and empowered Nezha, also known as the Spirit Pearl, with her heart.

Basically, the developers said, you are a "Chinese Kratos". By that, they meant a tragic, rebellious teen hero whose fate was sealed before birth. Nezha's path to redemption is brutal: you'll need to skin the dragon, take your own life, and then be reborn.

We also learned a few narrative tidbits. After Pangu, a primordial being and a figure of creation in Chinese mythology, died, his body formed the planet. Now his soul wants resurrection, which would, however, destroy the new world. As Nezha, the first human, players must stop Pangu's return. Nezha's journey takes place across the dead body of Pangu himself, and GeniGods Lab designed each part of his form (arms, neck, head, torso) as intricate, multi-level sandbox environments.

Nezha won't be alone. Other mythical heroes like Yi (the sun shooter who shot down nine of the ten suns) and Yu the Great (the flood stopper) will also be featured in the game. Nezha's heart is also filled with holy water, a powerful gift from Nüwa and an important companion for solving puzzles, overcoming challenges, and exploring the world.

The developers then showed us a comparison chart with the X-axis labeled speed (Slow to Fast) and the Y-axis labeled genre (RPG to Action). In this chart, GeniGods: Nezha sits very near Sony Santa Monica's God of War 3. According to GeniGods Lab, its gameplay is a balance of action and strategy; a fast game, but not as fast as Phantom Blade Zero or CAPCOM's Devil May Cry.

Advancing through the main story requires defeating powerful bosses. The game has four pillars:

1. Aerial Soaring Combat: Inspired by fighting games, combat occurs on both the ground and in the air (dual stance). Bosses have dynamic AI that analyzes player tactics in real-time. The dual stance forms a complex offensive and defensive system. On the ground, you charge power to create opportunities for aerial combos. Once you break the enemy, you knock them into the sky to perform complex combos for huge damage.
2. Relic Form: Nezha obtains relics to learn superpowers from other heroes, offering multiple tactical choices to the player. Relics and special forms can be combined: for example, pairing "Hot Wheels" with a "Six-Arm Form" enables powerful ranged suppression against flying enemies.
3. Fluid Mystics: Since Nüwa is a water goddess, her body can turn into water. Fluid Mystics is based on Bruce Lee's philosophy ("Be water, my friend"). By pressing R1 on the controller, Nezha activates the holy water power, enchanting skills, and giving attacks fluid, water-like visuals. Her techniques adapt the essence of Jeet Kune Do. Players can condense water into a piercing One-Inch Flash for armor-breaking blows, or unleash water all at once with a sweeping Dragon's Kick to tackle crowds of enemies at once. This system encourages players to master a reactive combat style and requires perfect timing to parry and counter.
4. Narrative: This is a world of colossal beings and wonders, like the Nine Suns in the sky. climb ancient gods towering like mountains and fight by traversing the contours of their bodies. With the help of the giant Kuafu, scale the Sun Tree that bridges mortal and celestial realms, then draw your bow to extinguish the Nine Suns and end the scorching catastrophe.

Nezha has three primary ways to fight in this game: martial arts (fist fighting), swords (blade fighting), and a lance (spear fighting). Throughout GeniGods: Nezha, the main character will have to face over 60 different enemy types, choosing the most appropriate weapon each time. Structurally, it is not an open world game, favoring a rather linear structure centered around hubs, albeit with plenty of side content. The studio estimates the main story will last around 24 hours, but a completionist playthrough to earn the Platinum trophy could take up to 75 hours. There are also three different endings based on how you decide to solve the impending catastrophe.

The game is being developed with the latest version of Unreal Engine (5.7, which brought significant performance improvements). The team has crafted a dynamic day-and-night weather system to control environmental hues and synchronize weather effects, such as thunder, with combat mechanics. On the physics front, they built destructible environments (buildings, trees, rocks) to visualize Nezha's destructive power. They're using Epic's Metahuman technology for facial capture and motion matching to achieve, in their own words, The Last of Us Part II levels of emotional expression. Moreover, they implemented a high-mobility "3C" system (Camera, Character, Control) to enable soaring, jumping, and combat on colossal beings, as required by the game's premise.

GeniGods: Nezha will support hardware ray tracing, upscalers like NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR, SSD optimization for seamless loading, DualSense controller features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and 3D audio on PlayStation 5 via the console's Tempest Engine.

Following the presentation, we were able to ask a few questions alongside colleagues from other outlets. You can read the full transcript after the image gallery.

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Roundtable Interview with Devs

Alessio Palumbo (WCCFTECH): How long has GeniGods: Nezha been in development, and can you share the estimated budget behind it?

Yan: We started the project in 2023, so it's been nearly three years. We spent that time building engines, pipelines, and tools. The total cost is $20 million. Most is supported by our studio, but we have a major global investor helping with promotion.

Alejandro Pascual (3D Juegos): Is the mission system straightforward and linear, or are there secondary missions?

Yan: The main story is linear, like God of War 3, focusing on fighting bosses and solving problems. After that, you reach a "Hub World" (like a city). From the Hub, you access branching missions. Each mission rewards you with Relics or Superpowers, allowing you to build your combat strategy before challenging the next boss.

Fran G. Matas (Vandal): Why is this type of Action RPG so popular in China right now, after Black Myth: Wukong and Phantom Blade Zero?

Erdie: Chinese games are getting popular because they offer a new experience. Western and Japanese cultures are familiar, but China has 5,000 years of history and myths that haven't been used much. Unlike boring games that reuse old ideas, we bring fresh stories and aesthetics. Our plan is to spend 10 years exploring Chinese creation myths. We plan to make a trilogy of "Genot" games to show something deep, not just surface-level culture.

Giovanni Panzano (Everyeye): Can you tell us about the progression system? Skill tree? Equipment?

Yan: We combine Relics, Equipment, and Skills. A "Skill" is a combination of a Relic and a Superpower. When you press R1, you enhance your power using the "Heart of Water." It is similar to a skill tree but structured differently; we will show more of this next time.

Alessio Palumbo (WCCFTECH): You mentioned three different endings. How does the player reach them? Choices?

Erdie: Since the world is dying, people have built three different "Schools" of thought on how to save it. Nezha must choose which way is right. Based on your options, you get different powers, different fighting modes, and unlock unique levels. Each direction leads to a totally different ending. It is a bit like the "Word Tendency" in Demon's Souls.

Alejandro Pascual (3D Juegos): Have you been in touch with other Chinese creators, such as Phantom Blade Zero or Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, to avoid overlapping themes?

Yan: Yes, we are good friends with the Phantom Blade Zero team; we are both in Beijing. Black Myth: Wukong is a "superhero" boss rush game. Phantom Blade Zero focuses on Chinese swordsmanship and weaponry. Our game is rooted in the Genesis Myth: the story of creation, the first human, and the source of power. You fight colossal beings. Our gameplay focuses on collecting Relics to change your form (e.g., wearing wings vs. using fans). We are very distinct games.

Fran G. Matas (Vandal): Is there any endgame content?

Yan: Yes. Because there are three schools, when you reopen the game (New Game+), you can choose to collect goods from another school. On the third playthrough, you collect the final set. When you collect all of them, you become the "Premier" and truly finish the game.

Giovanni Panzano (Everyeye): Can you beat the bosses in any order?

Yan: In the Hub World, you need to collect five stones (keys) to open the end doors; you can choose your own order. Each boss has specific weaknesses and superpowers, so you can strategize which one to tackle first based on your build.

Alessio Palumbo (WCCFTECH): How does side content work? Are there any personal missions or just boss fights?

Erdie: We have linear level design for the main story to keep it focused. Once you unlock a Hub World, you can access different areas with new enemies and Relics. There are myth-related Relics linked to side quests and player choices. This gives players freedom to explore without losing the narrative thread. All bosses are based on old Chinese gods and monsters; we care more about making them meaningful than just having a high number of them.

Fran G. Matas (Vandal): How is Sony supporting this game?

Yan: Sony published our last mobile game (My Hero Academia) and helped us reach 10 million downloads. They introduced us to SIE China. We are discussing deep cooperation.

Alejandro Pascual (3D Juegos): Are there difficulty levels?

Yan: We want all users to be able to play. We have a "Modern Mode" (like Street Fighter 6) where pressing R1 + other buttons executes complex combos easily. For pro players, they can control everything manually. We will also add a harder difficulty mode upon release.

Giovanni Panzano (Everyeye): Is there customization?

Erdie: Yes. The main character will have more than 20 different costumes. Some are based on legendary Chinese heroes; Nezha can "cosplay" as them, giving her a totally different look.

Alessio Palumbo (WCCFTECH): Are you using AI tools? It's one of the big topics in the industry.

Erdie: We believe creativity comes from people. We use AI tools only to help artists generate ideas or reference materials faster and to do the boring, repetitive jobs. The final call and the assets in the game are all human-made. We use AI to improve creation, not replace it.

Alejandro Pascual (3D Juegos): Is there a ranking system for combos?

Erdie: The enemies are smart. To make a real combo, you have to break the enemy's "Magic Bar" (a blue bar seen in the trailer). Breaking it knocks them into the sky or stuns them, allowing you to deal huge damage. It's not just a score; it's a mechanic to open up damage windows.

Fran G. Matas (Vandal): How do you balance visual spectacle with gameplay clarity?

Yan: We prioritize clarity. We use "Red Color Power" flashes to signal powerful enemy attacks, telling users exactly when to dodge or counter. We design effects to be flashy but clear, ensuring the visuals don't obscure the gameplay cues.

Giovanni Panzano (Everyeye): Will the PS5 Pro version have multiple graphics modes? 60 FPS?

Yan: Yes, we can play at 60 FPS.

Giovanni Panzano (Everyeye): Is that only for Pro or the base PS5 too?

Yan: We propose to make the base PS5 version run at 60 FPS as well. We already have a version for SIE China running on the base PS5.

Thank you for your time.

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