A brutal beat’em up in Kowloon City
The 9th Dragon takes place in Hong Kong in the 1980s, in the heart of the legendary Kowloon Citadel (Kowloon Walled City)a densely populated neighborhood known for its labyrinthine architecture and crime. We play Rookie, a new recruit to an elite police unit sent to the heart of this out-of-control city.
Our hero operates under the orders of Mei, an experienced officer with close ties to the criminal world. Together, they will have to navigate a city dominated by gangs, corruption and shifting alliances. The gameplay takes the form of a “brutal and tactical beat’em up”, mixing hand-to-hand combat and the handling of various weapons such as firearms and heavy weapons.
Clashes often take place in very narrow spaces (apartments, alleys, corridors), so positioning and managing the stamina of enemies will be essential. It will also be possible to exploit the environment to gain an advantage. One of the central elements of The 9th Dragon is based on many decisions during the adventure. Several moral choices will be proposed (spare or eliminate enemies, return or keep money from a quest, etc.) to align yourself as a hero or anti-hero.
These decisions will influence Rookie’s trajectory and the balance of power in the city, which will logically lead to several possible outcomes. Kowloon Citadel will also be a dense exploration site according to the studio. It will be possible to climb on roofs, move via cables and zip lines, or even open hidden passages.
The game will have a duration of approximately 10 hours for the campaign with 20 different enemy types and 8 unique bosses. In addition, each opponent will have their own fighting style, weapons and abilities. Levels can also be replayed in order to experiment with different decisions and explore multiple narrative paths.
The 9th Dragon is planned for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). For the moment, no release date has been communicated.