A scene from the Dokkaebi's World media showcase. [Kakao Games]
A scene from the Dokkaebi's World media showcase. [Kakao Games]

Kakao Games will launch Dokkaebi's World, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) steeped in Korean aesthetics, in October. The company plans to use the title — which blends retro pixel art with modern 3D presentation — to make inroads into the mobile gaming market.

At a media showcase held Thursday at an undisclosed venue in Jung-gu, Seoul, Kakao Games unveiled the game's core content and service plans. Pre-registration opened the same day, with an official launch set for sometime in October.

Dokkaebi's World is an MMORPG developed by Supercat and published by Kakao Games. Its key features include hybrid visuals combining 2D pixel characters with 3D backgrounds, an Eastern fantasy world rooted in Korean folklore, near-limitless skill deck building, optional PvP, a guild-centered cooperative progression system, character customization and a personal AI assistant called "Myorong."

Supercat expressed particular confidence in the game's pixel art. Dot graphics — a form of 2D artwork — render images by placing dots on individual pixels, the basic units that make up a screen.

Supercat said Dokkaebi's World simultaneously delivers the retro feel unique to 2D pixel art and the three-dimensional sense of space that 3D backgrounds provide.

"The biggest selling point of this game is definitely the graphics," said Park Seong-jun, producer at Supercat. "We didn't simply place pixel characters on top of a 3D background — we also applied 3D lighting and shadows to the characters themselves so that each one stands out."

The game's core content centers on cooperation (PvE) and competition (PvP). PvE content, in which guild members divide roles to tackle challenges together, includes gateway defense, raids, field bosses and the Tower of Ascension. The PvP mode — supporting everything from one-on-one duels to battles of up to 9,000 players — offers the Battlefield of Falling Blossoms, the Garden of Illusion, the Divine Relic Showdown and the Dimensional Conquest.

"We are working closely with capable developers to provide stable service," said Lee Si-woo, chief executive of Kakao Games. "Dokkaebi's World was prepared on that same principle — it captures the Korean sensibility, a distinctive world view and the core fun of an MMORPG, all rendered with a modern touch."

Kakao Games plans to release five new titles in quick succession between the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year — Dokkaebi's World, Dungeon Arise, ArcheAge Chronicle, Odin Q: Valkyrie's Call and God Save Birmingham — with the October launch of Dokkaebi's World leading the charge. The company said it intends to throw its full weight behind reversing its recent earnings slump.


ko@heraldcorp.com