The Hidden Ones Preview
Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting at the fortyseven offices, literally. Courtesy of Morefun Studio, I’ve gone hands-on with their pre-alpha build of The Hidden Ones, a 3D action fighter based on a martial arts franchise called The Outcast being developed for PC and mobile.
Sometimes, my ignorance shocks me. When I was invited to the preview event, it was the first I’d heard of this franchise. It originated as a webcomic and has been adapted into an animation and live-action series. The game’s trailers alone have amassed nearly two million views each. There’s seemingly infinite entertainment, and we can’t consume it all.
Full transparency: I don’t play many fighters. However, I do indulge in the great ones. Most recently, I’m loving Dragon Ball: SPARKING! Zero. If you’re a fan of the genre, you likely already know what stands out among the pack. This begs the question: is the pre-alpha build of a relatively unknown franchise in the West any good? Brother, sister, it’s looking that way.
Absolute Cinema
At first glance, it’s impossible to overlook the gorgeous art direction called “Cinematic Manhua.” Adapting comics or animation into a 3D space isn’t uncommon, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The Outcast looks stunning, bolstered by flashy animations and visual effects.
I’m a fan of main menus that have been given a lot of love in the functionality department. Style is the cherry on top of intuitive navigation. The menus in this build are flat-out dope. I know nothing about these characters, but I’m drawn to them by their respective styles alone. Navigating between game modes is fluid and expressive.
The visual spectacle extends to gameplay. The beautiful martial arts animations are brought to life through performance capture inspired by Chinese origins. The spells the characters cast are inspired by various Chinese legends, including Taoism. The art direction alone proves that Morefun is drawing inspiration from excellent sources.
Hooked by the Story
In the pre-alpha, I experienced a portion of the story mode, duel mode, and trial boss rush mode on PC. I jumped into the story without context. It began in episodes 3-4 featuring Wang Ye as the main character. I’ll spare you from spoilers, but I’m engaged in the mystery, betrayal, and epic action that unfolded.
I navigated through the streets of a city, battling many groups of standard goons, culminating in a grand finale against a boss.
The most challenging part of my experience was figuring out the controls. Morefun threw us into the fire without a single tutorial—respect. The first ten minutes of many story mode showdowns were spent learning my basic attack, skills 1 and 2, dodge, defense, breakaway, and ultimate skill.
Design Runs Deep
Good news: the game supports mouse and keyboard or a controller. I opted for the controller, and it didn’t take long to wrap my head around the controls. I soon began feeling the flow of combat in a 3D space. You’re free to run around and dodge in any direction. The Hidden Ones features deep game design. Combat appears simple on paper, but there are layers to every move you make.
Basic attacks can turn into grabs or interrupt standard skills. Breaking away from an attack or dodging consumes stamina, leaving you open to an easy attack when it depletes. Throughout fights, you build energy. Reaching max level enables your ultimate skill. Each character’s ultimate skill is unsurprisingly cinematic and intense.
Most of my understanding stemmed from getting rocked in duel mode by Morefun’s Senior Marketing Manager, Hazel. I politely told her not to hold back and got what I wished for. Duel mode features three versus three battles. This mode allowed me to play as a few other characters in the pre-alpha build.
An Eclectic Cast
Our group’s favorites included an old man I describe as “Dark All Might” and a puppet wielding a rope dart. I also saw that same puppet firing a gun as an alternate weapon.
So far, I like that each character has a distinct personality, playstyle, and an exclusive set of animations. You can swap out their skills from an extensive list before fights. It results in an eclectic experience as you try them out.
I love the risk and reward of every move. The Hidden Ones demands you focus on outsmarting your opponent while reacting to everything they throw at you. There are countless opportunities to chain moves together between your move set, basic attack, and skills. It’s like brutal, fast-paced, cinematic chess with spells.
I concluded my hands-on time in the Trials boss rush mode. My preview group and I unanimously decided that the bosses aren’t easy for beginners. I mentioned we all went into this build without a tutorial, and it showed. However, the Trial mode features multiple difficulty levels. Naturally, I began on easy and barely prevailed. I was later massacred on level two.
One More Round
I’m happy to say that despite the challenge, The Hidden Ones has that “one more round” sauce. It hasn’t even reached beta, and playing it already feels outstanding. The more I played, the more I understood its design depths.
Morefun Studio has a storied history of developing several notable free-to-play games on mobile and PC, including Arena Breakout: Hardcore FPS and Naruto Online, which collectively reach hundreds of millions of players.
Their success will likely continue with the release of The Hidden Ones later next year. It continues their free-to-play model. A set number of characters will be available at launch, with the team claiming that more are easily unlocked through gameplay. Expect a cash shop, too. Players can expect many cosmetics to arrive for the cast of characters.
My favorite part of the demo was spending time in story mode. Like many others, I’m brand new to this IP. The game will launch with episodes, with more added over its progression. Some story aspects and characters come from the existing franchise, with Morehouse adding some of their original ideas.
I look forward to improving my skills and learning more about these characters and the ongoing story. For more on The Hidden Ones, stay tuned to COGconnected.
