Indie Ming Dynasty soulslike boasts stunning traditional ink painting-style environments 

The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is a 3D action RPG by Chinese indie developer Circuit_Art that releases December 7 for the PC (Steam). The game is available in English, Simplified Chinese and Japanese. 

The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is a “hardcore” historical action-adventure game set in the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty. You take on the role of a soldier tasked with guarding coastal regions and fighting off raids by Japanese pirates known as Wokou. After a shipwreck, you find yourself on an island controlled by the Wokou, forced to explore the depths of the island and stand off against the pirate forces on your own. 

The game blends 3D graphics with the style of traditional Chinese ink wash landscape paintings, and the environments look truly stunning. According to the game’s description, the characters are also created based on the style and proportions seen in ancient Chinese paintings. 

The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty promises intense tactical combat, including both short-range melee combat and long-range combat. You will need to defeat 5 unique pirate bosses by both attacking and parrying attacks at the right timing. It seems that swiftly switching from offense to defense and vice versa is the key to overwhelming enemies. It is also possible to learn the techniques of enemies and disarm them, using their skills against them. 

The selection of weapons available in The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is extensive, with each weapon having its real-life historical origin. 

This game is the debut title of indie developer Circuit_Art, who claim to have gone big with the scale of their first game despite a lack of experience. The developers note that despite not being able to achieve many mechanics they set out to implement, they consider having brought the game to completion an important milestone. 

The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty is available for the PC (Steam).