Blade & Soul is an NCSoft-published MMO I’ve had my eye on for a while. The first trailers of it hit a year or so ago and its gorgeous visuals, with a style inspired by that of artist Hyung-Tae Kim, along with its fast-paced martial arts combat had me slavering for more info, which never seemed to come.
Now, though, NCSoft West has announced that they’re bringing the game out in North America. Following on the self-censorship of also-extremely-pretty-South-Korean-MMO Tera, though, there has been some concern as to whether Blade & Soul, with its violent and risqué art style, would make it over fully intact.
NCSoft West has, in turn, made it abundantly clear that they understand how integral the visual style of the game is to the experience. The game is still pending with the ESRB, but the official website is age-gated, indicating that NCSoft anticipates a “Mature” rating for the title. The company’s intention is to publish the game more or less as is, the only graphical adjustments being those that will serve gameplay. Just as a heads up, though, they have indicated that marketing material may be altered, but this should not be taken as indicative of any in-game changes.