The action RPG based on the Korean webtoon Solo Leveling reaches PlayStation 5 on November 3, a year after its PC release. Developed and published by Netmarble, it also arrives on Xbox Series X|S, but the early reception was harsh: the first wave of reviews was described as "brutal", and one review gave it a 4/10.
The game retells the original story, with some bonus scenarios added. It is not a free-to-play title with microtransactions or live service elements: it is a premium release, priced at $39.99 in the Standard Edition. The Deluxe Edition costs $44.99 and includes an exclusive Sung Jinwoo costume, a Cha Hae-In emoji set and other extras. It can be played solo or in co-op.
Image: PlayStation — https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10018442
The main criticism, at least in the review that scored it 4/10, concerns the adaptation. The reviewer called it a "shoddy adaptation" of the beloved manhwa and a "terrible, repetitive experience". One specific point is that many of the iconic moments from the source material are not actually playable: they are depicted with the manhwa's artwork instead. It is hard to see updates fixing a problem of that kind.
The PC history matters here. Since the game has been out on PC for about a year, the PS5 version should be more polished, but a console launch does not change the substance of the game. Whether that is enough will be seen next week, when the console version arrives.
Image: PlayStation — https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/concept/10018442
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