From Prototype to Release: How Naraka: Bladepoint’s UX Design Delivered Free‑Flow Combat

GDC 2022 and the LeiHuo UX Talk

From March 21‑25 2022, the Game Developers Conference (GDC) was held in San Francisco. LeiHuo UX delivered 17 presentations across nine core talks and eight summit talks, setting a new record for Chinese game industry participation.

About Naraka: Bladepoint

Naraka: Bladepoint, released by NetEase’s 24 Entertainment in July 2021, is a 60‑player action‑survival battle‑royale game that stands out with high‑skill melee combat and anti‑gravity mechanics.

Core Design Concept – “Freedom” (无拘)

The team anchored the game on the concept of “freedom”, which expanded into three design values: freedom (flexibility, extensibility, minimalism), diversity (inclusivity, localization, adaptability), and randomness (authenticity, surprise).

Four Design Stages

1. Prototype Testing – Core Gameplay Polishing

Initial tests revealed a split between hardcore players who loved the intense melee and casual players who felt frustrated. To broaden appeal, combat was simplified to attack‑only controls with short‑press light attacks, long‑press heavy attacks, and a “vibration” move, each colour‑coded for quick recognition. Players could interrupt actions to perform feints, adding depth for skilled users.

2. Lab Testing – Balancing Combat

Balancing melee and ranged weapons proved challenging; ranged players dominated due to distance advantage. The team introduced a grappling‑hook mechanic, allowing rapid movement and pursuit, thereby mitigating the melee disadvantage and adding a fresh mobility element.

3. Closed Testing – Optimising Other Systems

Focus shifted to progression and death‑handling systems. To reduce the harshness of death, the original Apex‑style teammate‑dependent resurrection was replaced with a self‑resurrection mechanic: after death, a player becomes a “soul” that can travel to a designated point and revive independently, improving fault tolerance and team cohesion.

4. Launch Version – Unexpected Success of the Face‑Customization System

Despite initial resistance, a robust face‑customisation system with over 100 adjustable parameters was launched. It quickly became a viral feature, encouraging player‑generated content and community sharing, thereby extending the game’s reach.

Conclusion

The development journey illustrates that successful game design hinges on a clear core experience goal—in this case, “freedom”—and the disciplined addition or removal of mechanics around that goal to avoid a disjointed, “patchwork” feel.