MMOHut Legend of Martial Arts Interview
Some time ago Perfect World Entertainment asked me to do an interview for their upcoming game Legend of Martial Arts (Which begins its closed closed beta on November 24). The game was originally supposed to be named “Kung Foo!” but the game was almost entirely redeveloped and the name had changed to “Legend of Martial Arts”. Since there wasn’t too much info available out there about the game, I figured doing a question & answer interview would be an awesome way for me to learn more about the game and to share that info with MMOHut readers. The game is much much light hearted than Perfect World and other games by the company. Anyway, on with the interview!
Omer Altay (OA): Hi, This is Omer from MMOHut.com – can you please introduce yourself and tell us your position over at Perfect World Entertainment / Legend of Martial Arts?
Perfect World Entertainment (PWE): Hi I’m Jon Belliss, Director of Marketing for Perfect World Entertainment. My primary role with Legend of Martial Arts is to oversee the launch of the game as well as speak with gaming outlets such as MMOHut and tell you about the game.
OA: The Legend of Martial Arts was previously known as “Kung Foo!“, can you talk a bit about the name change and the redevelopment of the game?
PWE: With the renaming to Legend of Martial Arts, we wanted to highlight the game’s content, in-depth mechanics and how players could become a martial arts legend themselves. Since the Closed Beta of Kung Foo!, we have given the game a completely new look with updated graphics, more content and have localized the humor to be more westernized.
OA: So you guys spent more time making sure the game is better. Sounds good! Can you tell us a bit about Legend of Martial Arts? The game looks to be a bit more cartoony than most other Perfect World Entertainment games. What makes Legend of Martial Arts different than the 100+ other free to play titles out there?
PWE: Although this is one of the more light-hearted MMORPGs in Perfect World Entertainment’s game portfolio, there are some unique features that set Legend of Martial Arts apart from other MMOs include PvP dungeons, where players will have to battle against each other for the right to take down powerful monsters and bosses; a Dungeon Matchmaking/Queue System that will help players find groups for faster dungeon runs; and a Legendary Weapon System, which will grant the most elite players from each server with ultra rare and unique weapons.
OA: PvP inside of dungeons sounds pretty neat. Is Legend of Martial Arts available in China or elsewhere outside of North America? If yes, has it been successful over there?
PWE: Legend of Martial Arts has been very successful in China and western players can look forward to the checking out the game with the North American version.
OA: Good to see the game is successful elsewhere, hopefully it’ll be a hit here in the West too. What kind of progression system can we expect in Legend of Martial Arts? Can we expect some sort of talent point system
PWE: There are multiple progression systems for players to level up their characters, pets, weapons and even equipment. As players level up their characters, they’ll be given points to allocate to particular skills that can unlock new ones, even whole new branches.
OA: Stat points and a skill / talent tree like system. Check. What kind of crafting / resource gathering system (if any) can we expect in Legend of Martial Arts?
PWE: Players can earn exp or stats pertaining to their craft by completing quests as well as unlock more skills as they level up. The gathering system will give players the opportunity to kill some mean mobs and discover new treasure.
OA: Gaining XP while crafting sounds neat. Much of the crafting resources are dropped by monsters then. What about PvP? What kinds of PvP options will Legend of Martial Arts have? Will there be any rewards for participating in PvP? Will there be open world PvP?
PWE: Absolutely, there will be open world PvP and a territory wars-type system for players to receive rewards. As previously discussed, Legend of Martial Arts has some pretty unique PvP features that sets itself apart from other MMOs including PvP dungeons and a Dungeon Matchmaking/Queue System.
OA: Open world PvP and territory wars in a light hearted game like Legend of Martial Arts is a bit surprising, but open world PvP is always fun in my opinion. Can you talk about one or two unique features in Legend of Martial Arts that you find most interesting?
PWE: I’ll be happy to. The Transformation System is also a unique feature that makes Legend of Martial Arts stand out from the crowd, with over 100 different transformation items available for all players. We’ve also introduced the Reavers race, the first non-human demonic race in Legend of Martial Arts that has two very unique classes, the Beserker and the Oracle.
The Berserker class has special transformation skills with the ability to change into a cat or wolf for greatly enhanced physical abilities, whereas the Oracle class is more of a buff/debuff class with the ability to summon gods from the underworld to activate special abilities and cast powerful magic spells.
OA: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us about Legend of Martial Arts. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up?
PWE: Thanks for your time as well. We appreciate all the feedback we received during the Kung Foo! Closed Beta and we are excited to hear the feedback on Legend of Martial Arts. Closed Beta is just around the corner, starting on Wednesday, November 24 and we hope to see everyone in Closed Beta!
OA: Thanks for your time!
Perfect World Entertainment also publishes Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, Battle of the Immortals, Heroes of Three Kingdoms, and Forsaken World.