In an interview at TGS 2026, Netmarble Business Division Head Lee Jong-hyuk stated that the third game released under the 'Solo Leveling' IP, 'Karma,' differs from its predecessors in that "it challenges a new genre of roguelike action RPG and features an original narrative exploring the behind-the-scenes story of the original work, which is the biggest differentiator from previous titles."
'Solo Leveling: Karma' focuses intensively on Sung Jin-woo's 27-year war as he travels back in time using the 'Chalice of Reincarnation,' a concept not detailed in the original work. The game highlights features such as easy controls for exhilarating action and the ability to combine weapons and effects to create various combinations. Netmarble showcased 'Solo Leveling: Karma' at TGS (Tokyo Game Show) 2026.
Regarding the decision to select story segments that were gaps in the original work, Netmarble Neo PD Jin Seong-geon said, "We determined that Sung Jin-woo's 27-year war would be the optimal creative area to provide new fun for fans." He added, "The war of monarchs unfolding in the cracks between dimensions is a crucial period where Sung Jin-woo is reborn as a perfect Shadow Monarch, and we chose this storyline to deliver a high-quality original narrative."
PD Jin stated, "Although it is an area not covered in detail in the original work, we believed that a narrative involving key characters from the original was essential for fans' interest and curiosity." He continued, "We included numerous original cutscenes depicting another side of familiar characters, Sung Jin-woo's newly formed relationships, conflicts with new enemies, and his struggles and awakenings. Some of these can be experienced in this TGS build as well."
Netmarble engaged in deep discussions with the original author, Chu-Gong, for 'Karma.' PD Jin said, "The author conducted meticulous review to ensure that the narrative's plausibility and character identities did not deviate from the flow of the original work." He added, "From the early planning stages, we strictly established the worldview of dimensional gaps and the behind-the-scenes settings of monarchs through collaboration with the author, areas that were not fully covered in the original work."
Netmarble focused on perfectly recreating the fast-paced combat unique to the original work within a quarter-view environment. Instead of limiting dashes solely for evasion, they granted mobility to skills themselves, reducing operational fatigue while maximizing the thrill of hack-and-slash. Furthermore, by linking skills with abilities, they applied various conditional activation mechanisms such as hits and critical hits, optimizing the game so that players can enjoy chain explosion effects with a single operation even in a mobile environment.
Regarding the participation at TGS 2026, Head Lee said, "Japan's mobile game market is one of the top three largest markets globally, so we expect many people who love mobile games to visit TGS." He added, "We also designed our booth with a Sung Jin-woo statue, video broadcasting through large transparent LEDs, and giant statues of the Cartenon Temple, which is the signature of 'Solo Leveling,' so that visitors can feel interest even without prior information."
in TECH
