I expected a Genshin clone before playing this upcoming MMO spinoff of a massive Chinese MOBA, but the depth of its hot-swappable combat styles proved me wrong

Honor of Kings: World Showcases Deep Combat Mechanics at GDC 2025

Heading into a GDC 2025 hands-on preview for Honor of Kings: World, expectations were uncertain. This upcoming action RPG MMO is a spin-off from Tencent’s mobile MOBA, Honor of Kings. Despite its immense popularity in China and status as one of the highest-grossing games globally, Honor of Kings remains relatively obscure in Western gaming media. Having had negative experiences with similar titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, skepticism lingered about whether another open-world, cross-platform action MMO could genuinely impress.

However, more than a week after the preview, the exceptional combat system in Honor of Kings: World remains a prominent thought.

Initial Presentation and Combat Style Diversity

An introductory presentation by lead game designer Simen Lv offered limited insight into the gameplay experience. Lv detailed how Honor of Kings: World would integrate elements of Chinese culture and mythology, blending fantasy and futuristic aesthetics. A gameplay demonstration showcased players in groups battling mechanical phoenixes and various iterations of Sun Wukong.

Lv emphasized that a core design principle for Honor of Kings: World was “diverse combat.” Players can engage in most content solo or co-operatively, with the ability to seamlessly switch between two combat styles inspired by existing Honor of Kings heroes.

For those unfamiliar with the Honor of Kings franchise, these combat styles were broadly identifiable as a “knight with sword and shield,” a “heavily armed platform girl,” and a “glasses-wearing man who summons mech minions.” While the showcased visuals in the presentation were striking, the fighting style-switching mechanic initially evoked concerns about potential repetitiveness, similar to experiences with Genshin Impact’s character-swapping combat.

Combat Depth Unveiled in Hands-On Demo

Entering Tencent’s demo area, early doubts persisted upon encountering a UI reminiscent of Genshin Impact, featuring similar ability and ultimate icons, along with stamina-limited challenge zones common in Chinese free-to-play games. However, Honor of Kings: World began to distinguish itself as soon as the first enemies appeared.

Experimenting with combat style switching revealed a system more akin to changing weapon types in Monster Hunter than swapping Genshin Impact characters. Utilizing the default longsword style against basic enemies exposed intricate combo strings that evolved with heavy attacks and abilities, moving beyond simple attacks and animations.

Weapon animations exhibited a deliberate heft and commitment, yet tactical dodges could cancel these actions. Perfectly timed dodges against enemy attacks triggered a satisfying slow-motion effect, allowing for impactful counterattacks.

Exploring Diverse Combat Styles

Driven by curiosity, experimentation with the 11 available combat styles ensued, revealing distinct gameplay flavors. Highlights included a bow capable of launching volleys of arrows after precise dodges, nimble needle-like daggers for quick strikes, launchers, aerial combos, and parry opportunities. The depth of the combat system surpassed initial expectations.

Boss Encounter and Combat Style Synergy

Encouragement from Lv to progress to the demo’s main boss fight, after observing extensive experimentation with basic enemies, initially felt like an interruption of the combat sandbox exploration. However, the encounter against a frenzied monkey king, adorned with a face-changing bian lian mask, proved compelling.

The boss fight was visually impressive, despite occasional awkward localization in cutscenes. The monkey king employed sweeping fire attacks and acrobatic maneuvers, showcasing impressive animation quality.

During this encounter, a new longsword combat style was tested, featuring a singularity placed behind the player after each dodge, which could be warped back to for strategic positioning. This enabled satisfying combos, such as placing a singularity mid-air after a jump to initiate aerial attacks following ground combos, effectively evading attacks and repositioning.

Open Exploration and Style Interplay

Following the boss encounter, an “open exploration” zone, a subterranean grotto filled with enemy clusters, became the next testing ground. Here, the focus shifted to the needle daggers paired with a heavier sword style.

Alternating between these styles revealed synergistic mechanics. The daggers offered a berserker state, sacrificing health for increased damage. Conversely, the heavy sword could generate an overshield through parrying, which could then be consumed to enhance the daggers without health risks.

Monetization and Release Outlook

The combat system in Honor of Kings: World is undeniably appealing. However, concerns arise regarding monetization, given the practices of competitors in the gacha game market. Tencent remained silent on the game’s monetization structure. Lv indicated that combat styles unlock through story progression, raising hopes for extensive weapon and combo experimentation without excessive microtransactions.

Tencent has yet to announce a release date for Honor of Kings: World. Until then, the captivating potential of midair singularity combos will remain a subject of anticipation.