Solo Leveling: ARISE review: Stylish combat and immersive storytelling

Mobile and PC game Solo Leveling: ARISE is now live for everyone! Esports.gg had the opportunity to test out a copy of the game ahead of time. Read on for our Solo Leveling: ARISE review where we go over what to expect in the game and more!

Solo Leveling: ARISE is now live for everyone, allowing players to experience Sung Jinwoo's journey through voiced cutscenes, character interactions, and stylish combat. Based on the Korean webtoon, the game reached 15 million pre-downloads ahead of this global launch.

You jump right into a tutorial upon entering Solo Leveling: ARISE. This phase teaches you the basic mechanics of the game, featuring easy-to-follow instructions that glow and cannot be missed. On PC, you can use W, A, S, and D to move around.

Meanwhile, the space bar lets you get to waypoints faster and allows you to dodge or do an Extreme Evasion move against enemies. Press the left mouse button to do basic attacks and the right mouse button to target enemies. Solo Leveling: ARISE also uses the Q, E, R, Left-Shift, F, and C keys for flashy moves and skills. Additionally, the number keys can summon characters on your team such as Lee Joohee and Song Chiyul. Switching characters can also be done through the Left-Shift key depending on your roster.

Solo Leveling: ARISE's story mode is divided into different chapters. Each chapter contains episodes where you either watch a cutscene, duke it out against enemies, or both. The cutscenes, in particular, all feature voice actors to provide a more immersive experience. However, if you're pressed for time, you can simply press the "Skip" button.

In essence, your goal is to clear each dungeon and earn some rewards. Some dungeons require Jinwoo to enter while others require other units except for the protagonist. There are also battle missions in each chapter that can require you to evade enemies a set number of times, clear a dungeon with a specific percentage of health left over, and more. Completing these battle missions within each chapter results in trophies and rewards. Battle missions add to the replayability of each dungeon.

As Jinwoo, you receive stat points as you level up in Solo Leveling: ARISE. These can be distributed across different attributes such as strength, vitality, agility, intelligence, and perception. You can also preview the distribution of ability points, allowing you to strategize better and account for any weaknesses in the previous dungeons or next ones.

Meanwhile, your roster of hunters can gain levels as well. Use the materials gained from dungeons, achievement rewards, daily rewards, the Activity Fund, Gate, plus Gate Mining features, and more to give yourself and your hunters a boost in terms of levels, weapons, and skills.

Materials are also useful for crafting hunter-exclusive weapons. Meanwhile, fusion in Solo Leveling: ARISE involves runes and the game of chance. Odds are also at play whenever you're drawing for items or hunters. You can either collect draw tickets through in-game rewards or purchase some in-game currency to get them.

Solo Leveling: ARISE features character interactions as well. Note that unlike the cutscenes, these are not voiced. While you're in the lobby, you can walk up to them and strike up a brief chat. If you're interested in the lore of certain characters beyond just having them as a unit on your team of hunters, then these interactions are a great start. Emma Laurent, in particular, is exclusive to the Solo Leveling: ARISE game. One of the conversations with her implies that she misses her family.

Overall, Solo Leveling: ARISE is a game that features a mix of stylish combat that rewards combos and perfectly-timed moves, narrative depth through character interactions and voiced cutscenes, replayability, and lots of free rewards for completing events, episodes, and more, which helps with in-game progression.

There are elements of chance when it comes to weapon enhancements and getting draws. You can also complete Gate Mining activities faster, gain more rewards from the Activity Fund, or purchase bundles or in-game currency to progress faster.

Additionally, if you're interested in an overall faithful adaptation to the webtoon — with slight twists in terms of exclusive Solo Leveling: ARISE characters and the new stories developed for the game — then Solo Leveling: ARISE is highly recommended.

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