In 2025, several Chinese games are poised to make significant impacts on the international scene, with Phantom Blade Zero, Lost Soul Aside, and Tides of Annihilation leading the way as the most promising and eagerly anticipated by Western audiences. Other notable titles scheduled for release this year include Where Winds Meet, The Perceiver, Ballad of Antara, and Wuchang Fallen Feathers. These games share a common characteristic: they are large-scale action titles with Souls-like elements, which sometimes fail to satisfy Western players seeking something distinct from China. Fortunately, today I will discuss another game that falls into a different genre; it is not Mecha Break, which recently broke records on Steam with a peak of 317,522 concurrent players during its demo phase. Instead, the focus is on The Hidden Ones, which combines elements of beat ’em up and arena fighter genres but most importantly, serves as an adaptation of a Chinese webcomic and anime titled Hitori no Shita The Outcast. This game aims to honor Chinese martial arts traditions while also paying homage to Bruce Lee’s philosophy. I had the opportunity to play it during the Pre-Alpha Test a few weeks ago, and all I can say is: Be Water My Friend.
Since its announcement at the end of 2023, I have been closely following “The Hidden Ones,” a game for which I felt envious not having had the chance to try when American media outlets and YouTubers were able to play it in December 2024. It was only during the Pre-Alpha Test sessions from February 27 to March 10 that I finally got the opportunity to experience it, although this coincided with my deep testing of Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed Shadows.” Given the priority I placed on that game, you can understand why this preview of “The Hidden Ones” is being published now.
Be Water My Friend…
If you are not familiar with The Hidden Ones, it is an adaptation of a Chinese webcomic created by Dong Man Tang in 2015. This work was later adapted into an anime titled Hitori no Shita The Outcast in July 2016. The name is Japanese, likely due to the collaboration between China and Japan for its production via Pandanium x Namu Animation. There are 12 episodes of this anime available on Crunchyroll in France. If you enjoy well-choreographed fight scenes, I recommend watching it as it offers impressive visuals. The video game version of The Hidden Ones is developed by MoreFun, a Chinese studio owned by Tencent, with the aim to match the webcomic and anime’s level of quality. One standout feature of the game is its high-quality animations, which give the impression of viewing an actual anime series. Everything runs smoothly, and there are numerous moves and attacks available, making battles highly stylistic. The developers drew inspiration from kung-fu, Tai-Chi, and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do to create choreographies reminiscent of Hong Kong cinema during its golden age.
In its structure, “The Hidden Ones” is an Arena Fighter, a genre popularized by the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Following in this tradition, the game’s control scheme is relatively straightforward, particularly for those familiar with VS Fighting games. However, Morefun Studio’s title includes several subtleties. The game features evasion, parrying, and a break mechanic. Executing basic combo attacks is quite easy; however, upon completing each combo, the opponent is pushed back a few meters. It is possible to cancel the combo during the second or third basic attack using the RB button to evade, thereby extending the chain of strikes without pushing the enemy away. This is practical, except that activating the break move consumes some stamina, preventing continuous use. In contrast, blocking and parrying do not consume stamina, and a perfect parry provides an opportunity for a counterattack. A yellow bar then appears near the middle of the screen, indicating the brief window to retaliate.
Contrarily, some attacks cannot be parried or even blocked, as indicated by a red light appearing, meaning that dodging is the only way to avoid damage. However, if you time your dodge correctly, you will have another chance to retaliate with a slight slowdown, which is always very stylish. The blue light signifies that the attack is less powerful than the red and can be protected against. Of course, like any brawler game worth its salt, there are also massive furies to unleash, and according to the character you wield, the ultimate moves vary. Quickly, one realizes that “The Hidden Ones'” combat system relies on timing and proper endurance management, infusing a certain rhythm into the game.
TAI-CHI MASTER
If the Pre-Alpha Test allowed for some enjoyable player-versus-player engagements, The Hidden Ones is particularly noteworthy for its Story mode, which is meticulously crafted to follow events from both the webcomic and the series. Morefun Studios developers have noted that certain characters, who are relatively minor in the series, gain more depth within the game; additionally, there are surprises planned for fans of the animated series. Personally, I was impressed by the quality of the Story mode, which is not typically a strong point in classic brawler games, often featuring arena battles connected with minimal cutscenes. In The Hidden Ones, significant thought has been put into this Story mode, and above all, there is an evident desire to excel. Within this Story mode, the game presents itself as a modern brawler, occasionally showcasing moments of brilliance such as racing missions that integrate quick-time events (QTE) with wall-jump mechanics. The Story mode extends beyond combat interest; it includes boss battles, stealth missions, and puzzles to solve. There are also numerous opportunities for free roaming and interaction with non-playable characters nearby. This is not an open-world narrative mode, but linearity ensures the story progresses smoothly without wasting time.
Note that “The Hidden Ones” will include two additional game modes in addition to the Story mode. There is the Duel mode, which allows players to use the full character roster, each with their unique identity, techniques, and powers to activate. Additionally, there is the Trial mode, a boss rush where players can face all of the bosses encountered in the Story mode. Among these bosses is a wild, malevolent version of Sun Wukong, dressed naturally and armed with a stone pillar instead of his magical staff. This adds significant pressure, as Laurely Birba would say. Regarding release dates, “The Hidden Ones” does not have an exact date set yet, but the developers aim for a third-quarter 2025 launch. The game has been in development for some time and is expected to bring fresh ideas to the arena fighter genre, which has seen little evolution over the past two decades.
