Yesterday, *Beneath the Sea of Mist*, developed by NetEase’s Leihuo Zhiyu Studio, concluded its week-long first beta test. Since I’m currently in the middle of a weight-loss phase, I’ve been constantly battling the dual physical and psychological onslaught of hunger throughout these seven days.
This new game, which took three years to develop, made quite a splash in China—a country where “food is the most important thing in life”—when it was first unveiled earlier this month thanks to its food-themed concept. That 12-minute-plus gameplay trailer has now racked up 6 million views on Bilibili.Every aspect of the game has been transformed into mouthwatering food: heroes become sizzling “Thunder Axe Steak” and fiery, aromatic “Fire Dragon Hot Pot”; defeating enemies drops ingredients and cooking utensils; and ingredients like “Silky Cream” and ““Icy Crab Meat”—all of which are obtained through a specific food-gathering logic from monsters like “Living Armor.”
The project team describes the game as NetEase’s first “eat, fight, retreat” title. Reportedly, the idea for the project came about when producer Ai Lu discovered a delicious restaurant serving pork liver and clam noodles; during the game’s first reveal, they even shared a long list of must-try dining spots in Chengdu with the public. The team has established a very distinct image as avid foodies.
After playing for a week, I gradually came to realize that this game has much more to offer than just its clever “food-themed” packaging. One after another, people around me have told me that they think this is NetEase’s most noteworthy new game to date.In an announcement released shortly before the beta test ended, the developers noted that player feedback and the depth of gameplay had far exceeded their expectations; on social media, player-created guides and fan content are also on the rise.The phrase “Nada Jieguo” has been trending recently. If the game continues to develop along these lines, I believe *Beneath the Mist* might have the potential to become the next “Nada Jieguo” in the PvP arena.
As the beta test nears its end, the comments section is already filled with players eagerly awaiting the second beta test.
In my opinion, this is what makes *Beneath the Sea of Fog* worth discussing beyond its packaging: What will it ultimately bring to the “search-and-destroy” genre, which is currently at the center of controversy? Many of their development decisions are quite intriguing—for example, they replaced the FPS elements, which are almost synonymous with the “search-and-destroy” genre, with a MOBA “core”;visually, they’ve adopted a picture-book art style that’s relatively rare in China, and they’ve incorporated casual systems like farming and management—elements not commonly found in this genre. I’ve never seen so many elements fused together like this before, but after actually playing it, the logic behind retaining players makes perfect sense.
Everyone seems to think that the “search-and-strike” genre has already produced its top-tier titles, and that the best opportunities have already been seized—but is there really no room left for other top-tier titles? That question remains open to debate.I believe *Beneath the Sea of Fog* represents a meaningful—and even “radical”—attempt; it has indeed broadened our imagination regarding the possibilities of the “search-and-battle-retreat” genre.
01
More Than Just the “Search, Strike, and Withdraw” Instinct
This “radical” approach is evident in the fact that many of the concepts in *Beneath the Sea of Mist* go against the public’s conventional understanding of “search, fight, and retreat” games. On a broader level, I believe they’ve redefined a “player fantasy.” The overall driving force behind *Beneath the Sea of Mist* is clearly quite different from that of other “search, fight, and retreat” games.
As soon as you launch the game, a heartwarming animated sequence in a picture-book style introduces the player’s mission in this world: a magical fog shrouds the land, and you’ve been summoned to become a “Gourmet Hunter,” venturing beneath the Sea of Mist to embark on a culinary hunt.You can take out “fellow hunters” through PvP along the way, but the core elements that truly capture the essence of “hunting” are the various monsters scattered across the map—*Beneath the Sea of Mist* has crafted an entire ecosystem built on map design and monster distribution.
The first pleasant surprise upon entering the game comes from this: the map has a strong sense of cohesion.Take “Hidden Mountain Pantry” as an example. Although I haven’t yet read the lore to understand the map’s background, I could easily tell that I was inside a massive, castle-like structure—the symmetrical layout features a variety of rooms and areas, such as a banquet hall, gardens, and a plaza, all meticulously arranged.
After riding the Balloon Bird to the Archives and Lounge, climb a long flight of stairs and cross a large bridge guarded by four bridgehead fortresses, and you’ll arrive at the plaza in the central core area. As you make your way there, the monster defenses grow increasingly formidable:The outer perimeter is mostly populated by low-level slimes and kittens, but as you move forward, you’ll encounter heavily armored monsters. Next, you’ll face the elite monster “Greatsword Living Armor” on the bridge; only after defeating it can you enter the innermost square and the ceremonial hall. As you continuously defeat powerful foes along the way, the tension builds.
As powerful enemies kept appearing, the tension in the game built up layer by layer. This gradual escalation of the atmosphere easily gave us the intuitive feeling that our three-person squad was truly carrying out an infiltration mission into the castle.
But this feeling actually stems largely from the level design—through terrain, monster placement, and visual cues, a natural path emerges within the level, guiding players to gradually advance toward the center of the map and ultimately challenge the boss monster, the “Potato Demon King.”A significant portion of the game’s loot comes from defeating these high-level monsters. Defeating these boss monsters is a massive challenge in itself: they often possess multi-move skill sets, making it difficult to win easily through “gear dominance” alone; instead, players must rely on strategic gear selection and teamwork to take them down.
Everyone is familiar with the “search-fight-escape” flow: high-pressure competition, hardcore realism, staying on guard against enemies lurking everywhere, and using that pressure to amplify the thrill of looting treasures. But *Beneath the Mist* sometimes feels more like *Monster Hunter* to me—the focus is on the hunting process, not just the result.Players need to hone their skills, learn each monster’s weaknesses and counter-strategies, and then team up to take on the challenge. You might have to “cat-car” a lot in the early stages, but once you succeed, you’ll feel the satisfaction of conquering the challenge along with tangible rewards.
At this point, the unique features of *Beneath the Sea of Fog* are already quite clear: when developing this “search, fight, retreat” game, the developers didn’t just focus on how to balance the three elements of “search, fight, and retreat,” nor did they simply give a traditional framework a fresh new look.What they’ve truly done is redesign the experience curve of each “search, fight, and retreat” round with richer PVE content. Each game feels more like embarking on a hunting-themed adventure, filled with unknown challenges along the way.
This design doesn’t conflict with PvP either—other “players” are an integral part of the adventure’s risks. In fact, thanks to the skill animations and the game’s remarkably smooth 3C performance, once you engage enemies head-on, you can still experience the thrill of fast-paced team battles in *Beneath the Mist*.
The more you play, the more you’ll experience this “adventure” from various angles. For example, the levels feature traps like tripwires and rolling logs, and opening a door might even result in getting hit head-on by an iron cage falling from above;At the same time, there are devices like zip lines, hang gliders, and door-locking mechanisms that require multiple players to trigger—the map isn’t flat; there’s also plenty of design in the vertical dimension. In interviews, the project team mentioned that they wanted to create the kind of combat fun found in “Jackie Chan at the Furniture Store.” This actually adds a lot of “strategic combat” moments to the game.
For example, you can use the terrain to launch a surprise attack on fellow players who are "looting."
The game also offers extensive content regarding gear builds. A character’s skill set is determined by the “magical dishes” consumed before the game begins—“Mande Iced Tea” grants healing abilities, while “Warrior’s Cheese Platter” makes you a heavy warrior;Classes aren’t strictly tied to any of the ten weapon types—such as greatswords, flintlocks, and lutes—so you’re perfectly free to play as a healer wielding a flintlock.On top of this, in addition to the equipment tiers already found in other roguelike games, the game introduces a talent system triggered by equipment affixes, further enhancing the strategic depth with the fun of building playstyles. What determines your experience in a single run isn’t just equipment stats—it’s the “recipe” you’ve put together.
In addition to exploring the map, there are various supporting systems—such as farming and raising land animals—that are quite well-developed, and the game even offers a purely PVE Dungeon Trial mode.
When viewed as a whole, the project team’s approach is actually quite clear: to differentiate the game through its PVE experience.Beyond jumping into combat and looting gear, *Beneath the Mist* devotes more design effort to the flow, levels, and gameplay itself, aiming to make every match feel like a relatively complete adventure—complete with treasures, formidable foes, and scenic views and surprises along the way.
It is this entire set of player fantasies built around “hunting adventures” that truly sets *Beneath the Mist Sea* apart from other search-and-fight-and-escape games.
02
Another Solution
So why do I think this approach has a chance of succeeding? Because it happens to address another type of "search, strike, and retreat" need in the market.
A well-designed PVE experience not only demonstrates the development team’s mastery of gameplay but also means it has the potential to attract players who have been weeded out by highly competitive modes.
Looking back, the success of “Search, Fight, Retreat” compared to previous competitive games lies in the fact that it offers players an additional way to participate in PvP—if you can’t win, you can run; if you can’t outrun your opponents, you can play it safe. “Retreating” itself can be considered a form of victory.
The problem is that in today’s top-tier “search-and-clear” shooters, the biggest source of stress still comes from PvP: short TTK, information asymmetry, and players lying in wait…The vast majority of casual players are still easily shut out. They may not be averse to the cyclical thrill of “looting and retreating” itself, but they simply don’t want to become someone else’s “content” every time they enter a map.
It’s clear that *Beneath the Sea of Fog* is intentionally catering to this demographic. In traditional search-and-destroy games, the greatest sense of frustration comes from losing equipment, supplies, and time all at once when you fail a mission;whereas *Beneath the Sea of Fog* shifts a significant portion of progression outside of individual matches—even if an evacuation fails, combat experience is converted into class proficiency, and “free supplies” provide a full set of basic gear that cannot be lost; the level of this free gear can even be enhanced through upgrades—so losing a single match won’t drive players away from the game; instead, it makes them increasingly eager to play.
There is actually plenty of evidence to support this kind of demand. The overseas game *ARC Raiders* is a case in point: its PVE adventure experience is quite strong, while its PVP experience is considered a weak point—yet this did not prevent the game from surpassing 10 million in sales after its release. Nikita, the producer of *Escape from Tarkov*, also shared an interesting statistic:At the start of each reset cycle, only 15% to 20% of players choose PVE mode, but by the end of the cycle, that ratio shifts to roughly 50-50—as PVP enthusiasm wanes with each update, PVE becomes the key factor in retaining players.The general manager of *Hunt: Showdown* even revealed that 40% of players have never killed a single person in the game.
Taken together, these figures illustrate one thing: one of the greatest strengths of PVPVE is that it allows players with different goals to find their own objectives within the same framework. Existing “search, attack, and defuse” games have already developed strong PVP elements, but there is still room to further explore PVE—which naturally leaves room for “Breakthrough” to carve out its own niche.
The picture-book art style of *Beneath the Sea of Fog* represents an artistic interpretation of the same concept. Its soothing, all-ages visual aesthetic naturally filters out the oppressive feel of “hardcore military hardware,” encouraging players who get a headache just at the sight of firearms to take that first step and give the game a try.Changing the core combat mechanics to a MOBA format was also a very clever choice. MOBA games are just as familiar to Chinese players as FPS games; a large number of players are already well-versed in the basic mechanics—such as skills, positioning, team fights, and role specialization—so the learning curve in the early stages isn’t steep.
The pace of the game has also been deliberately kept light: Take “Hidden Mountain Food Store” as an example—there are only 18 minutes before the Magic Mist engulfs the map, and with the soft restrictions during the mist phase, most matches last around 20 minutes, which is just the right length for a quick game while waiting for a match or commuting.
Therefore, from its perspective, there is a clear gap in the market, the barriers to entry have been kept low enough, and, combined with the project team’s demonstrated ability to execute, these factors together indicate that this project does indeed have room to move forward.
For example, from a top-down perspective, loot spawns in small rooms tend to overlap, and competition among teammates for loot is quite evident; as a “search, fight, and retreat” game, there currently seem to be a lack of clear strategies for lower-tier players to “take on bigger opponents” during team fights when facing higher-tier opponents.However, these are relatively obvious issues, and there is clear room for optimization.
In particular, producer Ai Lu previously served as the lead designer for *Honor of Kings*, and many of the game’s most popular heroes were created by him; the project’s lead designer also helped pioneer the “Subway Escape” gameplay mode in *Peacekeeper Elite*.They have all held key positions in products with massive DAU, experienced the real-world challenges of managing large-scale user bases, and have navigated many of the pitfalls that come with such projects.
There will be a second and third beta test, so there’s still time to address these issues. What’s more, they’ve been making changes quite quickly this time—during this week of gameplay, Teahouse Jun encountered a hotfix almost every few hours.In the latest official announcement, Producer Ai Lu also stated that they have collected tens of thousands of pieces of player feedback and will focus on issues such as PVE difficulty, matchmaking, and the teammate experience moving forward. This pace of intensively gathering feedback from the very first beta phase and rapidly adapting to user needs is clearly a skill honed through experience with major studios and large-scale projects.
More importantly, *Beneath the Sea of Fog* makes it very clear that the “search-fight-escape” genre has not yet reached its conclusion and has not yet produced a single definitive solution. ByteDance’s *Shadow Hunters*, featuring melee combat, topped the global weekly sales charts on Steam shortly after its release;*Zero Zone*’s permanent search-and-fight-and-escape mode, “Project Bagel,” garnered significant attention, proving the compatibility of this gameplay style with content-driven games; NetEase itself also has a search-and-fight-and-escape title in the works, *Hidden Shadows*, which features Chinese-style supernatural elements. This genre still has many directions to explore.
Conclusion
After playing through the entire first beta test, *Beneath the Mist Sea* left me with quite a few highlights: a level of polish that exceeded my expectations; a well-balanced blend of in-game experience and art style; and the interconnections and economic flow between various systems—such as off-map farming and land beast feeding—which were all more refined than I had anticipated.They’ve even launched several limited-time events, such as the “Harvest Banquet” and “Goose Faction on the Loose”—I often find myself forgetting that this is still a game that’s just completed its first beta test.
Although it’s hard to say the experience is already perfect, this means they have plenty of time before the official open beta to polish the game to a stage where it’s ready to be presented to players. All of this has raised our expectations for this product.
After all, when you think about it, the fact that a game editor who’s trying to lose weight willingly opens the game every night to “cyber-eat” probably says a lot in itself.
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/219656
