Loulan: The Cursed Sand vs Punishing: Gray Raven

• Perspective: Third-Person
• Multiplayer: Limited Co-op Modes
• Setting: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
• Platforms: PC, iOS, Android
• Global Release: 2021-07-16
• Unique Feature: A unique and stylish combo-based combat system built around a '3-Ping' orb matching mechanic, combined with a last-second dodge that triggers a 'Matrix' slow-motion state.

• Squad Members: In single-player modes, the other two members of your squad are AI constructs you can switch to at any time. In co-op modes, your companions are other human players controlling their own lead Construct.
  Constructs (AI/Player)

• Lore Items: Found through exploration of the ruins, these items will provide context on the lost Kingdom of Loulan and the 'Xiaohe Princess'.
• Sand Abilities: Likely unlocked by defeating bosses or solving puzzles, these are new skills for use in combat and exploration.

• Constructs: Obtained primarily through the gacha 'R&D' system. Collecting different characters and their powerful 'SS' and 'SSS' rank upgrades is the main long-term goal.
• Black Cards: The game's premium currency. Earned from completing daily and weekly missions, story chapters, and events. Used to pull for new characters and weapons.

• Action RPG
• Chinese Mythology
• Top-Down
• Hack and Slash
• Fantasy
• Romance

• Post-Apocalyptic
• Sci-Fi
• Action RPG
• Hack and Slash
• Gacha
• Anime
• Cyberpunk
• Dystopian

• Various: Katanas, Dual Pistols, Cannons, Scythes, etc.
  Each playable Construct has their own unique weapon type. Players can obtain a variety of 4-star, 5-star, and 6-star weapons through the gacha system or by crafting. 6-star weapons are signature to a specific Construct and provide powerful, unique passive abilities.

• Memories: The primary way to build characters. Each Construct can equip a set of six 'Memories'. These items provide base stats (like HP and ATK) and powerful set bonuses (at 2, 4, or 6 pieces) that are crucial for a character's performance. They are the equivalent of 'Artifacts' or 'Stigmata' in similar games.

• Coatings: Purely cosmetic outfits for the playable Constructs. Coatings can be purchased with premium currency, earned through in-game events, or unlocked via a special gacha system. They range from casual wear to elaborate, high-fantasy designs.

The core of the progression system is the 'Cursed Warrior of Dual Forms' mechanic. Players can freely switch between a balanced 'Sand Form' and a relentless, heavy-hitting 'Bone Form,' which wields a massive sand blade. This system unlocks different combat capabilities and is also used for puzzle-solving. Players also wield a variety of 'Sand Abilities'.

The game is not a full open world, but features large, handcrafted, and atmospheric levels set in diverse regions. Players will journey through vast deserts, ruins, and flowing rivers of sand, reimagining the iconic landscapes of China's Western Regions.

• The Cursed Sand: Playable Protagonist
  A skeletal warrior and resurrected royal guard on a quest to find his lost princess. He can switch between a balanced 'Sand Form' and a powerful 'Bone Form'.
• The Lost Princess of Loulan: Key NPC
  The object of the protagonist's quest and the heart of the game's tragic love story.

• The Commandant: Player Character (Non-Playable)
  The player's role in the story. The Commandant is the tactical leader of the Gray Raven squad, making decisions and commanding the Constructs in battle. You do not directly see or control the Commandant.
• Lucia: Playable Construct (Attacker)
  The leader of the Gray Raven squad. A determined and skilled warrior who wields katanas. She has many different powerful versions (frames) like 'Plume' and 'Crimson Abyss'.
• Liv: Playable Construct (Support)
  The support member of Gray Raven. Her frames, like 'Empyrea' and 'Luminance', are top-tier healers and buffers essential for team survival.
• Lee: Playable Construct (Attacker)
  The ranged specialist of Gray Raven, skilled with dual pistols and engineering. His frames, like 'Entropy' and 'Hyperreal', are powerful damage dealers.
• Vera: Playable Construct (Support/Attacker)
  A combat medic from another squad. Her frames, like 'Rozen' and 'Garnet', are highly sought after for their ability to provide both healing and significant damage.

• Main Story Campaign
  A linear, narrative-driven campaign following 'The Cursed Sand' on his tragic quest to find the lost Princess of Loulan, battling powerful factions and colossal bosses along the way.
• Environmental Puzzles
  A recurring objective where players must use their unique 'Sand Abilities' to manipulate the environment, solve puzzles, and open new pathways.

• Story Campaign
  A long and ongoing campaign divided into chapters that tells the dark story of the Gray Raven squad's fight to reclaim Earth.
• Phantom Pain Cage
  A weekly endgame boss rush mode. Players fight a series of bosses and compete for high scores on a server-wide leaderboard to earn premium currency.
• War Zone
  A weekly endgame mode where players fight through waves of enemies to earn points. High scores place players in higher tiers for better rewards.
• Limited-Time Events
  Each new patch introduces several events with unique stories, gameplay mechanics, and valuable rewards, including premium currency and upgrade materials.

• Q: What is Loulan: The Cursed Sand?
  A: It is a single-player action RPG from the developers of Naraka Bladepoint and Diablo Immortal. It is set in a world based on the ancient Silk Road and Korean/Chinese mythology, featuring a unique dual-form combat system.
• Q: What is the combat like?
  A: It's a fast-paced, top-down 'one-against-many' melee combat system inspired by the classic God of War games. The core mechanic is switching between a balanced 'Sand Form' and a heavy-hitting 'Bone Form'.
• Q: Is it a 'Soulslike' game?
  A: While it features challenging, skill-based boss fights, its core combat is described as being closer to a classic, fast-paced action game like God of War or an arcade slasher, rather than the methodical pace of a Soulslike.
• Q: When will it be released?
  A: No official release date has been announced yet, but it is in development for PC and as a PlayStation 5 console exclusive.

• Q: What is Punishing: Gray Raven?
  A: It is a free-to-play, fast-paced action RPG with a gacha system. It is known for its stylish, high-skill combat, dark sci-fi story, and challenging endgame content.
• Q: Is Punishing: Gray Raven free-to-play friendly?
  A: Yes, it is considered one of the most F2P-friendly gacha games. It has a pity system that guarantees you get the newest S-Rank character if you save enough premium currency, which is given out generously through events and daily activities.
• Q: What is the combat like?
  A: The combat is real-time, fast-paced, and combo-heavy. Its unique feature is the '3-Ping' system, where you match colored orbs to unleash powerful skills. It also features a perfect dodge 'Matrix' mechanic that triggers a slow-motion state.
• Q: Is there multiplayer?
  A: Yes, but it is limited. While most of the game is single-player, there are specific co-op modes where you can team up with two other players to fight powerful bosses.

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS are To Be Determined (TBD). The game is being developed on Unreal Engine 5, so modern hardware is expected to be required. The following are hypothetical projections.
• Laptop Performance Note: A title like this would demand a high-performance gaming laptop for the best experience. The game's fast-paced combat and detailed environments will require stable performance.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU would be essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5 and the effects-heavy combat.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and 'one-versus-many' enemy encounters will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex AI and physics-based combat.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance in a fast-paced action game.
• Game Name: Loulan: The Cursed Sand

• OFFICIAL AND EXTRAPOLATED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for Punishing: Gray Raven. This information is based on the official PC specifications from developer Kuro Game, adapted to the requested JSON structure. As a title originally designed for mobile, the PC client's requirements are relatively modest, but higher resolutions and framerates still benefit from more powerful hardware. The 1440p and 4K tiers are extrapolated based on performance benchmarks.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop versions of the listed desktop GPUs require comparable performance, which is highly dependent on the laptop's TGP (Total Graphics Power) and thermal design. For a fast-paced action game like Punishing: Gray Raven, maintaining a high, stable framerate is key to the experience.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: While the game is not extremely demanding, a higher TGP will ensure the GPU can consistently deliver a high framerate without throttling, which is important for the game's fluid combat.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Intense combat sequences with many on-screen effects can increase hardware temperatures. A good cooling system will prevent performance dips during long gaming sessions.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A capable CPU with good power delivery is needed to handle the game's fast-paced action and ensure smooth input response.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is recommended to minimize system latency, providing a more responsive feel to dodges, parries, and combos, which is vital in a high-skill action game.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: The official PC client of Punishing: Gray Raven does not have native support for upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR. Performance is primarily based on raw hardware capability.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Performance will be most affected by settings such as Resolution, Shadow Quality, Post-Processing, and Effects Quality. The game offers options to uncap the framerate, which is highly recommended for players with high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Game Name: Punishing: Gray Raven

• Upscaling Tech: The official PC client of Punishing: Gray Raven does not have native support for upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR. Performance is primarily based on raw hardware capability.
• Key Settings Impact: Performance will be most affected by settings such as Resolution, Shadow Quality, Post-Processing, and Effects Quality. The game offers options to uncap the framerate, which is highly recommended for players with high-refresh-rate monitors.

• G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU would be essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5 and the effects-heavy combat.
• Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and 'one-versus-many' enemy encounters will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex AI and physics-based combat.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance in a fast-paced action game.

• G P U T G P: While the game is not extremely demanding, a higher TGP will ensure the GPU can consistently deliver a high framerate without throttling, which is important for the game's fluid combat.
• Cooling Thermals: Intense combat sequences with many on-screen effects can increase hardware temperatures. A good cooling system will prevent performance dips during long gaming sessions.
• C P U Power Limits: A capable CPU with good power delivery is needed to handle the game's fast-paced action and ensure smooth input response.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is recommended to minimize system latency, providing a more responsive feel to dodges, parries, and combos, which is vital in a high-skill action game.