Project TAL’s Reveal Shows Off Monster Hunter-Style Combat and Korean Folklore, But Its Trailer Raises Concerns

Here is a game that probably slipped past your radar, but once you see it, it is hard to ignore. Project TAL is a newly revealed action RPG that immediately stands out for how ambitious it looks. From the moment you check out its early footage, you can tell it is aiming for a large-scale fantasy experience, backed by fast, real-time combat and a world that feels very different from the usual settings you see in the genre.

The game first appeared late last year, and even from that initial reveal, it made a strong impression. What you are looking at is a project that blends familiar ideas with something a bit more distinct. As you watch it in motion, it gives off clear Monster Hunter energy, especially in the way characters move and engage with large enemies, but at the same time, there is also a noticeable Elden Ring influence in its tone and presentation. That combination alone makes it easy to see why it quickly caught attention.

Project TAL is being developed by the Korean studio Madngine, and it originally had a different name when it was announced back in May.

At that time, it was called TAL: The Arcane Lands, which sounded like a finalized title. Since then, the developers have stepped back from that and are now referring to it simply as Project TAL. That shift is a little unusual, since games usually move from a working title to a final name rather than the other way around.

Still, it likely gives the team more flexibility while development is ongoing, especially considering that the game is not expected to release until 2027. For now, it is planned for both PC and consoles, so you will not be locked into one platform when it eventually arrives.

What you are getting here is a story-driven, single-player, open-world action RPG. That alone already places it in a space that many players are drawn to, and, from what has been shown so far, it leans heavily into that structure. The developers themselves describe it as a AAA experience, built around a reinterpretation of traditional Korean Tao masks and the mythology associated with them. Instead of just referencing those ideas, the game seems to fully build its world around them, turning that cultural foundation into a large fantasy setting that you can explore.

That focus on Korean folklore is one of the more interesting parts of the project.

You do not often see games dive this deeply into that specific cultural space, even though Korean entertainment as a whole has become incredibly popular in recent years. With global hits across television and music, it feels a bit surprising that more games have not taken a similar approach. Project TAL looks like it is trying to fill that gap by bringing those influences into a big-budget RPG format.

When you look at the gameplay itself, the combat is clearly designed to feel fast and responsive. You are not just tapping out simple attacks. Instead, it looks like you will be chaining together combos and mixing them with heavier, charged strikes. That balance between speed and impact is something you can immediately pick up on, and it gives the impression that fights will have some weight to them rather than feeling overly light.

You are also not limited to a single playstyle. The footage shows a mix of weapons being used, including close-range options and ranged attacks. At different points, you can see melee combat, bow usage, what appears to be a great sword, and even a longer-range weapon that resembles a glaive. That variety suggests you will have some freedom in how you approach encounters, rather than being locked into one specific role.

One of the biggest highlights, though, comes from the bosses.

Even in this early look, they are designed to stand out. There is a clear focus on scale and visual impact, with creatures that look like they belong in a much darker fantasy setting. Some of them, like a skeletal boss and a dragon-like enemy, feel like they could fit right into something like Dark Souls. They are the kind of encounters that are meant to leave an impression, even if you have only seen a short clip.

As you dig a little deeper into what the game is offering, a few more mechanics start to come into focus. One of the key systems is the companion feature. At first glance, you might assume the game includes multiplayer elements, since there are moments where multiple characters appear on screen at once. However, that is not the case. Instead, these are AI-controlled companions that fight alongside you.

You are not going through this world alone. In most situations, you will have a group of companions who react to what you are doing and what is happening around you. They are designed to adapt to your playstyle, stepping in to help, support, or attack depending on the situation. Each of these characters comes with their own abilities, personalities, and roles in combat, ranging from defensive and supportive positions to melee, ranged, and magic-focused roles.

This system feels similar to what you might remember from Dragon’s Dogma, where AI companions played a big part in how battles unfolded.

The difference here is that Project TAL seems to expand on that idea, giving you more companions at once and making their roles more distinct. It gives the impression of a more dynamic battlefield, where you are working alongside a small team rather than just one or two helpers.

Another feature that leans into that same influence is the ability to climb and mount large monsters. According to the developers, you will be able to leap onto massive enemies and attack them directly, which adds a more physical layer to combat. This ties into a weak-point system that the game is also built around. Instead of just attacking anywhere, you will be targeting specific points on enemies to deal more effective damage.

There's already a scene in the video that shows how these systems work together. The player gets on a creature and attacks a weak spot from there, which makes the enemy react violently. This type of interaction makes fights feel more involved than just standing at a distance and hitting each other.

Even with all of that, there is still a lot that remains unclear about how the game actually plays moment to moment. The trailer does a good job of presenting the idea, but it also starts to raise some concerns. While everything looks polished, there is a noticeable difference between what feels like gameplay and what might be pre-rendered footage.

If you pay close attention, many of the scenes look more like they are scripted rather than being controlled in real time.

Movements appear very smooth and almost too precise, which can sometimes be a sign that what you are seeing is not fully representative of actual gameplay. The trailer itself mentions that it is a mix of rendered footage and gameplay, but most of what is shown leans toward the rendered side.

That brings up a bigger question about why the presentation is handled this way. One possibility is that the game is still early in development, and the team is using these visuals to communicate what they are aiming for rather than what is currently playable. That is not uncommon, especially for projects that are still a few years away from release.

At the same time, there is always a level of caution that comes with trailers like this. There have been cases where studios release impressive footage to attract attention or funding, only for the final product to fall short or never appear at all. It is not something that happens every time, but it is enough to make you take a step back and look at things more carefully.

There is also a more positive angle to consider.

In recent years, several games from smaller or lesser-known studios have managed to deliver strong results, even after early skepticism. A good example is Stellar Blade, which had people questioning its initial reveal but went on to prove itself over time. Project TAL could easily follow a similar path if the development continues in the right direction.

At the end of the day, what you are left with is a game that looks genuinely exciting, even if it comes with a few uncertainties. The core ideas are solid, the setting stands out, and the combat appears to have the depth needed to support a full RPG experience. There is still a long way to go before release, and a lot can change between now and 2027, but the foundation is there.

Right now, Project TAL is in a place where it's easy to be interested but hard to fully commit without seeing more. It could be something that people remember, especially since it focuses on Korean mythology and has a mix of combat systems. It will be interesting to see how the next few years of development go, but it is definitely a project to keep an eye on as it moves forward.