Solo Leveling Arise early access preview: A brilliant adaptation of the popular manhwa

Full disclosure: I had not seen anything on the manhwa before trying Solo Leveling Arise. However, I do know a few people who absolutely love it, so after playing it for a few hours, I had to go and read some of the manhwa - the webtoon - for myself. That made coming back to play this mobile game far more interesting, as I then had a bit more context about what I was seeing. Games like this need to be faithful adaptations, after all.

I was not at all disappointed, either. Solo Leveling Arise led me to become a fan of the webtoon, Sung Jinwoo as a character, and the setting. After all, who hasn’t wanted to fall into a video game and become a hero? I know I sure have. So I took a spin around Netmarble’s newest game for a few hours, and this is what I found.

Note: This preview is based on the early access version that has been out since March 21, 2024, in Canada. The full global release is reportedly set to arrive in April 2024.

Not all webtoons have what it takes to become a video game. Some feel weird and awkward - Solo Leveling Arise is not one of those. It accurately depicts the webtoon starring Sun Jinwoo - the weakest hunter of all. You go through the story and get to see some truly gorgeous cutscenes and panels of fan-favorite moments.

Players control Sun Jinwoo most of the time, grinding through stages and slaughtering monsters. I played this version on my PC, though I did also briefly try the mobile version, which also played quite well. For games like this, I prefer to have a bigger screen, though. At its core, Solo Leveling Arise is an Action RPG/Hack ‘n’ Slash style game. If you like cool attacks and movement, you’re in the right place.

Dodging felt so good, and perfectly timing them felt better. However, this