Zhen Xie II is a 2.5D action RPG developed by Lingxu Studio and published by ZAO GAMES.
The game is now available on Steam, where players can add it to their wishlist. While the release date is currently listed as 2026, the exact launch window has not been confirmed.
Used under fair use for commentary and educational purposes.
Story Background:
Set against the chaos of early Republican China a time of warlords, social unrest, and crumbling order Zhen Xie II draws inspiration from centuries-old Chinese folklore and classical supernatural tales.In this turbulent era, an ancient evil long sealed away stirs once more, seeking to exploit the world’s disorder for its own dark purposes.
You play as a disciple of a Taoist sect, sent to investigate strange occurrences in remote villages, abandoned tombs, and derelict mansions. To confront these disturbances, you’ll rely on authentic Taoist practices: drawing talismans, chanting incantations, ringing ritual bells, and setting up protective arrays. You can even command mechanical puppets crafted through esoteric arts to aid you in exploration and combat.
Along the way, you’ll encounter beings drawn straight from Chinese myth and legend: paper dolls imbued with spirit energy, jiangshi (hopping vampires), wandering souls, and other uncanny entities.
The game’s narrative is deeply rooted in traditional zhiguai (tales of the strange) literature and folk belief. What begins as a series of eerie incidents soon reveals a deeper web of human ambition, hidden power struggles, and buried secrets. Your choices throughout the journey will shape the story’s path and determine which of several possible endings unfolds.
Gameplay:
According to its Steam page, Zhen Xie II supports up to four-player online co-op for exploring its eerie world together. However, in the current demo, I wasn’t able to find any multiplayer options.
Instead, players team up with AI-controlled companions some unlocked by completing quests, others available for purchase directly in-game.
Beyond the main story, exploration is enriched by optional side quests: as you wander through villages and ruins, NPCs will occasionally call out for help. You’re free to accept or ignore these requests, adding flexibility to how you engage with the world.
The game features a sizable map dotted with teleportation shrines but you’ll need to discover and activate each one yourself before you can use it for fast travel.
Throughout your journey, you’ll also encounter environmental puzzles and item-based objectives, such as locating lost artifacts or deciphering ancient mechanisms. These elements add depth and variety to the exploration, rewarding curiosity and observation.
Game Interface and UI:
The character creation screen lets you choose between male or female protagonists and offers several preset face models to use.
A unique feature is the “Romance Selection” option on the right side of the screen, which determines the gender of the NPC who will assist you in later story interactions.
The game offers three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
Enemy health and damage scale accordingly just pick the challenge that suits you best.
In the game, enemies drop various items when they die or from other sources. Just press one button to pick up everything nearby no need to click on each item one by one. It’s quick and easy.
Items have different quality levels, shown by colored text in the item details.
During boss fights, you can use the environment to your advantage to make defeating the boss easier.
Game UI:
Since it’s an RPG, it naturally includes all the character stats and details players love.
Your equipment and full stat breakdown are shown together on the character screen, and you can easily switch weapons and other gear right from the inventory slots.
When you level up, you manually assign your stat points to customize your character the way you want.
I’m not entirely sure what the “Soul Essence” does in the game, but it looks pretty advanced.
Under “Cultivation,” you’ll find some locked slots. They seem to be for skills, but I haven’t unlocked any in the demo there’s not much content available yet.
The Justice & Evil panel shows damage reduction bonuses you gain at different levels the higher your level, the more damage reduction you get.
The Skills panel displays all the abilities you’ve unlocked so far. You can switch between them using the quick-access menu in the bottom-right corner, letting you cast skills quickly during combat.
The Quests panel shows your current missions along with their rewards, helping you better understand your objectives and what to do next.
You can recruit your own companion—such as a jiangshi (hopping vampire)—by completing quests or buying one from the shop.
These companions are fully customizable, just like your main character, with outfits, gear, skills, and stats.
Final Thoughts:
Zhen Xie II is shaping up to be a genuinely impressive action RPG.
It channels strong Diablo-like vibes: isometric perspective, loot-driven progression, intense boss fights, and co-op gameplay—all wrapped in a distinctly Chinese supernatural aesthetic.
If you’re intrigued by Asian folklore—especially creatures like the jiangshi (the iconic hopping vampire from Chinese legend)—this game is absolutely worth your attention.
The demo already includes an English language option in the settings menu.
While localization isn’t 100% complete (a few quest prompts still appear in Simplified Chinese), it’s more than enough to understand core mechanics and enjoy the experience without confusion.
Interestingly, as of this writing, the Steam store page still lists only “Simplified Chinese” under supported languages—but the English option is undeniably there in-game.
It seems the developers may be quietly rolling out multilingual support ahead of launch.
NOTE:This article is based on the Zhen Xie II demo. Final content is subject to change and will be confirmed in the official release.
About the Author
