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Overview
Navigating the dense, vertically layered city of Zhou requires creative use of Cheng's Elemancer abilities and the city's infrastructure. The God Slayer avoids traditional vehicle systems. Creative director Zifei Wu stated that "adding vehicles would be pretty much overkill" given the city's density and Cheng's elemental mobility. Instead, traversal combines elemental movement, wuxia-inspired parkour, and public transit.
Wuxia-inspired agility
Cheng's baseline movement draws from wuxia fiction, the martial arts fantasy genre where warriors perform superhuman feats of agility. Wall running, rapid vaulting, and fluid transitions between running and climbing make Zhou's urban environment a playground for skilled movement. Gameplay footage at approximately 0:42 shows a wall-run flowing directly into a glide, demonstrating how the animation system chains these moves seamlessly.
Elemental movement
Several elements provide movement abilities that transform how Cheng navigates the city:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Fire boosters | propulsive bursts that launch Cheng vertically, enabling access to rooftops and elevated platforms. The developers described fire-based traversal as enabling "overpowered traversal with high mobility and speed" |
Water glide | rapid movement across water surfaces and frozen platforms created by freezing rivers |
Earth anchor | root to surfaces for stability during vertical movement and wall traversal |
Metal grapple | use conjured metal wires to swing between structures |
Public transit
Zhou's infrastructure provides conventional travel options for longer distances. The city has a subway system connecting major districts, bus routes serving residential areas, and fast-travel points allowing instant relocation to previously discovered locations. These ground-level options complement Cheng's acrobatic elemental movement for players who want efficient point-to-point travel.
Traversal upgrades
The Star Fall Society provides traversal upgrades through mission rewards, and The Master unlocks movement tricks during training sequences. Progression through the story naturally expands Cheng's traversal capabilities as new elements become available.