Is Project Mugen a gacha game?

Project Mugen is one of the most highly-anticipated free-to-play games, with fans happily comparing it to Genshin Impact. The comparison has left fans wondering if Project Mugen will be a gacha game when it finally launches.

NetEase, which published Diablo Immortal in 2022 and Naraka: Bladepoint in 2021, unveiled Project Mugen with a new video trailer that dropped on Aug. 24. It’s still unclear when it’ll release, but fans can already preregister to keep themselves informed on any update.

The game will be available on iOS, Android, PC, PS4, PS5, and the cloud. In the trailer, players can see a heavy emphasis put on exploration with wall-running and driving motorized vehicles. The combat system also looks dynamic and full of action and features several different characters.

The anime aesthetic, animation, and fighting style reminds players of Genshin Impact —which led many to wonder if the title was a gacha game or not. Here is what we know on the matter.

Is Project Mugen a gacha game?

Currently, it’s unclear whether Project Mugen is a gacha game or not. On the official website, it’s described as an “urban open-world RPG” game, and the combat seems to be based on characters. For the time being, only five characters have been revealed.

They are all listed and named on the website but doesn’t mention anything else about the characters, although some of their abilities were seen in the game’s trailer. It’s unclear if those will be available for free at launch, or if they’ll be locked behind random pulls.

Related: NetEase’s new open-world RPG Project Mugen looks like a Zenless Zone Zero killer

Since the game will be free-to-play, the developer will likely introduce a system of seasons with battle passes that will reward players with different items.

The most valuable elements players could buy in a game like this one would be, indeed, characters. Since it’s a solo game, there would be little interest in mainly selling skins.

So the question remains on how the game will be monetized. If it turns out to be a gacha game, it means characters will be obtainable through random pulls, with possible duplicates and rotating banners, to keep the game fresh.

It’s also unclear if we’ll be able to get guaranteed pulls, which works with Pity in Genshin Impact. While you’ll play with odds when trying to get your favorite character, you’ll always end up obtaining it after a specific number of pulls, so the game doesn’t push you to spend endlessly without getting anything if in a bad luck scenario.

Which characters will be available at Project Mugen‘s launch?

According to the game’s official website, there will be five characters at launch. Here is the list:

• Taffy: She’ll be a melee character wielding a hammer.
• Bansy: She looks like a long-ranged character, with a Splatoon-like weapon.
• Alan: He looks like a ranged character too, wielding a sort of yo-yo as a weapon.
• Mechanika: It’s unclear what her playstyle will be like.
• Dila: She will use a claymore to decimate her opponents.

Although only five playable characters have been confirmed by the developer, the reveal trailer showed a lot more of them to come.