Today, NC (formerly NCSOFT) released a new developer video for Cinder City, offering a closer look at the tactical combat systems, vehicles, and cooperative activities players can expect from BigFire Games’ upcoming cinematic open-world shooter.
Set in a dystopian, near-future Seoul, Cinder City pits players against high-tech mercenaries, demons, and mutated creatures, blending modern firearms, futuristic 23rd-century weapons, and specialized combat abilities.
Following the Gamescom 2026 trailer that introduced protagonist Seven, this latest video explores the strategic options available to players as they navigate Seoul’s dangerous streets. Combat centers on Tactical Gear, a set of character-specific skills and equipment, including specialized shields, support bots, deployable traps, and shield recovery systems, each with its own resource costs and cooldowns.
Choosing the right combination of equipment and abilities will be essential for surviving different encounters, particularly as players face increasingly powerful enemies. The developer emphasizes adapting combat strategies to each situation, encouraging players to experiment with different Tactical Gear combinations rather than relying on a single approach.
Vehicles will also play an important role in open-world exploration and combat, with motorbikes, cars, helicopters, and power loaders available throughout Seoul, offering different ways to traverse the city and engage enemies. Helicopters can provide aerial superiority, while heavily armed power loaders offer additional firepower that could prove especially useful during challenging boss encounters.
The open world will also feature opportunities for players to cooperate with others outside traditional party-based multiplayer. During exploration, players may encounter other Cinderknights taking on side missions or dynamic events, letting them join the action and help without forming a party beforehand. This system is designed to make cooperation feel more seamless as players move through the city.
Beyond these encounters, Cinder City will feature field bosses, four-player instanced dungeons, and large-scale open-world boss battles. Field bosses present particularly dangerous challenges that may require solo players to regroup and assemble a larger squad, while instanced dungeons focus on coordinated teamwork, strategic planning, and learning each boss’s unique mechanics.
Open-world bosses will serve as the game’s largest cooperative challenges, bringing together numerous Cinderknights to battle enormous, world-changing entities. These large-scale raids are intended to test players’ ability to coordinate their combat abilities and work together against some of the most formidable threats in Seoul.
Cinder City is available to wishlist on Steam, although a release date has not been announced in the provided details.
