During the G-STAR 2024 event in Busan, South Korea, Final Weapon had the opportunity to interview MONGIL: STAR DIVE project director MinKyun Kim and business team manager DaHaeng Lee to learn more about the upcoming action RPG.
Kim and Lee discuss the overall premise of MONGIL: STAR DIVE, the elements carried over from its predecessor Monster Taming, gameplay features, and much more. The developers also discuss some initial plans regarding opportunities for players to try out MONGIL: STAR DIVE before its launch next year on consoles, mobile, and PC.
Can you introduce yourselves to our readers and tell us about your new action RPG, MONGIL: STAR DIVE?
MinKyun Kim: Hello, I’m MinKyun Kim, the Project Director of MONGIL: STAR DIVE. It’s an honor to have a chance to introduce our game to you all.
DaHaeng Lee: Hi, I’m DaHaeng Lee, and I’m the Business Team Manager of MONGIL: STAR DIVE at Netmarble.
Kim: MONGIL: STAR DIVE is set in a world named ‘Belana,’ where monsters and human beings coexist. The game follows Verna and Cloud, the main protagonists, as they encounter fascinating adventurers and embark on a grand journey. It is a full 3D character collectible action RPG featuring fun content to tame monsters and experience character team battles.
As project director and team manager for MONGIL: STAR DIVE, what did your respective roles entail for the game’s development?
Kim: I believe that the role of a Project Director is to determine how to enhance the game’s quality in line with the direction the team has envisioned. With Monster Taming, which has been beloved by players for many years, we wanted to adapt it to current gaming trends and offer a game that brings excitement to players. During the development process, we looked at different directions to take the game and ultimately focused on two key aspects. First, we wanted to create a game with strong appeal through the game’s
unique characters and engaging story. We also put significant effort into the ‘monster-taming’ experience by creating the taming system and Monster-ring.
Lee: The Business Team Manager’s role is to work closely with the development team to discuss the project’s direction while continuously analyzing how the game will be perceived by the public and its overall market competitiveness.
Throughout the development of MONGIL: STAR DIVE, I have been constantly thinking about how this project will resonate with the public. Especially at G-STAR 2024, my team and I focused on highlighting the game’s key characters including Verna, Cloud and Mina – all popular characters from the previous Monster Taming – as well as the new mascot of the game, ‘Nyanners’ in ways that would appeal to gamers.
I hope that these characters will create a positive and lasting impression of MONGIL: STAR DIVE.
More than ten years have passed since Monster Taming first launched in 2013. What inspired the development of MONGIL: STAR DIVE as Monster Taming’s successor?
Kim: We wanted to bring Monster Taming, a game that has been beloved by players for many years, into line with current trends while enhancing the overall experience. We focused on addressing the aspects that can be improved upon or not fully showcased in the previous iteration. We hope the name ‘MONGIL’ would bring even more joy to a wider
audience, the core developers from the previous game came together to embark on this new project.
What game elements and features were Netmarble keen on implementing in MONGIL: STAR DIVE when development started?
Kim: We focused on maintaining the action-oriented gameplay and easy accessibility that made the original Monster Taming so appealing. We also aimed to preserve and enhance the unique charm of the original characters, while evolving the story along the way. Throughout this process, we recognized the need to redefine certain elements to better capture the game’s fun factor.
By making the gameplay control more active to the player, we developed the combat system to be more engaging and immersive, while ensuring the game remains easy for anyone to enjoy. One of the most significant changes we made as a means to
inherit Monster Taming was in the monster taming system itself. We’ve created a separate system to tame the monsters, and there are individual contents to utilize this system. We hope that players, especially those who remember the previous work and its system, can experience a perfect blend of nostalgia and fresh, modern gameplay.
The story of MONGIL: STAR DIVE centers around Verna and Cloud, the protagonists of Monster Taming. Does the story take place after Monster Taming, or does it follow an entirely new direction?
Kim: The story of MONGIL: STAR DIVE will build upon the setting and key characters from the previous game, taking the story in new directions. MONGIL: STAR DIVE aims to strengthen the universe, story and character narratives – areas where the previous game had room for improvement – while aiming to create a deeper emotional connection with players. In addition, with the shift from the auto-battle system from Monster Taming to a manual play style, we focused on maintaining easier accessibility and faster gameplay to create the game’s unique combat and action. The main characters have been updated with a more modern, trendy flair, while still maintaining their core concepts, key traits, and backstories from the original work.
MONGIL: STAR DIVE features a three-character party system with battles that focuses on “simple action.” Can you share more details about the combat system’s core features?
Lee: Our primary focus is to create a simple yet fun, enjoyable experience where we centered on three key combat systems:
First is ‘Fun Tagging.’ Players can tag in and out between three characters in battles. We’ve kept the tag cooldown short to encourage frequent and dynamic tagging throughout combat.
Second is ‘Easy Evasion.’ This allows players to avoid damage while also resetting the tag
cooldown. It is a strategic advantage in both defense and offense. To make evasion easier and more intuitive, the game gives players clear hints on when to evade.
Third is the ‘Satisfying Burst Mode.’ Players can bind an enemy with the game’s mascot
‘Nyanners’ when certain conditions are met, and the enemy gets frozen in place for a moment. That’s when the Burst Mode activates – enabling players to attack at an incredibly fast pace, delivering powerful and satisfying hits while dealing massive damage.
We’ll continue refining and testing the combat system leading up to launch so that players will have an enjoyable experience.
In MONGIL: STAR DIVE, players can tame monsters and synthesize them to create “Monster -ring” equipment for the game’s characters. Along with Monster-rings, how can players make their characters stronger in MONGIL: STAR DIVE?
Lee: A key feature that sets MONGIL: STAR DIVE apart is the ‘Monster-ring.’ Monsters encountered in the field can be turned into Monster-ring with the help of Nyanners – they can equip the Monster-ring to characters. It’s like a taming system. However, players can do much more things with the Monster-ring other than simply collecting them. For example, players can synthesize Monster-rings to create new ones, and occasionally discover rare, powerful Monster-rings. These can be equipped to characters that provide various effects and aid them in combat.
In addition to Monster-ring, we’re also preparing a variety of content for players to grow and collect through gameplay and farming. While the details are still being refined, we’re planning to introduce equipment items as well as additional elements tied to the gameplay’s progressions. We’re excited for players to experience all the new features.
A demo of MONGIL: STAR DIVE was recently available at G-STAR 2024 in Busan, allowing players to try out the story mode. Will players around the world have an opportunity to test out MONGIL: STAR DIVE soon?
Lee: Following G-STAR 2024, we’re preparing to share more information and provide opportunities for global players to experience the game. Once we’re able to disclose more specific details, we’ll be sure to update you. We truly appreciate your continued interest and support.
Is there anything else you would like to share with RPG fans and newcomers that are unfamiliar with the Monster Taming universe?
Lee: We’re working hard to share more information about MONGIL: STAR DIVE with global users and planning to showcase the game in other events as well. We’ll be unveiling many exciting updates in the near future, so we hope you stay tuned!
Kim: We look forward to joining you all in ‘taming monsters’ in 2025, and we can’t wait to deliver an exciting, fun-filled gaming experience. Thanks very much.
Thank you so much for your time!
MONGIL: STAR DIVE is coming to consoles, mobile, and PC in 2025.
