Zong is a first-person VR novel that takes you on a journey through ancient Eastern history and culture.
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Release Date:
Jan 29, 2024

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Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Zong has been in development since December 2021, while our goal is to complete Zong's 100 levels by 2037, we know that it is almost impossible to push Zong toward the correct direction without the help and feedback from the growing game community on this long journey. With 2024's release under Early Access, we hope to get players' feedback and constructive advice on how to make proceeding levels great. We are looking forward to hearing great thoughts from the Steam community. With players' experiences and feedback involved, Zong will certainly be better.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We plan to complete the 1st Chapter of Zong by the end of 2025. There are 15 levels in total within the 1st Chapter-Zong's Initiation. We will need a few more years to complete the remaining 9 levels given the current state of the development team. We plan to leave Early Access when we are certain that the story sequence of the 1st Chapter is complete and all features/systems are running in the best state possible, but this plan may change.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“As a VR novel, Zong has 7 chapters with 100 levels in total. Each chapter contains 13-15 levels, with completely different gameplay and story sequences presented at each level. In this first release in 2024, we completed 6 levels in the 1st Chapter-Zong's Initiation. They are respectively The Centiwell, Cliffside Tiger, The Captives, Papaver Rhoeas, Jade Burial Suit, and Mount of Simian.

The first full version is planned to be the complete 1st Chapter of Zong. The full 1st Chapter contains 15 levels. They are respectively: LV1-The Centiwell, LV2-Cliffside Tiger, LV3-The Captives, LV4-Papaver Rhoeas, LV5-Jade Burail Suit, LV6-Mount of Simian, LV7-Cloud-Mounting Ladder, LV8-Hanging-Coffin Cliff, LV9-Golden Helmet Silver Armor, LV10-The Barrier of Furia, LV11-Moon in Sacrifice, LV12-The Been's Pool, LV13-Flooding Dispelling Ridge (Part 1), LV14-Flood Dispelling Ridge (Part 2), and LV15-Reward&Closure. Before the completion of the 1st Chapter, any new proceeding level update will be in Early Access.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Zong's 100 levels' script was completed back in 2020, and the Global Zong Team started to form back in October 2021 with around 20 teammates scattered across 11 countries all over the world. We started programming all events and features in December 2021. After a few years' development, the current Early Access version contains 6 levels. They are respectively The Centiwell, Cliffside Tiger, The Captives, Papaver Rhoeas, Jade Burial Suit, and Mount of Simian.

The sequence of events has been fully completed in the six levels. Players are able to proceed from the Centiwell to the Mount of Simian, fight against the Osteospectral Tiger using the Fiery Whip summoned by Sol, knock down The Captives standing on the Bridge of Atomos, get to know the Custodian of Papaver Rhoeas, pierce the Papaver Rhoeas using the WellSpring Needles granted by Ves, shoot Zong's canaries using the Dionysian Slingshot, push bellows to produce the Jade Burial Suit, put Jade Burial Suit on Simian, and collect Discernment Eye, Umbrella Pugna, White Soil, and Seven Water Droplet representing the 7 dimensions of Zong.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to gradually raise the price as we ship new levels and features, but we are not certain.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We are planning to use Discord server as the primary way to talk to players. We will establish a chat channel to receive feedback from the community and establish another test group to try our latest builds. This test group will be communicating closely with the production team. We will continue to produce Zong based on the need and feedback of the community while completing the world building for Zong.”
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About This Game

Overview


Zong is a first-person VR novel that takes you on a journey through ancient Eastern history and culture. As an interstellar traveler, you find yourself in the world of Zong, which is currently in a dire situation under the grips of the Five Clans of Corruption. You will be completing missions to save ancient civilization from the corruptive forces and transmit important learnings to earth, while being guided by Zong's spiritual leaders, the four Supreme Commanders. As you progress through the game, you will encounter various challenges that require strategy, skill, and wit. Get ready to cast spells, summon magical creatures, solve puzzles, collect rare items, and more!

Synopsis


LV1 - The Centiwell
  • As the player, you will enter Zong as your true self on human earth, and meet one of the four Supreme Commanders in the Cave of Centiwell. Sol sees your appearance and senses the human aura from you, he then quickly stamps Zong's Imprint on your finger. Zong's Imprint connects humans and Zong for information exchange. Only with Zong's Imprint can Zong's beings hear the voices of humans, and only with the Imprint can humans move freely in the world of Zong. Sol tells you that the current time and space is Era of Anima Gravis...
LV2 - Cliffside Tiger
  • When Sol and you walk out of the secret passageway of Centiwell, a dangerous cliff appears in front of you. Sol tells you that this place is called "Boreas Gorge". Standing on the edge of the cliff, Sol notices that there is an Osteospectral Tiger nearby. He tells you to pay attention to your own safety, because the Osteospectral Tiger would attack humans from the earth...
LV3 - The Captives
  • Sol snaps his fingers and recites the Mantra Karida, an old wooden bridge connecting the cliffs on both sides appearing in front of you. Sol tells you that this bridge is called "Bridge of Atomos". Those who have committed wrongs in the dimension of Zong—commonly referred to as the Captives of Zong—are hung by their ankles underneath the bridge, facing into the abyss below, as a stern reprimand of their egregious offenses. Even though living beings native to Zong can traverse the bridge with ease, a foreign being such as yourself will weigh it down significantly, alerting the Captives of Zong of your presence. They will flock to attack you once they become aware of you...
LV4 - Papaver Rhoeas
  • After defeating Captives under the bridge, you arrive at the Dent Area. Surprisingly, thousands of flowers fall from the sky in an instant. The information shows that the flower in the sky is called Papaver Rhoeas. Soon, Ves appears in the glowing light of Papver Rhoeas. Ves is one of the four Supreme Commanders in Zong during the arcane era of Anima Gravis, who is in a Spiritual Conjunction with Sol. Ves is often lachrymose and frequently recounts tales of past sufferings, bygone longings, and ancestral accomplishments. Her wistful tales are memorialized in melodies abundant with emotions and commendable virtues. She has lost her memory and the ability to memorize in the Era of Anima Gravis. As she senses your human identity, she decides to pave a flower ledge for you...
LV5 - Jade Burial Suit
  • After you break the Flower Ledge, you start taking a flower raft with Ves and Sol to traverse in the river. Suddenly, a huge crucible slowly appears in the center of Boreas Gorge. Sol looks a little surprised. He tells you that this crucible was used to make Jade Burial Suits. A Jade Burial Suit is created by stringing precious jade stones from Lake Li’er with the Golden Strings from Zong's Canaries, which are then fused together with the flames of burning Papaver Rhoeas. Creating and offering Jade Suits in sacrifices is one of the highest forms of memorial ceremonies in Zong. Jade Suits can be used to honor Commanders who have perished. Depending on the circumstances of a Commander’s passing, such as location or cause of death, a Jade Suit can be burned, worn, submerged, or catapulted during their memorial ceremony...
LV6 - Mount of Simian
  • After you collect Jade Burial Suit in LV5, you approach ahead with Sol and Ves together on the flower raft. The gloomy wind in Boreas Gorge is fierce, and an ape statue appears in front of you. Simian was a Zong Commander whose true form was an ape. Known for his exceptional valor and benevolence, Simian would come to any living being or Commander’s rescue if they’re at risk of being harmed by vicious forces. Simian’s offsprings have formed a close bond with each other; they live in harmony and leave their mortal coil in pairs. After Simian passed away, each of his offsprings retrieved a mouthful of white soil at the peak of Mount Almitas. They sculpted the soil after Simian’s image on top of the mountain where Simian last appeared. The mountain was therefore named Mount Simian...

Key Features (Unique to that level)


LV1 - The Centiwell
  • Take the Imprint from Sol and start to have inquiry access to communicate with Zong's commanders/NPCs.
  • Pick up dead wood branch to write your name on the stone wall.
  • Take the Spiritual Eye from Sol that was given by the descendents of Retinentia.
  • Take the rock and scrape it against the stone wall to generate a fireball.
  • Tap the fireball to get teleported out of the secret passageway of Centiwell.
LV2 - Cliffside Tiger
  • Optional choice to interact with commander/NPC - high five and communicate with Sol.
  • Take the Friery Whip from Sol after Sol summoning the Mantra Kardia.
  • Use the Friery Whip to combat against the Osteospectral Tiger.
  • Take the syringe to draw Osteospectral Tiger's Bone Marrow and save it to Imprint for future use.
  • Gain the Mantra Kardia to summon Osteospectral Tiger for one chance for future use.
  • Learn to use Pitasarah Tree and Imprint System to look up more information that is unique to the world building of Zong.
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Fiery Whip
LV3 - The Captives
  • Take the Hammers of Zither from Sol.
  • Practice freely and get familiar with how to use Hammers of Zither.
  • Get teleported onto the Bridge of Atomos and the Dent Area through catching the Weave Bamboo delivered by Sol.
  • Knock down the attacking Captives swinging upwards from under the bridge using the Hammers of Zither.
  • Prepare for three different attacking frequencies from the Captives at each segmented spot on the bridge
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Bridge of Atomos
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Hammers of Zither
LV4 - Papaver Rhoeas
  • Take WellSpring Needles from the Custodian of Papaver Rhoeas.
  • Use WellSpring Needles to pierce Papaver Rhoeas falling from the sky level, both the silver ones and the golden ones.
  • Take the Espousal Staff from Sol and break the flower ledge using the Espousal Staff.
  • More access to inquiries and communicate with the Commander regarding unlocked questions.
  • Magic Appearance of Flower Ledge.
  • Immersive falling from Dent Area to the river across Boreas Gorge.
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Papaver Rhoeas
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Espousal Staff
  • Mantra Kardia to break off the Flower Ledge
LV5 - Jade Burial Suit
  • Drop flowerball to light up the crucible.
  • Take the Dionysian Slingshot from Sol.
  • Use the Dionysian Slingshot to shoot Zong's canaries.
  • Distance grab Golden Strings from Zong's canaries.
  • Give Golden Strings to Sol and prepare for producing Jade Burial Suit.
  • Pick up Li'er Jade Stone from Sol and place it on the raft.
  • Push and pull bellows to produce constant fires to produce Jade Burial Suit.
  • Take Shield of Frost from Sol.
  • Use Shield of Frost to pick up Jade Burial Suit from the crucible.
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Zong's canaries
  • Mantra Kardia to cut off Li'er Jade Stone
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Jade Burial Suit
LV6 - Mount of Simian
  • Grab the spawned Jade Burial Suit by clicking into the Imprint System.
  • Distance grab Simian statue while holding Jade Burial Suit and put the suit on Simian's body.
  • Summon Simian's heavenly spirit and being pushed away by its wakeup power.
  • Distance grab seven water droplets representing seven sub-dimensions of Zong and save them to Imprint System for future use.
  • Distance grab Discernment Eye and save it to Imprint System.
  • Distance grab White Soil and save it to Imprint System.
  • Distance grab Umbrella Pugna and save it to Imprint System.
  • Practice using Umbrella Pugna and learn to shoot piperis.
  • Interact with Simian's tail and immerse in glorious lights.
  • Mantra Kardia to summon Simian's heavenly spirit.

Common Features(Across levels)


Pitasarah System
  • Accumulative scores calculation using the Pitasarah Fragment, Pitasarah Segment, Pitasarah Fruit, and the Pitasarah Tree.
Arcane Rank
  • All living beings in Zong have an Arcane Rank. From low to high, they are: Grana - Cyma - Virga - Thalla - Virgulta - Catoma - Palma - Amicula - Umbra - Silva - Auxiliary Commander - Ancillary Commander - Primary Commander - Supreme Commander.
  • Player's Arcane Rank will be shown based on the growth of Pitasarah System.
Level Selection
  • Levels need to be started from The Centiwell. Once six levels are complete, free selection is available on the Main Menu to enter into one certain level.
UI System
  • UI system is presented through the usage of the Imprint granted by Sol in the Centiwell.
  • All information saved can be found through searching tabs in Imprint.
  • UI canvas can be dragged in VR to your best sight.
Mantra Kardia
  • Mantra Kardia is the source power to summon creatures and weapons in the world of Zong. Currently, Mantra Kardias are summoned by commanders/NPCs only.
Immersive Effects
  • Immerse in the striking beauty of Papaver Rhoeas and the Mount of Simian.
Game Items
  • Interact with game items in general

Note


To keep the proceeding storylines confidential, key features and common features will be updated as we update to a new level.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10.
    • Processor: Intel Core i5-4590/AMD FX 8350
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, AMD Radeon R9 290
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • VR Support: oculus quest 2
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10, Windows 11.
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • DirectX: Version 12
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • VR Support: oculus quest 2

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