Vortex Gaming

Looking back at the early days of Korean game history, there was a constant stream of stellar titles. From works that were only famous by name to those that actually achieved commercial success, this wave that started in the early 90s gradually subsided as it entered the 'online era' in the early 2000s. One of the developers that made the biggest name for themselves during this twilight of Korean games was 'SonnoRi'. A name that anyone over their mid-30s would have heard at least once. And a name that modern gamers might tilt their heads at.

And the heyday of this 'SonnoRi' was truly immense. From the love-hate game 'Forgotten Saga', to 'Steel Empire', whose ads were visible whenever you opened a game magazine at the time, and the lineup of 'Arcturus' and 'White Day' that followed, it's impossible not to feel a sense of grandeur even when thinking about it now.

Among them, the work considered a masterpiece is their first title and the 1994 release, 'Astonishia Story'. And in 2025, this 'Astonishia Story' has been remade under the name 'Astonishia Story Refine'.

On May 24, 2025, on the third day of 'PlayX4' held at KINTEX in Ilsan, a presentation on 'Astonishia Story Refine' was held with the participation of Daewon Media, the overall production manager, developer Waycoder, and SonnoRi CEO Lee Won-sul, who participated in the original development. It was exactly one year after the initial public release last year.

The core of 'Astonishia Story Refine' can be explained by two words: 'maintain' and 'improve'. First, the core flow that is the center of Astonishia Story' is maintained as is, and the characters and worldview are also the same. The overall flow of the game is also the same. It follows the original flow of growing characters and exploring the world with various companions through various quests.

However, many parts have changed in detail. The world movement method has been changed from the 'overworld' format to an exploration-type world map like a dungeon, and a 'mercenary system' has been added, in which supporting characters appearing in the original can be recruited, grown, and then organized into a party. To put it simply, the number of playable characters has greatly increased.

In addition, a random event called 'Dimensional Rift' has been added, and unlike the original, which only had the main story, the narrative has been enriched through various quests. Unlike the previous game, where individual experience points were applied depending on the character who landed the final blow, experience distribution has been changed so that the party receives it equally, and general convenience functions such as eliminating meaningless grind sections (which was the main problem of the 2002 Astonishia Story R) have been improved in various aspects.

Among these, the biggest change is the change in the 'battle system'. The biggest part is that the 'class' of all characters has been established. Characters with somewhat ambiguous roles can now all play their roles, and you can form a party as you like according to class combinations, synergy, and compatibility.

In addition, each monster has a 'weakness', and the direction of attack (attacking from the side or from behind) also greatly changes the amount of damage, further strengthening the strategy. The variable added here is the change in the battle map. The existing Astonishia Story had very wide maps focused on obstacles, but the battle maps in this game have very diverse shapes, making you think about more efficient battles in each battle.

'Astonishia Story Refine' is scheduled to be released on Nintendo Switch and PC in December this year.

After the introduction of the game, a free Q&A session was held for gamers and media gathered at the site. Kim Hyung-gil, head of production at Daewon Media, Seo Ki-won, CEO of developer 'Waycoder', and Lee Won-sul, the original developer of SonnoRi, took the stage to answer questions.

Q. I would like to ask CEO Lee Won-sul first. I think you must have had a lot of concerns as it is a work that is being remade after a long time. Is there any baseline that you presented to the developer in the form of what you wanted them to keep?

Lee Won-sul, CEO:There was only one thing. Astonishia Story is such an old game that even gamers who played the game in the past don't remember it well. They remember the overall plot, 'an adventure to find a staff', but most of them don't even remember the name of the main character. Therefore, I didn't think that we had to follow something from the original unconditionally. I thought it would be okay to remake everything else to fit the current era as long as the core plot was maintained.

Q. Waycoder CEO Seo Ki-won said that he is the CEO of the development company and also a fan of the original. Were there any pressures or episodes you felt in the process of recreating the original?

Seo Ki-won, CEO:Astonishia Story was the first game I ever bought with my own money. As such, I had to think about it, and the first thing I had to do was to distinguish between what to keep and what to change.

The problem was that many of the younger developers had never heard of this game. I have my own nostalgia and memories, but it seems that it was difficult because there were few developers who shared this consensus. Some members even questioned the project itself.

However, their reactions also provided feedback. This work is not just a game to stimulate the nostalgia of gamers who enjoyed the original 30 years ago, but also a work created to appeal to new gamers, so their opinions also played an important role in creating the work.

Q. Waycoder has previously remade Hwanseugihojeon and Fortress. At this point, you can be considered an expert in remakes. Do you have any plans to work on other SonnoRi works, including 'Forgotten Saga'?

Kim Hyung-gil, Head of Department:I think I should answer this part. I can't say the title specifically yet, but there is already a title under development, and there is also a separate title that we are reviewing very positively. It's too early to say yet, and today's main character is Astonishia Story Refine, so I'll refrain from saying more, but I'll try to arrange a separate meeting as soon as possible.

Q. Since the original is such an old game, I thought it would be developed in a direction that strengthens the narrative of the main story. Unlike this, you created the volume by adding side content and quests. Is there a reason for this? Also, since there is a mercenary system, I think you will need end content to match it.

Seo Ki-won, CEO:While creating the work, we referred to both the original and the 2002 work 'Astonishia Story R'. Furthermore, a lot of feedback that spread online after the announcement last year also had a big impact on the development direction. The key was to change the dialogue lines and directing to add immersion without bending or distorting the main story.

For end content, we support 'new game plus', and in new game plus, you can use mercenaries you have trained in the previous game. You can find parts you missed in the previous game or pursue a different style of play.

Q. In the case of games with various characters and a limited number of party members, some of your favorite characters are inevitably neglected when considering the necessity. How was the character balancing done in this game?

Seo Ki-won, CEO:The establishment of classes was a change made in that regard. Since it is structured so that you can see synergy and compatibility effects according to the class, there are no characters that will be neglected if you match the class. The most difficult thing in this process was establishing the class of the main character, 'Lloyd'. I think I changed it about three times.

Q. This game is only released on PC and Nintendo Switch. Are you considering other platforms?

Kim Hyung-gil, Head of Department:It's not impossible, but for now, we plan to focus on the Switch. We thought that the Nintendo Switch is an easy platform for people of all ages to access.

Q. Are you considering separate DLC or expansion packs in the future?

Kim Hyung-gil, Head of Department:Not yet. We are focusing on expressing the original story and worldview, and creating new stories is not a high priority yet.

Q. You can't leave out the unique 'SonnoRi-style humor' when it comes to Astonishia Story. However, the sense of humor is quite different from 30 years ago. What were your concerns?

Lee Won-sul, CEO:I've played the current build all the way through, and the sense of humor is a bit disappointing. (laughs) I plan to suggest a little more of the true SonnoRi-style humor before the release.

Kim Hyung-gil, Head of Department:CEO Lee Won-sul really likes humor. I think you'll be able to see a little more of that in the release build.

Q. I once saw an interview with CEO Lee Won-sul a long time ago. The content was that "Only 1/10 of the content of Astonishia Story has been released, and 9 or more episodes can be released in the future." Do you still have any desire for a sequel?

Lee Won-sul, CEO:Many people don't know this, but the second episode did come out. The package console market wasn't good at the time, so the reality was that we didn't have the resources to make a sequel. However, if the results of this work are good, I think we can continue to develop the stories that follow. I hope everyone will help me so that I can bring it to an end before I die. (laughs)

Q. Longtime fan gamers can feel nostalgia and play the game, but new users may feel a bit unfamiliar. Can you explain how new gamers can enjoy this game?

Lee Won-sul, CEO:I'm not worried about old gamers. It'll be fun just to watch and see what's changed. What I want from new gamers is to 'read'.

When I first developed Astonishia Story, there were almost no Korean RPGs. I started making games because I wanted to see an RPG made in Korean, after playing games made in Japanese and English and guessing the story by looking at the pictures without knowing what they meant. Because of this, I remember putting a lot of effort into each line of dialogue at the time. If you play the game a little more leisurely and read the text, I think it will be more fun.

Q. Lastly, do you have anything you would like to say to the fans who are waiting for 'Astonishia Story Refine'?

Kim Hyung-gil, Head of Department:I will do my best to finish it well as much as you expect and release it without any problems this winter.

Lee Won-sul, CEO:I recently watched the drama 'You Have Been Tricked'. I really enjoyed looking at the humanism between families, not action or romance. I think that gamers who played the original 'Astonishia Story' probably have children of a similar age now. I hope that this game will be an opportunity to create the same memories and consensus.

Seo Ki-won, CEO:As a developer and a fan, I think this is the most nervous day. I think this exhibition is also an opportunity to receive valuable feedback, and I would like to ask you to leave a lot of impressions.

Webzine InvenReporter Jung Jae-hoon
2025-05-24