Netmarble enjoyed a fair bit of success with last year’s release of 'Solo Leveling: ARISE'. Not content to rest on their laurels, they have been working hand-in-glove with the original animation production committee to push the IP even further. The latest fruit of this labour is a new title, first unveiled at G-Star 2025: 'Solo Leveling: Karma'.

We had the chance to dive into the details during a developer talk session on the G-Star show floor. On November 15, Netmarble Neo’s Executive Producer Kwon Do-hyung took the stage at the Netmarble booth to personally introduce the game.

Solo Leveling: Karma is a roguelite action RPG. The premise? After ending the Monarch War, Jinwoo Sung uses the 'Cup of Reincarnation' to turn back time, returning to the dimensional rift to fight the Monarchs for another 27 years. Producer Kwon noted, "We are fleshing out the story that takes place after ten years of fighting in the rift." The subtitle 'Karma' reflects both the roguelite loop and the act of rewinding time.

While it draws from the source material, the narrative is an original creation by Netmarble’s team. "Our story designers have a deep understanding of the source material," Kwon said. "Everything we create is discussed with the original author, so there is no need to worry about lore inconsistencies."

Combat revolves around building your character by mixing and matching weapons, shadows, and blessings. Five weapons were available at G-Star: daggers, greatswords, gauntlets, pistols, and bows, each with distinct playstyles. Kwon explained, "We have a variety of weapons, ranging from fast-paced options to heavy-hitters and ranged tools."

As a roguelite, you’ll be making choices on the fly. Kwon clarified, "There are standard and special attacks, and your skills evolve based on the buffs you pick during your run. A greatsword might be a heavy swinger, but with the right buff, you can trigger ranged shockwaves or increase your attack speed."

The team wants players to experiment with different weapons, so they are already hard at work on more. "We are preparing spears and warhammers," Kwon added. "The spear focuses on speed, while the warhammer is a bit slower but delivers that satisfying, meaty impact."

Then there are the Shadows and Blessings. "Since the story takes place in the latter half of the timeline, iconic shadows like Igris, Beru, and Bellion appear," said Kwon. "You can extract shadows from fallen monsters during your run to use them for aggro or direct support. Just like in the original, everything except demons or undead can be extracted."

Finally, the 'Blessing' system centers on an original character, the 'Messenger of Itarim'. "You pick one of three buffs during your run," Kwon explained. "You select these blessings stage-by-stage to grow stronger before facing the boss. Since there is no traditional elemental attribute system, you don't need to worry about counters when picking your blessings."

Solo Leveling: Karma is slated for release in the first half of next year. "We are doing our absolute best to deliver a fun experience," said Kwon. The talk show itself was a quirky affair; as the producer answered questions, he 'leveled up' and gained gear in real-time. By the end of the session, he reached level 100, fully kitted out in a hard hat, cape, and dual swords.