For some inexplicably good reason, Hoyoverse’s next game, Varsapura, is a psychological horror/thriller set in an expansive open world with bits and pieces from titles like Control, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and L.A. Noire.
It’s a shocking yet exciting trajectory for a Hoyoverse game, which is being built from the ground up on Unreal Engine 5 and will launch only on console and PC. Varsapura is a stark departure from Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail in every sense, and here are nine things we learned from its recent demo reveal.
Varsapura’s next reveal/beta may take place on April 1, 2026
If you look closely at the SEAL application form in the gameplay reveal demo, you can notice the application number in the top right corner. It seems to be teasing a date, potentially for the game’s next reveal or perhaps a closed beta test? It could be nothing, but it’s something to speculate about until we hear from Hoyoverse.
Varsapura could be set in modern-day Singapore
Varsapura’s open world is a sprawling city full of dauntingly tall buildings and broad highways surrounded by an abundance of palm trees. It’s easy to mistake it for a random metropolis island, but it seems like it’s based on modern-day Singapore.
Some Redditors believe that the driving section of Varsapura’s open world takes place in Singapore’s downtown area. Interestingly, Hoyoverse’s main headquarters is in Singapore, so this setting seems plausible.
That said, it might not be an accurate depiction of the city, as Reddit user Zz7722 points out that areas are mixed up and some of the roads in the game don’t lead to the same areas as they do in the real city.
You play as a Hollowone in Varsapura
The MC is searching for their own killer in Varsapura. Screenshot by Dot Esports
The MC in Varsapura is a Hollowone, who, as the enigmatic Mr. Shadow points out, is someone who doesn’t know who they are. Later, in the demo, the MC reveals that they are looking for their own killer, who’s supposedly a SEAL officer who carries a snake-scale umbrella.
A ghost (Hollowone) looking for its own killer isn’t the most original crime-thriller story arc, but it’s an intriguing one that could explore themes such as resurrection and existentialism. Hoyoverse games are known to be philosophical with incredibly fleshed-out lore, so there’s much potential here.
Dialogue skill checks add player agency; first for a Hoyoverse title
There’s a section in the demo where the MC is talking to Mr. Shadow and is bombarded with several dialogue options. What stands out are the labels preceding these options. These are Persuasion, Deception, and Empathy–standard speech classifications seen in most RPGs, but rare for a Hoyoverse title.
It seems all the dialogue options are available from the get-go, but you’ll have to pass a skill check to convince the other party. Does this mean the MC would have an elaborate skill tree dedicated solely to speech? Very likely. This should give you some agency in how you navigate Varsapura’s story, a first for a Hoyoverse game.
Varsapura features multiple playable characters, but the gacha aspect is unclear
Combat is the only section of the game where Varsapura feels like a Hoyoverse title. You can spot the infamous stamina meter rocking up and down on the right, as the main character uses their melee weapon to deliver swift and impactful blows on shadowy monsters who seem straight out of Ghostwire: Tokyo.
The MC uses an umbrella to glide around and deal damage to enemies, while Sayuki (the guiding officer) swings gigantic folders at them as pages fall out on impact. The third and final character is a Harley Quinn-look-alike, Dokki, who uses a wrecking ball-like object to deal slow, but heavy attacks on enemies.
The way you can swap characters (more on this below), even during key story beats, is very similar to how it is in traditional gacha games. If not for this, it would have been easy to mistake Varsapura for a premium open world game, though I’m not implying it’s not.
That said, it’s more likely to be a free-to-play gacha game similar to Ananta, in which you can unlock characters via progression, and monetization is limited to cosmetics, vehicles, and house customizations. If not, Hoyo will invite a ton of negative criticism towards Varsapura.
Combat is more seamless than Zenless Zone Zero and Wuthering Waves
Varsapura’s fast-paced action combat has more in common with Zenless Zone Zero and Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves, though with a few exceptions. For instance, the characters swap in and out in a similar fashion, though in a more seamless manner. Every character has an intro and an outro attack as well. For instance, Dokki lunges straight onto an enemy and throws them off their feet.
Each character has their own ultimate ability as well, and we get a decent look at what they do for all three units. The MC unleashes an AOE stun attack that lets you assassinate nearby enemies. Sayuri lets out a whirlwind of books that affects all enemies in the vicinity. Meanwhile, Dokki leaps into the air and back to unleash a devastating ground attack that damages and throws enemies.
MC can change outfits
Hoyoverse loves its trenchcoat-donning protagonists, and Varsapura’s Hollowone is no different. However, unlike Star Rail’s Trailblazer, they can change into different outfits, at least they do at the tail end of the demo after joining SEAL. This ties back to what I said earlier about Varsapura having gacha for cosmetics, though again, this is just a speculation.
SEAL is a shape-shifting building like Control’s Oldest House
The Oldest House’s Brutalist interiors were intimidating, almost suffocating to navigate, but the sheer uniqueness of the place was also its biggest draw. Varsapura’s Shadow Entity Analysis and Limitation (SEAL) is a similarly looking shape-shifting building, minus the pyramids. It consists of grey, concrete walls, paranormal telephones, vintage camcorders, and a gateway to another dimension. Objects in the environments are also destructible, though you can’t throw them at enemies.
The only major difference here is that SEAL isn’t the only explorable space in Varsapura. As such, I don’t expect this to be as labyrinthine a space as the Oldest House, but I hope there will be other claustrophobic and feverish locations to explore tucked underneath its vibrant, rain-soaked exteriors.
Cherami Leigh could be the voice of the female protagonist
Cherami Leigh is one of the most popular voice actors in the industry, with a strikingly recognizable accent and voice. While Hoyoverse hasn’t confirmed the cast, the female MC sounds convincingly like her. That said, I do recommend taking this info with a grain of salt until it’s officially confirmed.
In case you don’t recall who Leigh is, she voiced female V in Cyberpunk 2077, Makoto Nijima in Persona 5, and what could be one of her most iconic roles – Lucy Heartfilia in the Fairy Tail anime.
It’s not often you get a full 30-minute gameplay demo during a reveal, but HoYoverse has given us a genuine taste of what’s coming.
If this first look is any indication, Varsapura is shaping up to be the studio’s boldest project yet. A stylish fusion of psychological thriller elements and slick, fast-paced combat. Plus, the umbrella combat style is definitely giving off Kingsman vibes.
HoYoverse is clearly stepping outside its comfort zone, and from what we’ve seen so far, we’re more than ready for the ride.
