Ghost of Tsushima, Stardew Valley Collide in Lovely New RPG

A brand new RPG set in ancient China might be the next best thing to pop onto your Steam wishlist, and after seeing the trailer, we definitely want to see more.

The Bustling World by developer FireWo Games looks like it combines the life sim elements of Stardew Valley with the political and management aspects of games like Crusader Kings 3 and Sid Meier's Civilization. However, it’s on a much smaller scale here than compared to those games.

The ancient China depicted in this game is slightly different from the one in real history, as FireWo describes it as a “fictionalised” version of the period.

As the developer describes on the game’s official Steam page: “In this ancient world, limitless possibilities await. You can choose to lead a tranquil life—work, engage in trade, and build a family. Alternatively, satisfy your insatiable desires for wealth, status, and military might.

“Embark on daring journeys, exploring, adventuring, solving mysteries, combating bandits, and recruiting heroes. Or, aim for the peak of power through establishing influence, city planning, policy formulation, diplomatic endeavors, and Retake the territory.”

Check out the trailer below to see more of it for yourself.

As the title implies, the game includes a “dynamic world and characters” who have unique traits and daily activities. They go to work, build houses, run shops, and go about various daily errands all on a dynamic schedule.

It also includes agricultural and livestock farming, where you need to ensure your animals and plants are growing and healthy to allow you to turn a profit.

In addition to this, The Bustling World also features businesses you can manage, crime factions to become entangled with, and a homestead you can build from nothing. In a way, it seems to be the type of game you can play in a multitude of different ways.

Aside from that, there’s actually loads more to the game too, including diplomacy, political strategy, and various mini games for you to do. Altogether, it sounds rather ambitious for a game of this type, but if it can deliver on all of these promises, it should be a good one to keep your eye on.

The Bustling World doesn’t have a set release date yet, with FireWo Games saying that the launch is still “To Be Announced”. The last update is from April, where the developer posted that everything was “moving steadily forward, with art, programming, level design, and other teams all pushing forward together.”