At the Xbox Partner Review event on November 21, game development studio TiGames unveiled the first trailer for Zoopunk. Within three days, the video drew millions of views, signaling a strong debut for the new Chinese game title.
For fans of Chinese indie games, the rabbit in the trailer was instantly recognizable. Bearing the hardened look of FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch’s protagonist Rayton, the bunny rides a motorcycle, cracks twin whips, and launches into a high-speed chase for an enemy carrying a mysterious “spark.”
Four years after the release of FIST, TiGames has returned with its sequel, Zoopunk. The connection between the two is unmistakable: a dieselpunk aesthetic, an anthropomorphic animal hero, and a shared universe that feels both gritty and alive.
This time, the visuals have evolved. The world is fully 3D. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Torch City now brims with detail. From the texture of fur to the glint in characters’ eyes and the tactile presence of machinery, every element is rendered with striking clarity.
In 2021, TiGames released FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch, a 2D Metroidvania-style action game about a rabbit soldier who becomes a battle-worn veteran wielding a giant mechanical fist in a dieselpunk city inspired by old Shanghai.
With tight gameplay, intricate level design, and a distinctive aesthetic blending anthropomorphism and dieselpunk influences, FIST scored above 80 on both OpenCritic and Metacritic, placing it alongside titles such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Assassin’s Creed Origins. Its Steam rating remains around 90% positive. Even Feng Ji, deep into developing Black Myth: Wukong at the time, praised FIST on Weibo after playing it.
Since launch, FIST has reached more than ten million players through multiple channels including direct sales, free distribution via Epic Games, and inclusion in Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Network libraries. It was also the first Chinese-developed buy-to-play title for the PlayStation 5, ultimately selling more than 300,000 copies.
Despite criticism over repetitive bosses and map design, the game’s polish and art direction cemented its place as a milestone for China’s indie scene.
The success of FIST gave TiGames the resources to push its creative limits. The studio expanded from 20 to about 50 members, even converting its lounge area into workstations. It also carried forward experience from FIST: mastery of Unreal Engine and refined action mechanics that laid the groundwork for Zoopunk.
That foundation traces back to 2016, when Zhang Tao left Tencent’s Applied Research Center to start his own studio. A former Epic Games developer, Zhang called up trusted colleagues to join him in forming TiGames. Among them were lead designer Song Xuedong and lead programmer Yuan Shuangji, his teammates from Mars VR, a shooter title he previously led.
A year later, the team released Ancient Amuletor VR. Although the game was well received, sales were poor. The setback forced TiGames to rethink its direction. With limited funding and a small team, it shifted focus to a more traditional title. That project became FIST, which defined the studio’s aesthetic.
TiGames built a world populated entirely by animals, though not the cute or cartoonish kind. Its creatures are rugged and realistic. Under the dieselpunk influence, industrial cityscapes resemble living beasts of metal and smoke. The fur of the animal inhabitants contrasts with the cold gleam of machinery, producing a visual tension unique to TiGames.
Players noticed familiar details in these imagined worlds. Like Grand Theft Auto V’s depiction of Los Angeles, Torch City evokes early 20th-century Shanghai through dense alleys and neon-lit streets. In Zoopunk, Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower even appears in the skyline.
The fusion of dieselpunk, anthropomorphism, and distinctly Chinese elements has become TiGames’s signature. The name “Zoopunk” refers both to the game and the aesthetic philosophy it embodies.
Thanks to its long history with Unreal Engine, dating back to the team’s time at Epic Games, TiGames has more than a decade of technical experience. Although Ancient Amuletor VR and FIST differ in genre, both emphasize precision in action mechanics. In FIST, the combat system was unusually sophisticated for a Metroidvania, with some players saying it felt too action-driven for the genre. Over years of iteration, TiGames’s technical and artistic identity has matured, culminating in Zoopunk.
What Zoopunk’s trailer revealed
The four-minute gameplay trailer showcases a mission in which the protagonist and his allies battle to seize the “spark.”
The first thing that stands out is the visual fidelity. Unreal Engine 5 enables richly detailed fur and lighting, making the animal characters more lifelike than ever. The world feels larger, spanning swamps, snow-capped mountains, and enemy bases—far beyond FIST’s single-city setting.
The trailer also highlights the diverse combat styles of its animal characters. The rabbit wields dual whips for fast, close-range attacks with intricate combo chains. A rhino with a mechanical heart swings a massive transformable sword—something between Bloodborne’s saw cleaver and Monster Hunter’s switch axe—dealing heavy, deliberate strikes. A chipmunk armed with pistols relies on agility and ranged attacks, curling into a ball to roll across the battlefield at high speed.
These differences make each fighting style feel natural. Faster characters resemble traditional action heroes, while heavier ones evoke the rhythm of Soulslike combat. The result is a diverse system that invites experimentation.
At a tech demo earlier this year, TiGames and Nvidia showcased Zoopunk’s use of generative artificial intelligence through Nvidia ACE. While the technology supports AI-controlled teammates in titles like Naraka: Bladepoint and PUBG: Battlegrounds, here it enables players to talk to NPCs (non-playable characters) via voice input and design custom spaceship paint jobs with AI assistance.
Storywise, Zoopunk appears to tell a tale of animal heroes uniting against a common foe. When conceptualizing the story, Zhang drew inspiration from “Water Margin,” a Chinese classic about 108 outlaws banding together. Like those characters, Zoopunk’s heroes may begin in conflict but eventually find solidarity, each with a moment to shine.
Notably, concept artist Su Jian, who recently joined the team, previously created an artbook series reimagining Water Margin’s 108 heroes as animal warriors in a post-apocalyptic world, a vision that seemingly aligns with Zoopunk’s universe.
In a way, TiGames’s own story mirrors this brotherhood. A decade ago, Zhang’s phone calls gathered a small group of trusted colleagues who remain together today.
The strong reception to Zoopunk’s trailer reflects more than just hype, continuing a trend of Chinese single-player games gaining global attention. Titles like Loulan: The Cursed Sand, Phantom Blade Zero, and Black Myth: Wukong have already sparked international conversations, showing that audiences worldwide are taking notice of what Chinese studios can create.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Beiguo Shu (alias) for 36Kr.