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Loulan: The Cursed Sand Unearths an Ancient Love and a Warrior’s Curse on the Silk Road
ChillyRoom, the studio behind Soul Knight and Otherworld Legends, has unveiled its most ambitious project yet: Loulan: The Cursed Sand, a haunting action RPG inspired by the lost kingdom of Loulan and the myths that surrounded the ancient Silk Road.
Set in the Western Regions of ancient China, Loulan: The Cursed Sand tells a story steeped in tragedy, loyalty, and the burden of resurrection. Players assume the role of a skeletal warrior known only as The Cursed Sand, a former royal guard reborn from the desert to seek his lost princess amid the ruins of a fallen empire.
The game, directed by Hongwen Huai, is being developed under the China Hero Project initiative with support from Sony Interactive Entertainment, and is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC.
A Warrior of Two Forms
At the core of Loulan: The Cursed Sand is its dual-form combat system. Players can shift freely between Sand Form and Bone Form, each offering dramatically different playstyles and strategic depth.
In Sand Form, the warrior is wrapped in golden dust, balanced between offence and defence, wielding the fluid strength of sand as both weapon and shield. But when he releases that power and forges his sandblade into a massive weapon, he becomes the skeletal Bone Form, a devastating force built for sweeping through hordes of enemies in brutal melee combat.
Combat takes place from a dynamic top-down perspective, blending classic arcade energy with the precision and intensity of modern action games.
Ancient Deserts, Forgotten Kingdoms
The game’s world draws inspiration from the real archaeological discoveries of the Loulan Kingdom and the fabled “Xiaohe Princess” mummy unearthed from the Taklamakan Desert.
Through a blend of historical imagination and mythic fantasy, ChillyRoom’s art team reimagines the Silk Road as a world of radiant deserts, flowing rivers of sand, and frost-bitten ruins, where rival factions — from the Sun-blessed Loulan royal family to the icebound spider clans of the Western Regions — vie for control.
Each encounter and location is hand-crafted, balancing exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced combat to tell a story that’s as emotional as it is epic.
The Vision Behind the Sands
Speaking about the game’s vision, Huai shared how the team’s roots as lifelong fans of action games shaped Loulan: The Cursed Sand.
“Many of us grew up with the classics — the original God of War, FromSoftware’s early titles, PlatinumGames’ style of action,” he said. “We wanted to take that inspiration and channel it through something deeply personal — a Chinese mythos we’ve always been fascinated by.”
The development team, comprising 16 cross-regional members with experience at major studios such as Santa Monica Studio, FromSoftware, and PlatinumGames, is blending their technical expertise with a distinctly Chinese cultural lens.
“The beauty and mystery of Loulan have always captivated us,” Huai added. “Our goal is to resurrect that lost kingdom through a modern action RPG — one that feels ancient, emotional, and powerful.”
A Rising Star
As part of Sony’s China Hero Project, Loulan: The Cursed Sand joins a growing wave of Chinese indie titles breaking into global markets with bold storytelling and distinctive aesthetics.
No release window has been announced yet, but if early footage is any indication, Loulan: The Cursed Sand has what it takes to be one of the most visually and thematically striking action RPGs of 2026.
