GuJian Hands-On Preview: UE5 Action RPG Shines with Native DLSS 4.5
Nearly eight years have passed since GuJianQiTan 3 launched, and the domestic premium single-player game market has changed dramatically. What was once considered a niche segment has matured into one capable of delivering productions that rival international AAA releases in visual fidelity, technical sophistication, and artistic direction.
My first hands-on session with GuJian reflected exactly that transformation.
Rather than positioning itself as GuJianQiTan 4, the new title drops the numbering altogether, making the franchise more approachable for newcomers while remaining firmly rooted in the established universe. Developed with Unreal Engine 5, the game is a linear action-adventure RPG scheduled for both PC and consoles. It deliberately avoids the trends dominating today’s market—it is not a Soulslike, not an open-world sandbox, and not built around intentionally cryptic storytelling. Instead, it focuses on cinematic narrative delivery, handcrafted environments, and satisfying action combat.
🎮 First Hands-On Experience #
The preview event took place near the China Art Museum in Shanghai, coinciding with WAIC 2026. While one venue showcased the latest AI innovations, another quietly presented one of China’s most ambitious upcoming single-player RPGs—a fitting reflection of how technology and entertainment continue to evolve side by side.
Exploring the Underworld #
For the first time in the franchise, the story shifts its primary setting to the Underworld, blending elements from Chinese mythology, Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing), and traditional supernatural folklore.
Players assume the role of an Underworld Arbiter, responsible for traversing the worlds of the living and the dead, guiding wandering souls, resolving lingering regrets, and maintaining the balance between realms.
Rather than relying on grand, world-ending conflicts, the narrative appears to emphasize smaller, emotionally driven stories involving memorable characters encountered throughout the journey.
Among the early cast revealed during the preview are:
- Wuyang (“Brother Pot”), a mysterious teahouse attendant
- Ox-Head and Horse-Face, iconic guardians of the Underworld
- Kongkongzi, the Robe Marquis
- The Headless Swordsman
- Sanming
Although the playable demo intentionally avoided revealing major story developments, these characters already demonstrated strong personalities and hinted at meaningful roles later in the campaign.
High-End Demo Hardware #
The demo was available on both PlayStation 5 Pro and PC.
The PC configuration featured:
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- ASUS ROG peripherals
- Keyboard/mouse and controller support
This represents an enthusiast-class gaming system designed to showcase the title without obvious hardware limitations.
⚔️ Combat Balances Accessibility and Challenge #
The preview focused primarily on gameplay rather than narrative.
Players explored a semi-open hub area before challenging three major boss encounters. Skilled participants could even unlock additional hidden content during the allotted play session.
Although GuJian is clearly inspired by modern action RPG design, it intentionally distances itself from the rigid conventions of Soulslike games.
Progression Matters #
Rather than demanding perfect execution from the outset, the game encourages exploration and preparation.
Players can:
- Discover stronger equipment
- Gather elemental weapons
- Improve character builds
- Utilize companion support
- Exploit enemy weaknesses
During my playthrough, Kongkongzi became a surprisingly manageable encounter after I thoroughly explored the hub area and obtained fire-element equipment beforehand. Combined with Ox-Head’s ability to absorb enemy pressure, the fight shifted dramatically in the player’s favor.
Conversely, experienced action players can ignore much of this preparation and instead rely on:
- Perfect dodges
- Parries
- Positioning
- Timing
- Pattern recognition
This dual approach gives players meaningful freedom in how they overcome challenges.
Improved Combat Feel #
Historically, action gameplay was never the strongest aspect of the GuJianQiTan franchise.
After several years of refinement, however, combat now feels considerably more polished.
Highlights include:
- Readable boss attack animations
- Responsive controls
- Satisfying hit feedback
- Clear combat pacing
- Strong visual effects without excessive clutter
Even in its unfinished state, combat already feels significantly more refined than previous entries.
🚀 Native DLSS 4.5 Delivers Excellent Performance #
Perhaps the most technically impressive aspect of the preview is that GuJian already ships with native NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 integration during development.
This immediately distinguishes it from many recent AAA releases that add advanced upscaling technologies only after launch.
Native support includes:
- DLSS Super Resolution (Transformer model)
- Multi Frame Generation
- Dynamic Multi Frame Generation
- Ray Reconstruction
- NVIDIA Reflex
The inclusion of Reflex also explains why every demo station utilized RTX 5080 GPUs.
🎨 Visual Fidelity Benefits from Modern Rendering Technologies #
Although the game’s setting revolves around supernatural folklore and the Underworld, its artistic direction avoids excessive horror.
Instead, environments emphasize atmosphere, history, and mythology.
Examples include:
- Highly detailed vegetation
- Rich environmental textures
- Monumental architectural designs
- Carefully crafted costumes
- Cinematic lighting
One particularly memorable area surrounding Kongkongzi features lush natural scenery before transitioning into an imposing arena dominated by an enormous ceremonial umbrella, creating an immediate sense of scale and tension.
Character customization is equally impressive.
During only thirty minutes of gameplay, the protagonist changed outfits twice, with every costume displaying intricate materials, embroidery, and layered design work.
During post-preview interviews, project director Xue Ling openly acknowledged the enormous production effort required to achieve this level of detail, noting that there were no shortcuts—only substantial investments in development time and artistic craftsmanship.
📈 DLSS 4.5 Keeps UE5 Running Smoothly at 4K #
Naturally, rendering this level of detail places tremendous demands on modern hardware.
The preview therefore relied heavily on DLSS 4.5.
The demo configuration enabled:
- 4K resolution
- Maximum visual settings
- 3× Multi Frame Generation
Performance remained consistently impressive:
| Metric | Observed Performance |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 3840×2160 |
| Graphics Preset | Maximum |
| Frame Generation | 3× |
| Average FPS | ~145 FPS |
| 1% Low FPS | ~120 FPS |
Interestingly, no graphics options were exposed to players during the demo.
This suggests the development team wanted every participant to experience the title under a carefully tuned configuration.
Based on observed frame rates, the estimated native rendering performance appears to hover around 60 FPS before frame generation.
Future builds could potentially leverage:
- 4× Frame Generation
- 6× Frame Generation
- Additional ray tracing effects
- Expanded Ray Reconstruction usage
- Dynamic Frame Generation
Such improvements could allow future versions to approach or even exceed 200–300 FPS on flagship hardware while simultaneously improving visual quality.
🏮 Strong Narrative Identity Remains the Franchise’s Foundation #
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the preview is what wasn’t shown.
Story content remained intentionally limited, yet the game’s world-building, environmental storytelling, and character interactions already convey the series’ traditional strengths.
Unlike many contemporary action RPGs that rely heavily on fragmented storytelling and environmental clues, GuJian continues to embrace a structured narrative with clearly developed characters and emotional arcs.
That approach remains one of the franchise’s defining characteristics.
🎯 Final Thoughts #
From both artistic and technical perspectives, GuJian appears to represent another significant milestone for China’s premium single-player game industry.
Its strengths include:
- Beautiful Unreal Engine 5 visuals
- Refined action combat
- Strong narrative foundations
- Rich Chinese mythology
- Native NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 integration
- Excellent 4K performance during early development
Just as importantly, the game demonstrates how modern rendering technologies such as DLSS 4.5 can enable developers to pursue far more ambitious visual targets without sacrificing smooth gameplay.
While much work undoubtedly remains before release, the preview already leaves a remarkably positive impression. Between its polished combat, striking art direction, and commitment to narrative-driven design, GuJian feels less like a continuation of an existing franchise and more like the beginning of a new era for Chinese AAA action RPGs.
After waiting nearly eight years since the previous mainline installment, the anticipation now feels thoroughly justified.