Nomadic Games and Rising Tide Publishing have announced that Burning Sword: Death Sun, a wuxia-inspired hack-and-slash action game developed in Bangkok, launches into Steam Early Access on November 17, 2026.
Early Access begins with five handcrafted stages, five main bosses, and two secret bosses. Players take control of Zhang Yixian, leader of the Crimson Dust Demon Sect, who returns from the brink of death seeking revenge against Gao Tianqi, master of the deadly Death Sun poison. Reaching his target means defeating the powerful martial arts masters standing in the way.
Combat combines swordplay, palm strikes, and Qi-based abilities. Players can charge the Burning Sword’s Power Gauge to Ignite their blade, use Quick Shot with three ammunition types, drain Qi from marked enemies, and equip three skills that can be switched mid-combo. Charms, unlockable upgrades, branching skill paths, and an unlockable Revive ability add further depth to combat.
Every stage is designed by hand, with no procedural layouts, and includes secrets and upgrades to discover. Early Access also features Arena Mode, an endless arcade-style challenge focused on combat and high scores.
The free demo, released September 30, remains available through the Early Access launch, giving players an opportunity to experience the game ahead of its debut.
Following launch, Nomadic Games plans to release new chapters every eight weeks, adding stages, bosses, story developments, skills, and Arena challenges. The full game is planned to feature five chapters across 12 handcrafted stages, nine named bosses, including Gao Tianqi, and two secret bosses. The development team also plans frequent gameplay refinements based on player feedback.
Burning Sword: Death Sun is built in Unreal Engine 5 and focuses on a revenge story set in a kingdom divided by rival martial arts sects, where powerful masters will kill anyone who stands in their way.