Loulan: The Cursed Sand is an action RPG set along the ancient Silk Road in the Western Regions of China. You play as the Cursed Sand, a skeletal warrior wielding the power of sand and sets out to explore the lost kingdom of Loulan, battle mighty foes, and search for his beloved princess.
Inspired by the archaeological discovery of the “Xiaohe Princess,” the story follows the Cursed Sand, a royal guard resurrected after death, as he embarks on a tragic journey to find the lost Princess of Loulan.
For the protagonist, we drew inspiration from the Loulan mummies and the iconic desert sand of the Western Regions, creating a dual-form warrior:
In Sand Form, golden sand wraps his body — a balanced fighter who wields the power of sand.
When he unleashes the sand and forges a massive sand blade, he shifts into Bone Form — a powerful stance built for one-versus-many combat.
On his journey, he will face powerful factions ranging from the Loulan royal family, who embody the power of the sun, to the frost-bound spiders of the Western Regions.
We’ve reimagined iconic landscapes of the western region through a fantastical lens, from vast deserts to flowing rivers of sand.
Loulan is supported by SIE as part of the China Hero Project. We are a 16-member cross-regional team, aiming to deliver a rich, ancient Loulan world and a unique, immersive gameplay experience.
Our core team is made up of veteran gamers born in the ’80s and ’90s. We grew up playing action games and were deeply inspired by classics like the original God of War and arcade action games. Many of us have worked on action titles at studios in the U.S. and Japan, including Santa Monica Studio, FromSoftware, and PlatinumGames. We’re truly passionate about this genre and dedicated to pushing its boundaries.
At the same time, we’ve always been fascinated by fantasy worlds inspired by the ancient Silk Road — especially the mysterious and radiant kingdom of Loulan, once a shining jewel along that route. With this project, we aim to bring the beauty and enigma of ancient Loulan to life through a retro top-down camera perspective. Our goal is to blend classic arcade-style combat with modern gameplay innovations — such as the unique interaction between the protagonist and his sandblade. We truly hope players will enjoy the experience.