Chinese Cthulhu folk-horror RPG The Unleaving is coming to PC via Steam
Chinese indie studio Largeland is preparing to release The Unleaving for PC via Steam. This game is being described as a Chinese folk-horror Cthulhu RPG, and the studio also cited Disco Elysium as an inspiration in making the game.
This game notably has two modes available: Story Mode and Free Mode. The former will have you select from a specific list of available choices that will lead to a specific ending branch. Meanwhile, Free Mode will let you freely type with AI-powered interactions. This is also what is mentioned in the AI disclosure segment written in Simplified Chinese, and the Steam page also indicates a connection to the deepseek AI service.
You can find the official screenshots and descriptions for The Unleaving right below. The game will be available in not only Chinese (Simplified & Traditional) but also English, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean.
> Some answers lie beyond comprehension.
> They never left.
The Unleaving is a Chinese folk-horror Cthulhu RPG born from tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs). As a member of a paranormal investigation group, you will travel deep into the countryside to investigate one uncanny incident after another.
Multiple stories, multiple occupations, multiple endings—every choice you make and every die you roll decides where the story goes.
Build your character and step into the strange, wondrous world of Chinese folk Cthulhu!
Story
■ The First Story: The Revelation of Xie Niangniang
On the eve of the Ghost Festival, the children of Wild Lotus Pond village begin falling ill, one after another, with a sickness no one can name. The health clinic finds nothing—but the old folks say it's "soul-loss."
You are sent to investigate, only to be caught in a bizarre car crash on the drive in...
Water lanterns drifting on the lotus pond, rites at the Temple of Guan Yu, footsteps in the inn corridor in the dead of night—the clues lie scattered across every corner of the village. And the truth, perhaps, does not wish to be found.
Character
■ Your Character, Defined by You
The game offers a variety of occupations, each a different walk of life through which to enter the story—
Feng Shui Master: carries a mysterious compass and can turn misfortune aside, deftly dodging Critical Failures;
Psychic: speaks directly with small animals, but isn't much good with people;
Detective: well-read and worldly, starting out with extra skill points;
plus the Student, the Speculator, the Tycoon, and more.
Then spend your points freely across skills like Observation, Folklore, Eloquence, and Medicine to decide who you are: the silver tongue that wins people over, or the deft hands that pick apart every lock and mechanism.
Gameplay
■ A Narrative Experience Driven by Tabletop RPG Rules
The game's core mechanics come from tabletop role-playing (TTRPG). Everything you see, hear, and think is resolved through dialogue choices and skill checks—dice + skill versus difficulty—rolling one of four fates, from "Critical Success" down to "Critical Failure."
A successful "Persuade" might defuse a confrontation; a failed "Intimidate" might land you somewhere far worse. HP and Sanity are both on the line: when your HP runs out, that's the end—and when your Sanity drains away, you are lost to madness forever.
■ More Than One Way to Roll
Carry special items to swap in check dice with different odds;
The fabled Mysterious Compass changes the very form of checks—say goodbye to dice;
And when your back is against the wall, burn Luck for one reroll.
Free Mode
■ Two Ways to Play
1. Story Mode: your actions, choices, and skill checks together steer the story toward different endings.
2. Free Mode: at supported story points, type whatever you like—use your imagination to interact with NPCs, solve problems, and shape the story in your own way.
About Free Mode:
- When an input box appears at the bottom of the text panel on the right, that story point supports AI interaction;
- Free Mode currently opens only the first area for testing, with more areas to follow.