New The Mountain Mover gameplay revealed and it might finally have the right feel

Banshan Daoren surfaced on Bilibili today with a new gameplay showcase from Heli Production Group. The project is an indie game built in Unreal Engine 5, its release date is still unannounced, and this latest footage offers a brief look at both CG cutscenes and in-game play.

For a tomb-raiding game that feels built for the long haul, I usually split the appeal into three parts: atmosphere, setting, and the pull of collecting everything. From this showing alone, what lands first in Banshan Daoren is not the combat, but the texture of its world: a Republic of China-era supernatural mystery wrapped around underground secrets. It feels a bit like the dungeon stretch of an old-school JRPG reworked through the lens of Chinese folklore. That foundation matters, because the story draws inspiration from Partridge Whistle and the Banshan sect in Ghost Blows Out the Light, which is exactly the kind of material that suits extended exploration.

Based on the footage released this time, caves, ruins, skeletons, and bloodstains already establish the tone clearly. Visually, the game gives off that sense of danger before anything fully reveals itself. The shot of a torch lighting up a cave full of bones works especially well, building pressure first and then slowly widening the space for the unknown. If the full release can tie those spaces to meaningful exploration—hidden passages, mechanisms, artifact records, and faction clues—players who chase full completion will have a hard time ignoring it.

The demo also is not limited to underground spaces. Snowfields, canyons, ancient architecture, and horseback travel all show up, and that adds some welcome range. More importantly, it suggests the game does not want to be just a one-note tomb run, but to expand on the setup of the protagonist encountering strange events while traveling far and wide. That is the right direction. If the game can create real contrast between regions, the sense of adventure should come naturally.

The catch is that there is still not much we can confirm, especially when it comes to the core gameplay loop. This demo does not make it clear whether the game leans toward a mostly linear narrative structure or whether exploration, combat, and puzzles will form a stable three-part foundation. For players like me who immediately look for hidden routes and encyclopedia-style completion, the theme is only the entry point; system depth is what decides whether the game can actually hold attention.

What stands out most right now is that Banshan Daoren already has a strong identity. Among Chinese indie games, a Republic of China setting linked to Ghost Blows Out the Light-style inspiration, paired with Unreal Engine 5 visuals for ruins, strange tales, and wilderness travel, is a combination that is easy to remember at a glance. At the community level, players drawn to folklore, tomb raiding, and hidden-realm adventure will likely be interested immediately, while players who care more about gameplay execution will probably keep watching from a distance.

If you play for setting and atmosphere, this is already worth putting on your watchlist and following for the next gameplay reveal and release update. If you care more about systems, exploration rewards, and hidden collectibles, it is better not to lock in a verdict yet and wait for a fuller showcase. At the very least, this new Bilibili footage proves one thing: Banshan Daoren is not just a concept-piece project. It has already shown off the eerie, mysterious, slightly legendary flavor at the heart of it.