• Blood Message was a surprising highlight of the Summer Game Fest 2026 live show
• It's a single-play, story-driven game set in Ancient China
• With tense stealth, brutal combat, and hectic chase sequences it feels like a cinematic as Uncharted

If you tuned into the Summer Game Fest 2026 live show, then you might have spotted a seriously cinematic trailer for a game called Blood Message. Set in Ancient China (the late Tang Dynasty in 848AD to be precise), it's billed as a strictly single-player, story-driven adventure, and so far it really reminds me of Uncharted.

I played a small slice of the game at the show, showcasing a blend of slick stealth and unapologetically brutal combat. The production value of everything that I saw was simply off the charts, with impressively dynamic and fluid animations that could have easily come from a new Naughty Dog release.

My session culminated in a hectic chase that had the protagonist sprinting down corridors as enemies closed in, leaping over collapsing floorboards, dodging incoming arrows, and even vaulting over a table carried by some merchants. It's the kind of antics that you would expect from Nathan Drake, and I very much mean that as a good thing.

I'm not the only one that's impressed either, as the reaction to the most recent trailer has been very positive so far. "The story and voice acting are fire, and the graphics are top-tier as well," wrote one commenter on YouTube. "This could be better than Ghost of Tsushima," another posted.

The story follows a nameless messenger who, alongside his son, is tasked with traveling through a tumultuous land in order to deliver that's key to the fate of his homeland.

The game is being developed by 24 Entertainment, a subsidiary of publishing giant Netease Games. You might recognize the 24 Entertainment name as it's the same studio that created the popular free-to-play martial arts battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint.

This is the first AAA single-player title from the developer and publisher, and looks promising indeed. There's no word on an official release date window, but we do know that it's being developed using Unreal Engine 5, in addition to some proprietary tech, and will launch for PC and consoles.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

Dash is an experienced tech journalist who specializes in video games, electronic entertainment products, and the wider industry that surrounds them. He currently serves as the Gaming Editor at TechRadar, leading our review, preview, feature, and news coverage of the latest and greatest releases.

Before joining the team, he was Contributing Writer at PLAY (formerly Official PlayStation Magazine UK) and has written articles for many of the UK's other biggest gaming magazines including the likes of Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX.

Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.