Project Windless creative director says the developers chose a 9-foot warlike rooster goliath as their protagonist because literally 'every candidate' interviewed to work on the game wanted to play as one: 'All of them—and we were like, OK'

In Sony's February State of Play, Krafton Montreal revealed Project Windless, an open world action RPG set in the world of acclaimed Korean fantasy series, Lee Youngdo's The Bird That Drinks Tears. With the books' first English translation being published later this year, Project Windless will be the first exposure for many in the West to a setting that's been called "the Korean Lord of the Rings."

It will also feature a sick-as-hell nine-foot sword-wielding warlike rooster man as its protagonist, a choice of hero that's drawn unironic delight from many—PC Gamer staff included—since the game's reveal. In an interview with PC Gamer, head of Krafton Montreal and Project Windless creative director Patrik Méthé said the reaction is exactly what the studio was hoping for.

"We knew that the hero would create a shock, but I was surprised by the amount of people who were like what the f—huh? but then were like 'I'm in,' before three quarters of the trailer had even played," Méthé said. "Cool, that's what we wanted."

The world of The Bird That Drinks Tears offers plenty of compelling options for potential heroes. It's populated by four peoples: There are humans, of course; there are the mischievous, fire-manipulating tokkebi; there are the reptilian nhaga, who ritually remove their own hearts to achieve immortality. And there are the rekon: a race of nomadic, solitary avian giants renowned for possessing a strength that can outclass a dozen enemy soldiers.

But the hero of Project Windless isn't just any rekon: He's the Hero King, a legendary figure whose history has been mythologized across the more than 1,000-year gap between the game's place on the timeline and when the novels occur.

"One of the reasons we felt the Hero King was the right choice is because he's a mythical character," Méthé said. "He's remembered, but no one is still alive who was there. It gives us a level of flexibility, because the worst thing for us would have been to try to emulate too closely what's in the novel at the expense of the game."

As a figure shrouded in legend, the Hero King's ambiguous past will let players experience a story that feels like one they shaped while maintaining the way the mythical rekon is remembered centuries later. But the main reason Krafton Montreal chose a rekon for its player character is a simpler one: It's because literally everyone interviewed to work on the game wanted to play as one.

Méthé said the project started "from scratch": He was initially alone at the studio, and when he started recruiting, Krafton Montreal didn't even have a website. But it did have physical copies of concept art to give potential hires a sense of the setting's four races. And after every interview, the rekon was the clear favorite.

"When every candidate was leaving, they would say, 'I hope I will hear from you, but one thing for sure, I want to be able to play that character,'" Méthé said. "All of them. All of them—and we were like, 'OK.'"

The rekon, and particularly the Hero King, makes for an ideal character to develop around, Méthé said. He isn't just visually interesting—the rekon allows players to move through space in a way that other open world protagonists don't.

"This character visually stands out from the typical action adventure RPG, but it needs to be more than an eight-foot, 600-pound guy," Méthé said. "It's not a guy in a suit. It's a race, and the race has specific skills and attributes you don't find in a human."

The rekon is, by orders of magnitude, stronger and faster than we are. He can jump higher; he can run faster. Where the average rekon can fight toe-to-toe with a dozen enemies, the Hero King can stand his ground against 50 or more—and realizing that in-game, Méthé said, requires both new technology and careful balance to keep carving through swaths of enemy soldiers from feeling too trivial.

But according to Méthé, Krafton's goal is to give players the freedom to choose how they want to move the Hero King through the world both on and off the battlefield. Maybe you'll be want to see how the legendary rekon handles being seen as a leader despite his solitary inclinations; maybe you're more interested in fulfilling his life wish, a unique motivating purpose that rekons pursue throughout their lives; maybe you're compelled by what's up with the sky rays, massive flying creatures with a connection to the legacy of a vanished elder race.

"It's really up to each player to adapt their play based on what they're more interested in," Méthé said.

Krafton Montreal wasn't willing to confirm many more details just yet: While a dev diary video published by Krafton showed concept art of a rekon with a large, full beard, Méthé said it was "too soon to say" whether I could give the Hero King facial hair. Likewise, when I asked—on behalf of anyone who might have experienced some kind of internal awakening after watching the reveal trailer—whether Project Windless' hero could engage in romance, Méthé said he "wouldn't confirm or deny; that being said, it's the story of the rise of the Hero King in the context of war." I tried.

I was able to confirm, however, that this particular bird does not drink tears. Partially that's because he's technically not a bird. But it's more so because—I'm told—"that's a metaphor."

"It's more of a metaphor for the responsibility of being a leader," Méthé said. "The answer in that regard will be yes. You will drink tears."