When Vietnamese–made game Flappy Bird took the world by storm in early 2014, its overnight success left behind an enduring legacy. Many Vietnamese developers watched how the game took off, and decided that they too could spread their own wings. Among them was Vương Trung Kiên.

Kiên founded his own studio in 2015 and spent five years chasing various hyper-casual trends, then walked away to figure out a new path. In late 2022, he decided to start over again with Panthera studio and a singular vision: build games that players actually remember. “I believe Vietnamese developers have the talent to build world-class games, and Panthera was founded to prove that,” he says. Here are some of the studio’s creations thus far, along with a look at what’s next.

Panthera made its foray into the action RPG genre with Box Head, a post-apocalyptic roguelike experience. Navigating a labyrinth of increasingly difficult stages, you’ll amass loot and gear, as well as learn new skills, to become an efficient zombie slayer. With colourful and quirky designs for characters and enemies, plus a variety of distinct weapons with their own movesets, Box Head was a formidable debut.

Their next title Soul Huntress levelled up in both design and depth. While Box Head’s world was comicbook-like, Soul Huntress went the route of dark fantasy, featuring more challenging combat and more complex systems. By creating incredible combos of hero skills and gear abilities, you’ll embark on an epic adventure to save the kingdom of Brynn.

Panthera’s most recent title is even more ambitious. Open-world RPG Elysia: The Astral Fall boasts sprawling environments and intricate lore set in a world where technology fuses with magic. As players explore the painterly world of Solaria, they’ll assemble a team of complementary talents to discover the mysteries left behind by the gods. Beautifully crafted with plenty of deep mechanics, the game also won the hearts of foreign fans thanks to its localisation into many languages.

Right now, Panthera is working on even more titles with “more polished, more ambitious and overall better experiences than what [the team has] delivered before.” And for aspiring developers, Kiên suggests: “Start by building games that are within your team’s abilities, focus on delivering quality and always keep players at the centre of what you create.”