Chinese studio Hoothanes has announced The Defiant, a PS5 first-person shooter set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, a major but comparatively underrepresented part of the Second World War in Western games and media. The game matters because it aims to explore a conflict marked by severe atrocities and could broaden the historical perspectives typically shown in wartime shooters.

The developer says its settings, weapons and atmosphere are inspired by the real conflict, referring to China’s resistance to the Japanese invasion across the 1930s and 1940s. Push Square notes the game’s conventional-looking shooter gameplay, but suggests an accurate and sensitive depiction of events such as the wider context surrounding the Nanjing massacre could make its campaign compelling, if disturbing.