In good spirits.
With over a dozen games in both the main series and its side adventures, the Xuan-Yuan Sword series only saw its first English localization back in 2016 with the release of Xuan-Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament on Steam. While the game would find its way to consoles eventually, it’s safe to say that many will likely find Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 to be their first real look at the series. As the game features a self-contained story and cast of wonderful characters, this is the perfect point of entry for any new fan, featuring a fast-paced combat system, enjoyable RPG mechanics, and an extremely well-told tale steeped in Chinese mythology.
Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is an action-adventure RPG as you take on the role of Taishi Zhao, as he has escaped the clutches of death many years ago with his infant sister Xiang as their home was invaded and their parents murdered, all for a special bamboo scroll that is given to Zhao moments prior to his escape. 10 years have since passed and he is taking on odd jobs to earn enough coin to take care of his sister who is suffering from an illness.
It is during one of these jobs where his sister becomes unintentionally involved and is mortally wounded, forcing Zhao to use the scroll to teleport to a different dimension called Elysium, looking for aid from a self-proclaimed King, one who might very well hold the answers he seeks. The solution at first seems bizarre, but as he follows the King’s instructions, he is able to transfer her soul into a human-sized wooden doll, at least until he can free the King from his curious prison, an act that will be rewarded with Xiang being returned to her body, healed of all its sickness. This new form allows Xiang to join Zhao on his adventure, acting as a combat companion during fierce encounters. It also allows her to see the world she's often only heard about and not experienced first hand.
One thing I'll state right out of the gate is this game has a weird sense of time and age. According to the game, Xiang is 14, but this game takes place ten years following the death of their parents, an act that took place when she was a baby, not when she was four. Had the time jump been 14-15 years then sure, but it's an odd age gap that doesn't quite make sense when given how old she was during the game’s early moments. And while we only see a glimpse of Mo Huang in that same series of events, I don't believe he's aged at all during the past ten years, likely a result of simply using the exact same game model in both the past and the present. These are not immersion-breaking issues, but simply oddities when it comes to the time gap and how old or ageless certain characters look.
As they embark on this adventure, Zhao and his sister will fight as a team using a variety of sword attacks, an imprisonment spell, and the ability to slow down time. Xiang herself is able to cast abilities that can aid her brother in battle. While the pair will eventually be joined by Chu Hong, a specialist in mechanical gear-based devices, and in the art of sword-play, the trio will get caught up in a war between nations, all while trying to save Xiang’s mortal life and hopefully, return home to live in peace.
Being developed by a Chinese studio, and that of being a Chinese-focused series, the game’s audio is entirely in its native language with no additional language support other than what is featured for subtitles. While I didn’t mind this as it lends itself to being a more authentic experience, the only times I was at odds with this is when characters are talking during exploration and battles, causing me to either read very quickly or stop and take in what was just said so I am not making any wrong turns or running into a wall, though, that did happen here and there. That said, the acting is rather good with each of the cast offering well-delivered lines that all felt like they belonged in the same conversation. Xiang especially is a delight as she is rarely out in the real world, so her constant questions, curiosity, and dialogue with Zhao was always a joy to see unfold.
Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is a very story-focused game and that brings with it a lot of cutscenes, characters, and additional quests that Zhao, Xiang, and Chu, will all get caught up in. While you can take part in a game of Zhuolu Chess if you so choose, much of your adventure will be traversing the wide-open wilderness as you attempt to track down those who can aid in your journey to return your sister back to her mortal body. The game, at times, can fall into that trap of moving a few feet and triggering a cutscene, to returning to gameplay and then having yet another cutscene start almost immediately, which is certainly not limited to just this game and can become a bit tiring after a while. While some of the side quests can be anywhere from decent to good, far too many of them revolve around Zhao being asked to find someone out in the forest, an act that actually happens three times in a row in the same location, despite the circumstances around each request being considerably different.
As for the characters themselves, I found that I really was engaged with the lot of them. Zhao and Xiang are fantastic with one another, playing the role of brother and sister amazingly well. They are honestly good-natured souls and I found them compelling enough to make me actually care about their story. I would often stop at the campsite while saving to listen to their conversations, the stories they would tell, and the interactions between them. Chu Hong eventually comes into the mix with a lot of history with both Zhao and others around them, and it was interesting to see how it all eventually played out, and how taken Xiang would be with her as she starts to notice sparks between Chu and her brother spring up.
I also enjoyed Jipeng, the talking parrot who joins the trio when they set out to find a mysterious Lady in Green, which the game does a great job at keeping in the background for the better part of the journey. I will say that the post-game quest surrounding her past was a bit more drawn out than I would have liked, and content I wish was just simply a single cutscene. Regardless, it was interesting enough to see what she was up to along her own personal journey. Jipeng, who was a companion of the Lady in Green, does have a slightly annoying voice direction, but I eventually warmed up to him as he too warmed up to the siblings over the course of their journey.
As for the villain, I think Mo Huang is decent enough but I do wish his past would have been a much larger focus when sharing his scenes with Zhao. He is a man of devotion and feels that whatever he can do for the greater good to be worth the cost. I did enjoy the battle with him and the scenes he has here are pretty damn enjoyable, especially that of when he confronts the group in some spacious caves during a pivotal moment, but I would have loved to have seen more of him in regards to his involvement at the start of the story.
While its narrative is something that I found surprisingly engaging, the combat does a great job at complementing the other side of this Chinese coin. Combat is fast, and while lacking depth in the forms of other weapons, you do earn special stances that come with a special attack of their own. While I adore the combat here, it is a real shame that each stance wasn’t paired to a different weapon, allowing for more diversity in the action. Because you are simply using the same sword, albeit upgrading it constantly, combat can, unfortunately, feel far too repetitive at times. As the enemy variety increases from wolves to various human foes and a collective of supernatural threats, you’ll unlock more attacks and bonuses within each stance as you continue to use them.
Stances are earned upon defeating the bosses of each key area, granting you additional powers and attacks that can be leveled up further upon use. The stances, of which two can be equipped for quick swapping between them are Ox, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear. Each stance has its own unique attack from stunning close range with the Ox stance, an AOE kick with the Tiger stance, to a ranged shockwave with the Bear stance. Your companions can also contribute in combat and have a few attacks to equip such as throwing explosive clockwork owls, or a concentrated energy beam for Xiang, or a variety of sword attacks for Chu Hong, all of which act on a cooldown upon use.
To make yourself more equipped for the challenge ahead, as well as making your armor and weapons stronger, you’ll use the Elysium Scroll to travel to a variety of workshops that each has a certain purpose to fill. Now, instead of traveling to Elysium each time you require aid, this far-off magical place is set within a menu, allow all storefronts to exist in a single location. You can upgrade your weapons, gear, as well as craft and make a variety of items and perks that can be upgraded as well. Each store can be upgraded with materials that you’ll constantly find, and each subsequent item that can be crafted will also use those same materials. It is a decent system, but it can at times feel a bit too in-depth for what is essentially a simple material-based crafting system.
Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a pretty good looking game as well, given that the team size of this adventure is just over 60 developers that consist of both team Xuan Yuan and that of additional Domo Studios developers. It’s certainly not a big team, but it is one of Taiwan's leading game development studios nonetheless. Character models, and that of the game’s many enemies and bosses, not to mention the game’s largely linear environments are wonderfully crafted, and the motion capture work here is extremely well executed.
The forests, deserts, and winter areas that you’ll explore, as well as a variety of long-forgotten ruins, all set the stage for a grand adventure and never disappoint other than a few textures that are not designed to be focused on and yet are strangely chosen as a backdrop for a cutscene or two. While the game is available on PS5 and Series X, think of Xuan Yuan Sword 7 as a game that feels at home at the start of the previous generation, with some enhancements to take advantage of later stages of last gen. Again, it’s not a visually stunning game, but its parts and pieces still look great for what this game is reaching for.
Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is game that I thoroughly enjoyed, so much so that I’ve since purchased Gate of Firmament. I adored its story, its characters, and the action, while lacking some much needed depth, still kept me entertained for the 12-14 hours this adventure lasted. I still find it odd that the game is considerably more expensive on Xbox and PlayStation than it is on PC, despite the game releasing on Steam only just last year. Regardless, there is a truly engaging game here for those willing to see a whole nation’s take on game design and story, and while it can certainly feel inspired by a handful of games such as Onimusha, Uncharted, and even Ghost of Tsushima, Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is something of its own as well, a tale well told, and an adventure worth pursuing.
Developer - SOFTSTAR, DOMO Studio. Publisher - Eastasiasoft Limited Released - Sept 30th, 2021. (October 29th, 2020 for Steam) Available On - Xbox One, Series X/S, PS4/PS5, Windows PC. Rated - (T) Blood, Violence, Language. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X through backwards compatibility. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.