The WhatsNext verdict
If character-driven Chinese fantasy, romance, and evocative music matter more to you than combat, this offers a memorable story-led journey. Play it if you can tolerate opaque mazes, backtracking, repetitive battles, and Chinese-only text.
What it does best
A tragic martial-arts romance that stays with you
Characters whose relationships carry the entire journey
Music that defines the feeling of Chinese fantasy
A defining fusion of wuxia adventure, mythology, and romance
What might put you off
Large, opaque mazes and excessive backtracking
Functional but underwhelming combat
The setup
What you are walking into
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a role-playing video game developed by the Taiwanese company Softstar Entertainment and its subsidiaries. The game incorporates elements of wuxia, shenmo and fantasy. Since its release in 1995, the game has spawned a successful video game franchise in Taiwan and mainland China. It was also adapted into the 2005 Chinese television series Chinese Paladin.
Where it lives
Genre
Vibe
Up next
