REVIEW : Xuan Yuan Sword 7 (PS5)
The DOMO Studio’s Xuan-Yuan Sword series has been around for over 30 years and is one of the most popular markets. However, Asian games based on traditional Chinese mythology only lately began to acquire popularity, eventually reaching a European audience.
Xuan-Yuan Sword VII is currently available in Asia on the PlayStation 4 and the PC throughout the rest of the world.
Xuan-Yuan Sword VII’s plot begins after the Han Dynasty when a minister deposed a weak emperor and established the Xin Dynasty. Strange signals began to arise in the world when a new king arrived: people turned to stone, and monsters appeared.
The court astrologer also became the owner of the enigmatic and powerful Elysium scroll at the same time as these happened. Soon after, the vicious and power-hungry Maoists broke into the astrologer’s house and set fire to it, but they could not locate the scroll or the two youngsters who had somehow escaped to the mountains. Years later, the mature Taishi Zhao and his sister Li Xiang, who a hunter took in, meet a group of Lijun motorists who have been searching for the missing scroll for a long time and thus begin a tale of betrayal, friendship, and dangerous adventures.
Like most Asian RPGs, Xuan-Yuan Sword VII is based on history, with a big yet linear world separated into regions by battle and hordes of monsters and monsters. The main characters search for answers to their questions and travel to ruined villages, ruins, and mountain passes. Unfortunately, certain points take a long time to reach.
As the main storyline progresses, you’ll be able to take up side quests like “following a villager” or “finding the missing parents of a lone child.” Except for experience points or valuable resources, you will not obtain any unique revelations in these side tasks. However, you can return to them later by using the teleportation stations distributed along the road if you like.
Frequently, you will be confronted with many opponents who you can either avoid or fight. In the second scenario, the heroes join the fight.
Taishi Zhao employs sword attacks that are both standard and empowered and special skills that take time to recharge. Dealing with normal attacks depletes stamina, which must be replenished over time. The hero knows how to evade damage by counterattacking or dodging. It has special moves that can be placed in a different menu window and used at any moment, and they take time to recharge. Furthermore, the protagonist can establish a ring of soul imprisonment, which allows him to capture opponents’ spirits after beating them and use them in the Elysium levelling menu. The final skill is to summon the demon’s spirit, which deals the most damage to foes.
Naturally, you’ll need to choose the ideal equipment in addition to making proper use of the squad’s abilities. Some things can be found in chests, purchased from merchants, or obtained on the battlefield, although the most powerful are more difficult to obtain in Elysium. This is a unique menu option where you can make amulets, spiritual upgrades, and much more. Everything works the same way that the Persona series’ unification of personalities does: you join numerous components and see what emerges. It is, however, possible to complete the game without ever seeing the Elysium part. The conflicts themselves grow repetitive after a while.
On the other hand, Xuan-Yuan Sword VII is a typical role-playing game with a well-developed plot and engaging characters. The authors do not wring out the drama or demolish the plot interest early in some places, but the story appears to be more than organic on the whole. True, against the general fashion background for each playthrough’s individuality, the lack of non-linearity and choice at important periods is somewhat frustrating. The game’s puzzles aren’t challenging, but they’re also not tedious; they’ll keep you entertained for 10 to 12 hours.
