Video Game Review: Xuan-Yuan Sword 7

Developer: SOFTSTAR Entertainment

Publisher: EastAsiaSoft

Genre: Action RPG

PlayStation 4

It’s not a well-known franchise out West, but Xuan-Yuan Sword has been around since the ‘90s. The action RPG series leans heavily on Chinese mythology and history, delivering an experience that is rather unique as far as presentation goes. Western gamers finally have an easy way to access a game in this series since Xuan-Yuan 7 is the first game in the series to have a Western release. To make things even better, this entry has a new protagonist, making it the perfect game to jump into the series with.

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 follows Taishi Zhao, a calm and cool protagonist that puts protecting family in front of everything else. Of course, Taishi’s story takes a tragic turn, and he is forced to save his sister from an otherworldly fate using magic. The scale of the story gets much bigger from here, leading to a compelling and often harsh narrative.

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 has a surprisingly deep and life-like world. The player will meet tons of dynamic and interesting characters with mature and sometimes humorous quests. Like the Witcher series, Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 emphasizes exploration and a sense of discovery. It’s a messy world that would already be interesting without the mythology. With the mythology, this is a world that most video games don’t explore. The themes and storylines might be familiar, but everything still feels new.

The exploration and freedom is further emphasized by the difficulty of the game. Many enemies roam the world, and some can be difficult to defeat. Players have the choice to completely ignore some enemies and bosses, making the game as hardcore as players want it to be. Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 still fully caters to the hardcore crowd, with a multitude of companions, stances, and equipment to discover by beating fierce enemies and completing quests.

The action in Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is pretty standard for the genre. Players can slash away at enemies while dodging, parrying, and using special skills to gain the advantage. The controls sometimes feel a little clunky, but the combat is still more than serviceable. I found myself enjoying the combat, but always looked forward to the next story beat.

For a series that we don’t see much of, it has a surprisingly high level of production. The graphics are solid, with nice character designs and a fully realized world. There is a great level of visual detail in Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 that can feel missing in some modern titles. Unfortunately, like most action RPGs, the towns and settlements feel depressingly boring to stay in. They don’t act as more as hubs to push quests and the narrative forward. It would be nice for there to be more to do in these hubs, but it isn’t a deal breaker. Every line in Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is fully voiced, helping to further immerse players into the world. Overall the translating is solid too, even if there are a few lines could feel a little more natural in English.

It’s not flawless, but Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is a more than capable action RPG that deserves to be played by fans of the genre. Anyone who enjoys hacking and slashing and wants to inject some Chinese mythology into their adventure will want to grab this one. It’s one of the best games in the genre this year.