Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 – Review

Our Score: 8/10

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is the latest title in the Xuan-Yuan series and is only the second game in the franchise to be translated to English. With a legacy of over 30 years, how does this ARPG fare against the likes of other more well-known franchises in the west?

This action-adventure game is finally available to the rest of the world to enjoy and I must say, it is quite an interesting ride. The Chinese influences are incredibly clear from the start and feel like a breath of fresh air. We don’t often get games with a Chinese setting, especially not one of this caliber.

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7: The Story

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 might be the 7th game in the franchise but thankfully you don’t need any prior knowledge of the series to play this title. It’s a standalone title that you can get right into. That is great because this opens up the game for everyone to try without needing to watch a “previously in the Xuan-Yuan Sword Story” video to catch up.

In this title, you play as Taishi Zhao a man of fallen nobility. He has a younger sister who he supports as she needs certain medicines. While on a job for the royal military, things go horribly wrong as a demon mortally wounds his sister. With the help of a demi-god and the soul of his sister, he embarks on a journey that is much bigger than he could ever anticipate.

The world is absolutely awe-inspiring thanks to the Chinese influence. It’s something we don’t often see in games so it’s good to see.  The world-building and lore of the game feel quite organic. It will intrigue and interest you and make you want to know more and delve deeper into this world.

The Look and Feel

Visually the game is outstanding. No matter what platform you run the game on, you’re bound to have a great experience. The game has detailed texture alongside some great lighting and particle effects.

The game doesn’t have an English dub. However, the Mandarin voice acting is fantastic and with some really good localization and translation, I never felt lack I was missing out or unable to grasp something.

The music and general sound design are also top-notch. In RPG titles, I feel music plays a huge role. It can either get boring and/or get on your nerves, or it can manage to hold its own as the plot progresses and you get to the end game. The music here is the latter side of things and adds a lot of flavor to everything.

The Gameplay

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is not an open-world title. That doesn’t mean it’s extremely linear either. Every level has quite a lot to explore and usually, NPCs to talk to. And as with every RPG, the game is heavy with combat,

To put it in an easy way to understand, the core combat is similar to Witcher 3. Not the same, but a similar feeling. There’s plenty of upgrades for you to get as well as you progress through the game, making you stronger and an overall more competent fighter.

The enemy design and variety in the game are more than passable. The boss fights themselves are quite fun and varied enough. A lot of this might also want you to delve deeper into Chinese folklore and mythology because they’re pretty cool.

Final Verdict

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is a great ARPG that feels new and fresh thanks to the Chinese influence and flavor. It’s got an intriguing story, a curious world, and fun combat. I hope this is the start of more Chinese games getting English localization and releases.

Xuan-Yuan Sword 7 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.