Developer: DOMO Studio, SOFTSTAR, DOMO Production
Publisher: Yooreka Studio, EastAsiaSoft, SOFTSTAR
Available on: PS4, Xbox One
Release date: September 30, 2021
The Chinese RPG Xuan Yuan 7 is the first title from the series to make its Western debut. The franchise has a 30 year history in China, and is rooted in Chinese mythology. The story follows Taishi Zhao, a swordsman, and his sister, Taishi Xiang, who is mortally wounded and accompanies her brother in soul form on his journey. The title is a standalone experience.
PROS
Likeable cast of characters
AI for NPCs in combat works fairly well
Combat is solid
Traversal is simple and makes platforming areas easy to pull off
Visuals are good
Overall story is decently written, giving a sweet undertone th the relationship between Zhou and Xiang
Zhuolu Chess is a fun side activity
Puzzles can be engaging and require careful observation of the environment
CONS
Lackluster villain
Mediocre final boss fight
Frame rate slow down (particularly in late game)
Some long load times
Short for an RPG (my playthrough was 12 hours, 18 minutes- even doing all side quests will only take 20 hours at most)
Needlessly padded ending making you retread multiple areas
In all, Xuan Yuan 7 is a decent but short RPG with a likeable cast and good combat. Sadly that’s undone by a mediocre final boss fight and a needlessly padded ending. Completing the game really leaves no incentive to replay it. At $50 it’s not really worth the full price, so those interested in the game would do well to wait for a sale. The series seems interesting, and hopefully if future titles come West they’ll build more on the game’s good points.
6.5/10 stars
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