Skip to content

Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains

SoftStar · Jul 25, 2023

PC · Switch

Everyone

About

The Journey of a Frankish Knight in the Tang Empire Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is a classic turn-based RPG. Under the orders of Pepin III, the Frankish Knight Septem has embarked on a long journey to seek the Invincible Arts of War. Starting from the canals of beautiful Venice, the great knight's path has spanned the Middle East, Western Regions on his way to the mystical orient. In his adventures, Septem has drawn into the intricate power disputes between local powers, along with the decade-spanning ambitions of the dark lord, Satan. China enjoys peace and prosperity under the rule of the Tang Empire, Europe finds itself embroiled in the Dark Ages, the Arabian Empire is ascendant, and all the while, the march of progress brings these disparate cultures together. From ancient times, Chinese legends have spoken of the Xuan-Yuan Sword and Spirit Fusion Pot, along with the rise of great legends in the new era... A Symphony of Western and Eastern Culture The scope of Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the mountains covers a wide range, spanning all of Eurasia and covering the Arab World, Francia, and China. From the canals of Venice, Damascus to the beautiful Chang’an, the story introduces unique architectural styles, clothing, food, and customs. A Fusion of History and Fantasy The story of Xuan-Yuan Sword III takes place in an era of collision between East and West, covering a range of historical events that include the Battle of Talas, the Arabian Civil War, and An Lushan Rebellion interspersed through character dramas.Xuan-Yuan Sword III perfectly integrates history with Chinese and Western mythology. Players will encounter unique historical enemies such as Merovingian soldiers, the Venetian navy, the Abbasid Caliphate, Tang soldiers, and Taoists along with unique mythical creatures such as centaurs, Medusa, the Black and White Reapers, and the Xuannü of the Nine Heavens. Unique Spirit Fusion Pot System Players can use the Spirit Fusion Pot to capture enemies in battle. Items and monsters can be used to craft a new item or monster from the codex. Users can craft items and monsters from the Eastern or Western altars, which the resulting item differing based on the selected altar. Unique Ink Painting Artstyle The game features a beautiful traditional Chinese style, with the game map, battle backgrounds, and characters all painted in unique oriental ink.

Trailers & screenshots

Scores by platform

PC

Critic 5.7 (5 critics) · Gamer 7.0

Nintendo Switch

Critic 9.0 (1 critics) · No ratings yet

Critic reviews

  • Switchaboo

    Monique Moate · Jan 03, 2024

    9.0
    Like any game, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I would recommend it for fans of old-school role-playing games like Final Fantasy, and especially to people who want to try something a bit different from the usual Western or Japanese video game narratives. The continent-spanning (is Eurasia a continent or a landmass with two continents?) plot, characters, battles, enemies, locations, music, etc. all helped to cement this game’s place as a classic back in the day, and it’s great that there’s now an English localisation for us to enjoy.
  • HookedGamers

    Samuel Corey · Sep 23, 2023

    8.0
    Still, one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. In a world where we are still lacking a proper translation for the original The Legend of Sword and Fairy, among other classic Chinese games, it's hard to not applaud a fresh release for these otherwise unknown and inaccessible titles. I can't imagine that the demand for a fresh release of Xuan Yuan Sword was particularly great in the English-speaking world, but it's release here is valuable for simple archival reasons. It's also a great buy if you're craving a classic JRPG that was previously unavailable to anyone who couldn't read Mandarin.
  • Noisy Pixel

    Orpheus Joshua · Jul 25, 2023

    3.5
    The gameplay of Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is an unoptimized mess. There is no attempt at balancing or scaling, with the only positive being a unique presentation. When it comes down to it, this has the capacity to become truly and unironically great, but the translation and mechanics need to be rebuilt from the ground up. As it is now, you’re better off not wasting your time and money.
  • Game Grin

    CONOR MCGUIGAN · Jul 25, 2023

    6.0
    Mists Beyond The Mountains would be a perfectly average turn-based RPG if not for its acid-trip alt-history storyline and cuckoo characters. Its bizarre narrative cuts through unexceptional level design and gameplay to deliver something worth a second look.

See all critic reviews

Advertisement

Related games

Rate this game

Contains spoiler

to rate this game.