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Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament Review (PlayStation 5)

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Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament Review, Long ago, the Jade Emperor opened the gates of heaven so that worthy mortals could appeal to him and be granted divine powers in order to aid in the search for the emperor’s lost daughter. However, this holy gift was exploited and abused, bringing chaos to the mortal realm. The gates of heaven had to be resealed to protect from greater disaster, but since then, no mortals have been able to ascend and no gods could ascend at will to help them. Now it’s up to a small band of heroes in the mortal realm, each with their own motivations and led by the young Sikong Yu, to try and bridge the realms before peace is shattered forever.

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament Review Pros:

  • Decent Anime graphics.
  • 14.61GB download size.
  • Platinum trophy.
  • Two battle difficulties – Normal and hard.
  • Four voice choices including Chinese, English, and Japanese.
  • Can Invert axis and sensitivity sliders.
  • FMV and in-game cutscenes with portrait-like character interactions.
  • A full 3D game world with 360-degree camera control.
  • Action RPG gameplay.
  • You have a mini-map but can bring up a map overlay to help with navigation.
  • Many treasure chests are to be found in the world and range from basic ones to special timed puzzle ones or combination locks.
  • Take on main story quests and optional side quests.
  • You can save and load when you want.
  • There is a skip and fast-forward interactions button.
  • Vendors let you buy and sell items.
  • Bringing up the map will show how many chests are in the area and how many you have found so far.
  • World map level selects for locations.
  • Decent loading times.
  • When exploring a new location the map uncovers as you explore and pops up points of interest and chests etc.
  • Find materials and resources within the world.
  • Mission markers will show.
  • Turn-based combat with the end of a battle breakdown showing any loot gained and EXP earned.
  • Earn EXP and level up to increase your stats and get skill points.
  • The skill tree is split into – attack, defense, support, and enhance. A special seperate martial arts tree is also available.
  • Enemies freely wander around and coming into contact with them triggers a fight.
  • Combat turns are determined by cool-downs of actions for both you and your opponents, you can see everyone’s cool-down.
  • Luckily combat controls are simple, attacks, abilities, and items are all tied to a button or a series of buttons, you have these showing at all times.
  • Stealth sections get littered within the game.
  • The game is very basic and this could well be in its favor as you can plod along with little stress.
  • Straightforward Platinum trophy list.
  • Great looking locations.
  • Find and recruit party members and you can instantly swap between them.
  • Very open spaces.

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament Review Cons:

  • You cannot remap the controls.
  • The game just starts and leaves you to wander around the huge hub area with no real clue what to do and it feels aimless.
  • The text is very small.
  • Not a lot of voice work and you notice it more with NPC.
  • A lot of broken English or grammar mistakes.
  • The whole pace of the game is slower than you would expect for the genre.
  • Fight locations are always the same.
  • Changing targets in combat is clunky.
  • Using the menus and the skills menu in particular is not great to use, it is not smooth or clear what’s going on.
  • The game is just not cohesive it splits up missions in a way that doesn’t make sense, the pacing is slow and the game overall lacks any atmosphere.
  • Stealth is not the game’s greatest addition as it’s very basic and the camera control gets taken away.
  • Chests that have been cleared will still show on the map as available.
  • There are a lot of invisible walls.

Related Post: Grid Ranger Preview (Steam Early Access)

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament:

Official website.

Developer: Softstar Entertainment Inc.

Publisher: eastasiasoft

Store Links –

PlayStation

  • 7/10
    Graphics - 7/10
  • 7/10
    Sound - 7/10
  • 7/10
    Accessibility - 7/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Fun Factor - 8/10
7.4/10

Summary

The game features decent anime graphics and a manageable download size of 14.61GB. Players can aim for a Platinum trophy and choose between two battle difficulties: Normal and Hard. There are four voice options, including Chinese, English, and Japanese, and players can adjust the axis inversion and sensitivity sliders. The game includes FMV and in-game cutscenes with portrait-like character interactions, set in a full 3D world with 360-degree camera control. The action RPG gameplay is complemented by a mini-map and a map overlay for navigation. Treasure chests are scattered throughout the world, ranging from basic to special timed puzzle ones or combination locks. Players can engage in main story quests and optional side quests, with the ability to save and load at will. A skip and fast-forward button for interactions, vendors for buying and selling items, and a map that shows the number of chests in the area are also available. The world map allows for level selection, and decent loading times ensure smooth transitions. As players explore new locations, the map uncovers points of interest and chests. Materials and resources can be found within the world, and mission markers guide the way.

The turn-based combat system provides a breakdown of loot gained and EXP earned after each battle. Players can earn EXP and level up to increase stats and gain skill points, with a skill tree divided into attack, defense, support, and enhance categories, as well as a separate martial arts tree. Enemies wander freely, and contact triggers a fight, with combat turns determined by action cooldowns visible to both players and opponents. Combat controls are simple, with attacks, abilities, and items tied to buttons. Stealth sections are interspersed throughout the game, which is basic enough to allow for stress-free progression. The Platinum trophy list is straightforward, and the game features great-looking locations. Players can find and recruit party members, swapping between them instantly, and enjoy very open spaces.

However, the game has its drawbacks. Controls cannot be remapped, and the game starts without clear direction, leaving players to wander aimlessly in a huge hub area. The text is very small, and there is limited voice work, which is more noticeable with NPCs. The game contains broken English and grammar mistakes, and the overall pace is slower than expected for the genre. Fight locations are repetitive, and changing targets in combat is clunky. The menus, particularly the skills menu, are not user-friendly, and the game lacks cohesion, with missions split in a nonsensical way and a slow pace that detracts from the atmosphere. Stealth mechanics are basic, and camera control is restricted during these sections. Cleared chests still appear on the map, and there are many invisible walls.

In summary, the game offers a mix of good and bad elements. While it boasts decent graphics, a manageable download size, and a variety of gameplay features, it is hindered by poor pacing, clunky controls, and a lack of cohesion. The game may appeal to those looking for a straightforward RPG experience, but it falls short of delivering a polished and engaging adventure.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!