Is an action RPG developed by Taiwan's Softstar Entertainment.
It is based on the Wuxia genre in a fantasy and medieval setting.
With the first of the series released in 1995, the game became one
of the most successful video game franchises in both Taiwan and Mainland China.ReceptionThe Legend of Sword and Fairy is praised to be the pioneer of Chinese RPG.
It has deeply affected a whole generation of Chinese, and established a particular
Chinese style of story-telling and maze-running RPG. Many Chinese consider it to be
one of the most classical RPG games ever made.
In the first month following the game’s release in Taiwan, The Legend of Sword and Fairy
sold over 100000 copies. Sales reached 350000 copies in mainland China a month after the
game’s release there. The game’s sales totaled about 2 million copies, but as many as 20 million
copies may be in circulation due to piracy.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy won numerous awards. The game was recognized in 1995 by the Best
Role Playing Game award from CEM STAR magazine and the Golden Bag Game award (游戏类金袋奖) from KING TITLE.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy was also on the top of the Best PC Game List of the New Gaming Era (新游戏时代)
magazine until October 1996, for 14 consecutive months; and topped the “My Favorite Singleplayer PC Game”
list in the People’s Software (大众软件) magazine for ten years.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is best characterized as a very memorable tragedy. Its plot, especially the
ending, has moved many players to tears.[4] Zhao Ling’er’s death and the question of whether or not
Lin Yueru was successfully revived have fuelled an abundance of forum discussions and fan fiction.
Yao Zhuangxian (Johnson Yao) became reputed as “The Father of Xianjian”, and many players reverently refer
to him as “Yao Xian”, or Fairy Yao.
Due to popular demand, the Kuang Tu production team released New Legend of Sword and Fairy in 2001.
Minor changes were made to the storyline; and the graphics was greatly improved using better technology
(new visual effcts, reproduced music, some additional storyline details, etc.). The most significant and
most requested addition was two new hidden endings. The game’s success eventually led to the creation of
the subsequent titles in the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, even somewhat against Yao’s wishes.
Introduction:The protagonist, 19 year old Li Xiaoyao, lives in a small fishing village on the east coast of
China near present-day Suzhou. Li lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his aunt.
When Li's aunt falls ill, Li embarks on a quest to seek a legendary fairy, who lives on a nearby
island, for help. The fairy is called Zhao Ling'er, a 16 year old maiden who lives with her grandmother
in a hidden palace on the island. Initially, Zhao is reluctant to help Li, but being an orphan herself
as well, she is touched by Li's pleas and gives him some magical medicine. Due to many events on the
island after Li receives the medicine, he marries Zhao. He promises to return after he brings the medicine
back to his aunt, and bids Zhao farewell for now.
After Li gives his aunt the medication, he faints and loses his memory of the last 2 days, thus forgetting
his trip to the island completely. He loses his memory because he was given a memory-loss pill before he
left to the island by a guy who was planning to penetrate Zhao's island. Li's aunt recovers, and forgets
that she was sick as well. However, Li had already unknowingly broken the spell concealing the location of
the palace during his journey there. Zhao's enemies break into the palace and kidnap her after a bloody
battle. Li finds Zhao and saves her. He does not remember her but promises to help her return to the island
and help the people remaining there. The duo returns to the palace to save her grandmother but fail to do
so. With her dying breath, Zhao's grandmother reveals that Zhao's mother may still be alive and entrusts
her granddaughter to Li's care. When they return home, Li's aunt finds out about Li's marriage with Zhao
from Ling'er, and thus tells her nephew to take Zhao together with him to find Zhao's mother. Li's aunt's
plan is that when Li finds Zhao's mother, he will ask her for Zhao's hand in marriage, and be married
officially. She has no idea that Li Xiaoyao does not remember Zhao. The two of them set off on their journey.
GameplayThe player guides the characters through southern China in landscapes consisting of cities, mazes, and wilderness. The game has no overland map; entry points to subsequent locations can always be found on the current location’s screen. The storyline is mostly linear. Once the player completes the quest associated with a particular location, there is usually no reason to return (In most cases, return is impossible, as either the entrance is destroyed or you travel to the new location via a game mechanic). Hidden items and quests are available, but they do not affect the story’s progression.
When the characters engage in combat, they are taken to a separate combat screen. Battles are purely turn based. Certain ability scores of the combatants determine which party acts first, and then actions alternate between the player characters and the enemies. The actions taken during battles mainly consist of normal attacks and casting spells. The players may also defend, throw and use items, and steal from the enemies. Once the appropriate equipment is obtained, the player may also capture monsters to later turn them into beneficial items. The magic system contains the five elements of wind, lightning, ice, fire, and earth, which form the descriptors for the offensive spells, each type able to counter another. There are also spells of no elemental type, such as Li’s Wan Jian Jue (incantation of ten thousand swords).
The player’s equipment is primarily upgraded through treasures gained in mazes and acquisition from shops. Defeating monsters usually make negligible contributions to the player’s inventory, but it is the primary source of money. Healing and combat support items can be made from captured monsters as well as bought. Using poisonous insects known as Gu as raw material, the player may also manufacture various offensive poisons.
CharactersThe character descriptions provided here are in the context of the game.
* Li Xiaoyao (李逍遙) - Li's given name Xiaoyao means "carefree" and best describes his character. At the age of 19, Li still does not have any plans for his future. His only ambition is to become a valiant paladin ridding the world of evil. This vision fills his daydream. His meeting with Zhao Ling'er marks the start of his adventures, during which he gradually becomes more mature. Throughout the game, Li plays the role of a caretaker and protector of the female characters. In combat, Li Xiaoyao excels in attacking enemies with a sword. His magical repertoire is somewhat limited. They comprise mainly offensive spells which deal average damage and support spells which improve attacking strength.
Li Xiaoyao's love interest is an often disputed subject. Whether he truly loved Zhao Ling'er or Lin Yueru is the main argument among players. Some claim that his love for Zhao comes from responsibility more than love, and some disagree to this statement. In the game, it was never brought up, and it is assumed that Li Xiaoyao truly loved both of them and wished to be with them forever. A Nu was more like a younger sister to him, she fell for him, but he never developed a love interest in her.
* Zhao Ling'er (趙靈兒) - Throughout the game, Zhao is subjected to fate's torment repeatedly. At the age of 6, she flees her homeland to escape from an evil cleric who caused the death of her mother. Of divine lineage, Zhao possesses powers greater than any mortal. She is imprisoned in the Demon Prison Tower for that reason. With heavenly endowments come great responsibilities, so Zhao has to overcome all, including death, to do as her destiny wills. Zhao Ling'er is the best magician amongst the four main characters. She uses her mastery of the five elements (wind, lightning, ice, fire and earth) to attack enemies. She is also the most potent healer in the party. Zhao's favoured weapons are staffs, which usually have properties to enhance her magical powers. In the early parts of the game, when she has not yet developed her full potential, she uses a pair of daggers in combat.
* Lin Yueru (林月如) - Lin is the daughter of a rich martial artist and the niece of a powerful government official. As a result, she was spoilt by her family. However, her expertise in martial arts is still quite formidable and she is still good-natured despite her temper. Lin takes on a strong liking for Li Xiaoyao and she vows to marry only him. Lin follows Li on his adventures mainly due to the reason that she enjoys his company. Li is also on good terms with Zhao Ling'er and there is no rivalry between them for Li's affection. Lin uses a pair of swords in combat, but her favoured weapon is a whip. As such, she can strike all enemies at the same time and cause damage very efficiently. Her spells are basically an extension of this property, as they deal damage to all enemies in one single hit.
* A Nu (阿奴) - A Nu is the daughter of the king of the White Miao. She is also somewhat spoilt like Lin Yueru and had tasted little of hardships. A Nu is witty and manages to retain a great deal of youthful vigour despite the drought which plagues her homeland. At 14 years of age, A Nu is the youngest of the four main characters. She does not get emotionally involved with Li Xiaoyao as the other two female characters as she is still too young. Having spent most of her life in times of war, A Nu eagerly wishes to do something to restore peace. A Nu's combat abilities are supposedly not yet fully developed as she is too young. However, this is not reflected in actual battles. A Nu's magic differs largely in style compared to the others. She specialises in the use of poison and summoning swarms of vermin to cause great damage to enemies in the Miao region. A Nu's favoured weapon is the Miao scimitar and she wields staffs with less proficiency.