{"id":1655799,"date":"2026-08-05T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sWvpwpg8s8SqjEoxwmvwYm"},"modified":"2026-08-05T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:00:00","slug":"the-next-game-in-a-huge-chinese-action-rpg-series-has-plenty-of-action-but-i-hope-it-hasnt-totally-abandoned-the-rpg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-next-game-in-a-huge-chinese-action-rpg-series-has-plenty-of-action-but-i-hope-it-hasnt-totally-abandoned-the-rpg\/","title":{"rendered":"The next game in a huge Chinese action RPG series has plenty of action, but I hope it hasn’t totally abandoned the RPG"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you remember the trailer for that gorgeous Chinese action game at this year’s Summer Game Fest? No, not Blood Message<\/a>. And not Phantom Blade Zero, which showed up at Sony’s State of Play<\/a>. I’m talking about Swords of Legends, which featured a boss fight against a flying magician whose body happens to be an ornate rug. I’ve played it, and it’s every bit the lavish, Unreal Engine 5 rendition of Chinese mythology and folklore it appears to be. Five years ago this game would’ve floored me\u2014but here in 2026, it’s instead made me a little apprehensive about the influence Black Myth Wukong is likely having on the upcoming wave of big-budget Chinese games.<\/p>\n

You wouldn’t know it from the name if you don’t speak Chinese, but Swords of Legends is the sequel to Gujian 3, a 2018 RPG in a series beloved in China long before Black Myth Wukong made a seismic impact on the country’s game industry. The Gujian games started out as turn-based, Final Fantasy-esque RPGs before leaning more heavily into action with each sequel (as Final Fantasy has done, itself). When PC Gamer contributor Kerry Brunskill covered the first Gujian<\/a>, they did what most of us do when writing about an RPG: focus on the characters and story.<\/p>\n

“All six members of your playable party consistently contradict the obvious pigeonholes lesser tales would leave them stuck within forever,” Kerry wrote. “If you\u2019ve got the time for it\u2014and you might not have\u2014Gu Jian\u2019s leisurely pace exudes confidence in its world building, the closest accessible equivalent perhaps being Falcom\u2019s Trails of\u2026 series; you feel these extended scenes and the endless spread of ancillary characters are included because they enrich the setting and everyone living within it. To the game\u2019s credit these details really are important and over time numerous plot threads weave into one beautiful tapestry, your own shock as everything falls into place as strong as the reactions found in any of the cast.”<\/p>\n

By contrast, I couldn’t tell you the name of the beautiful-but-generic character I played in the demo for the new Swords of Legends. The first thing I did was fight a giant bull named Ox-Head, who called me “boss;” defeating him in a tutorial battle turned him into a summonable sidekick I could call in when I needed help against a tough enemy. I welcomed the help, but had to wonder how much of a role he’ll play in the story. Does he have quests? Can he talk with other characters, or change his opinion of me based on any decisions I make? <\/p>\n