Sword and Fairy: Collectively Eternally is a simple motion RPG primarily based on Chinese language mythology. It is the newest instalment in Taiwan-based developer Softstar’s lengthy working Sword and Fairy sequence, and by way of presentation and general tone, there’s quite a bit to love concerning the recreation. However in terms of truly taking part in by means of this 30-hour or so journey, style lovers could also be left feeling unfulfilled.
The title’s very linear in construction because the plot whisks you from one remoted location to the following. Some bigger environments enable for exploration, however there’s little to find outdoors of by-the-numbers aspect quests and further fight encounters. And this can be a little bit of an issue, since you’ll spend most of your time in Collectively Eternally both watching cutscenes or listening to prolonged conversations between characters. Certainly, the gameplay (that’s, the fight and exploration) to non-interactive scene ratio is closely weighted in direction of the latter, typically to the purpose the place it nearly feels such as you’re watching a film.
To be truthful, among the cutscenes are reasonably spectacular. It is clear that lots of effort and time has been put into telling a cinematic story, full with some wonderful choreography and spectacular course. It is only a disgrace that such flamboyance seemingly comes on the expense of longer gameplay eventualities. One early portion of the title is a main instance, by which you are offered with a boss battle that lasts round 30 seconds, and it is bookended by cutscenes that stretch over 5 minutes every manner.
It is a pacing situation that begins to grate, as a result of Sword and Fairy’s fight system is fairly enjoyable — fundamental, however gratifying. It is constructed round your commonplace mild and heavy assaults, tied to a beneficiant dodge button and particular methods. Character animations are elegant, motion is responsive, and the enemy designs are typically implausible — however for those who’re an motion aficionado, you will most likely discover all of it a contact too straightforward, even on the sport’s hardest problem setting.
As talked about, that dodge button is extremely evasive, and you will see your foe’s assaults coming from a mile away. There have been solely a few encounters all through the complete recreation that gave us hassle, and even then, we had been so stocked on therapeutic objects that any incoming harm was of little consequence. Now, we’re not saying that simpler fight techniques are unhealthy, however given the title’s gameplay imbalance, we predict that extra demanding encounters might have gone a great distance.
Having stated that, unlocking new strikes and watching your heroes lay waste to monsters continues to be a spotlight of the expertise. Every occasion member has their very own combating model — which helps hold issues recent — and determining one of the best methods to utilise your skills provides you one thing to consider when the enemies themselves do not pose a lot of a menace.
As a result of Sword and Fairy’s largely enjoyable fight is compelled to take a backseat, you’ll hope that the sport’s story goes above and past — however it’s annoyingly hit or miss. There isn’t any doubt that its finest moments come from its principal characters, and the relationships that they forge. Specifically, the romantically-tinged interactions between outgoing teenage spirit maiden Yue and aloof deity warrior Xiu Wu are endearing from starting to finish. There’s good character chemistry right here, and it is usually explored in charmingly comedic vogue.
It is admittedly harder to care concerning the general plot, regardless that its origins are rooted in intriguing delusion and legend. Issues aren’t fairly proper within the human realm, with highly effective demons trying to upset the peace, and it is right down to Yue and the gang to type the whole lot out. It is predictable stuff, each in premise and execution, though there are a few plot factors that had us surprisingly hooked in direction of the tip.
There may be one huge drawback with Collectively Eternally’s storytelling, although — and it isn’t essentially the sport’s fault. Certainly, the English localisation is not good. The translated script is commonly awkwardly written, with damaged English and odd phrases making dialogue tough to learn and perceive (the sport’s voiced in Chinese language, it must be famous). Even menu textual content may be poorly put collectively, creating a wierd state of affairs the place you are studying English, however the that means would not actually register. To be clear, a lot of the script is serviceable, however such a text-heavy title, full with likeable characters, deserves quite a bit higher than this.
Conclusion
Sword and Fairy: Collectively Eternally will not fulfill everybody. Motion lovers will probably be disenchanted in how underutilised the fight system is, and people on the lookout for a lovingly crafted story should abdomen an particularly poor English localisation. However even with its apparent flaws, Collectively Eternally has plain attraction in its endearing characters and stylish presentation. An enjoyably breezy RPG, for those who can hold your expectations in verify.
