Sword of Xuan Yuan
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Sword of Xuan Yuan refers to a series of Chinese computer role-playing game developed by DOMO group of Softstar, Inc. These games are based on pre-history Chinese mythology, as well as history-based storylines around Qin Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, etc.
In the time beyond record of history, the Sword of Xuan Yuan (Xuan Yuan Jian, 軒轅劍 in trad. Chinese, or simply the Sword in the game) is created by Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor of ancient Chinese to defend ancient Chinese against darklord Chi You and his evil empire. After Chi You was killed by the Sword, thus started the five-thousand-year-long history of Chinese, and the Sword was passed by from Huang Di to heroes alike to continue to defend the nation against evil. Due to its great power, however, ambitious would-be emperors and evil warlords often sought the Sword to further their own end.
There is also the Pot of Evil-Refining, (Rien Iou Hu, 鍊妖壺 in trad. Chinese, or simply the Pot) created by the goddess Nüwa to cleanse the world. Living in the Pot is the god Pot Lord, whose specialty is to combine whatever evil threw into the pot, and transmute them into harmless creatures or items that benefits the world.
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[edit] History
[edit] Sword of Xuan Yuan I
In the beginning of the world, the goddess Nüwa created two genere of intelligent life: those of Man, and those of Monster, who warred with each other all the time. The Sword was created by Men in an attempt to end the everlasting war. Led by a single heroic figure, Xuan Yuan Jian Sha (軒轅劍俠, Crusader of the Sword, or simply the Crusader) who wielded the Sword, the War Between Men and Monsters ended with both sides suffered heavy casualties. Seventeen years later, the main character, Ho Ren (何然), a young discipline of Sheanshu (仙術, sorcery left his mentor, into the aftermathed world of China to carve future of his own.
The first game of the series, Xuan Yuan Jian I was also Softstar's first RPG product, released in 1990. The storyline in this game did not based on any certain period of actual history, the cultural and people beard a semblance that was mid-1500 ancient Chinese. All these materials were presented in a Dragon Quest-like game rule and interface. Players started the game as a youthful good-for-nothing level 1 character, in a poor village that offered little else than most basic equipments. The wilderness was filled with monsters that players must kill to gain experience levels, thus enable them to proceed to other areas, and thus proceed the plot.
The game featured standard VGA 16-colored 640x480 screen, complete with party-members, round-based combat, full-screen sprite animation, various monsters, Chinese-styled AdLb music, sound effects, animated spell effects, as well as full Chinese interface, which was a great hit in Taiwan's computer game market at that period.
[edit] Sword of Xuan Yuan II
[edit] Story
In the end of the first game, Ho Ren, together with the Ranger Yang Kunshuo (楊坤碩), and the young sorceress Jian Ruhong (江如虹), defeated the dreaded incarnation of Flaming Phoenix (火鳳凰) who has kidnapped, spellbound, and enslaved Jian Ruhong, and traveled forward to find Ho Ren's parents, as well as seeking the identity of the true leader of the Monsters, one who was being called the Wicked God(惡神).
[edit] Features
Although the second game, many key features of the game series started from this game. It was set in 320x240 256 colored screen ( in the once-popular VGA X-mode). In-game artworks such as scenes, monsters, character portraits, items were fashioned in Chinese painting style.
[edit] Pot of Evil-Refining
Another key feature is the Pot system. Not long after the beginning of the game, the Pot of Evil-Refining was acquired, which has two functional ability :
- Suck in whatever creatures encountered in battle, with limits:
- Cannot suck in creatures that have higher experience level than player, and those creatures whose level are close to the players must be wounded first before they can be imprisoned.
- Only creatures encountered in randomly occurred battles (wilderness, dungeons, etc.) can be sucked in. Bosses, big or small, human and some mechanical enemies cannot be sucked in.
- Sucked creatures are treated as items, visible in players inventory. Summoning those creature is done by "using" the "item", with a stamina point cost.
- Transmute power. A player can choose any two items, be it normal objects or suched creatures, and transmute them to a new creature. The outcome creature may be a total rare and more powerful one that is impossible for play to caught in battle.
[edit] The Sword
In the battle against the final boss (the Pot Lord himself), the Crusader appears, and gives the Sword to the players. The manifestation of the Sword in this game is a weapon with highest damage, and its slashing stroke is a huge tearing of lightning.
[edit] "Dance of Maple Leaves"
The first "LEGEND" style sequel, the story of Dance of the Maple Leaves (楓之舞) was based on the Warring States Period. The Sword fell into the hand of the political radical, Shu Santzu(蜀桑子). The main character Fu Tzuche (輔子徹) is a young follower of Mohism, and is also an expert in mechanical engineering, especially concerning Chi Guan Ren (機關人), man-sized robots or golems powered by small beasts. Chi Guan Rens were originally developed for war, but the knowledge was hidden later for the fear of being misused. In some way, Shu Santzu had re-discovered this technology, and had developed a large robot army for his own end. Hearing this news, Mozi sent Fu Tzuche to investigate, and if possible, to stop Shu.
Being the first game in the series to have connection with real world history, Dance of the Maple Leaves inherited most of the previous game's interface, arts, and battle system, with subtle modifications, and wrapped with new plot. More realistic ancient war machines were made alive, while both historical figures such as Mozi, Lu Ban, Sun Bin, can be encountered in the game.
As were the cases with most LEGEND games in the series, players do not have the chance to wield the Sword. In this game the Sword is in Shu Sangtzu's possession, and is used against players. In the final battle, Shu will use a move called Xuan Yuan Jian Fa(軒轅劍法), which would cause serious damage to all party members.
[edit] "Beyond Clouds and Mountains"
Several hundred years later, the story of the Sword occurred in the West, whereas this time the main character was a mix-blooded French knight named Septem(賽特), lieutenant to Pippin the Younger. The strangeness about Septem was that he was born with pupils of different color, one blue and the other brown. He also beared heirlooms, an eastern-styled pottery, which is actually the Pot of Evil-Refining. Due to his rather mysterious (or some other lieutenants under Pippin the Young would say, "unpure") heritage, Septem was not very found of by his peers. Pippin himself, however, favored Septem, and gave him his first knightly-sacred quest: Go to the East, and find the secret of the way to achieve Absolute Victory. During the journey, an imp from the West named Nicole(妮可) joined the party, as an undercover sent by Satan. Her mission was to awake Septem's memory in his past life, which is the Angel of Darkness, Satan's most trusted ally. The hindunism twin-spirits, Kama and Ankh, as well as Li Jing(李靖), a Chinese deity, will also join the party. After the party reaches China, they discovered Satan real plan: permanently alter the world by using the Reversed-Mandala Structure (反曼陀螺陣). The party is to stop Satan himself.
The Sword in this game, after absorbing the energy of Heaven and the Earth for several hundred years, had become a sentient being. Its avatar is a tall, thin, sharp-boned old man, with the flowings, with the outfitting robes of ancient Chinese officer, and with an air of cold wisdom. The Scabbard of the Sword is manifested as a child with the bearing eternal curiosity. When certain condition are met, the Scabbard Kid will join the party as an item that can be used to cast attack spells. The Sword Lord will become a similar item after acquired in the later part of the game, and will become a wieldable weapon only when players stand right in front of the entrance to the Anti-Mandala Structure, before the final boss. Beside its high damage, with the Sword in hand, Septem also regenerates hitpoint, mana, and vitality every rounds.
The game uses Active Time Battle in combat, an unusual step in Chinese RPGs. The refining system in this game is modified so that it has two tiers of items (one eastern and one western) to refine.
Due to the unusual plot, one criticism is that this game is too western to be Chinese style.
[edit] "Scar in the Heaven"
Set in the era of Sui Dynasty, 150 years earlier then Sword of Xuan Yuan 3, this game intended to cover the starts of several loose threads in Sword of Xuan Yuan 3.
The main character is a teenager Chen Jing Chou(陈靖仇), the only royal descendant from the then decimated Chen Dynasty. The final attempt for counterattack from Chens several years ago Chen Jing Chou was born, where several thousands strong army was congregated, was single-handedly destroyed by a young general of Sui, Yu Wen Tou(宇文拓), who wielded the Sword better than any in the history.
Living in a time rule by the killers of his family, Chen Jing Chou has been educated by his mentor, Chen Fu, that life is "nothing but revenge". In their journey to acquire the Mirror of Kunlun, one of the Power Ten Ancient Artifacts[1]
Taotie was released from a fake Mirror. In order to protect Jing Chou, Fu has trapped himself with Taotie using Silk of Ice spell, and instructed Jing Chou embark at once to find a way to save him, as well as finding informations concerning other Artifacts.
Jing Chou later was later joined by Xiao-Shjie(小雪) the white haired girl showing unusual magic potential, the Göktürks blooded Chang Lei(張烈), and [2], Chang's sister in law Tuoba Jade(拓拔玉兒). During their expedition in collecting the Artifacts, they spied several Blood Rituals of a Million Soul, rites conducted by Yu Wen Tou, which involved the killing of a million soul, and gather the essence their blood into a single Blood Pearl. This greatly enraged the party, but Yu Wen Tou was too strong an enemy to be confronted. Thus they began to spy on Tou's army, hamper his every effort to collect the Blood Pearls, and was even helped by Tou's political rival in the palace, a young countess named Guodo Ningko(獨孤寧珂), who also wished to collect all the artifacts.
Eventually, their plan failed, and Xiao-Shjie was held as an hostage by Tou in exchange of the Artifacts that Jing Chou's party had collected namely the Ding of Shennong, the Seal of Congtong, the Axe of Pangu, the Stone of Nüwa, and the Mirror of Kunlun. Jing Chou complied, yet Tou discarded the Stone and the mirror, proclaiming that he himself was actually the human manifestation of the Mirror of Kunlun. Xiao-Shjie refused to leave with Jing Chou, stating that she will stay and help Tou's project. Losing all hope, Tou gave up and stayed with his saved mentor.
This did not bode well with Ningko, who were actually a demonlord from the Western pantheon. The time era she appeared was calculated to be within the time a demonic star named Tze Guang (赤貫)passing through China, thus opening a rift allowing demons from the West for invasion. Tou somehow knew the consequence of the star, thus set out to collect five of the Artifacts in order to seal the rift the meteor would cause. However, several of the five Artifacts required for the Ritual of Mendind has been out of reach. Ningko proposed to replace these with Blood Pearls, the rebuild of the Tower of Babel, and a Pentagram. In order to save the China world, using his power, his riches and his relation with the Emperor Yang, Tou managed to accomplish these against his moral codes. In the process Tou also recognized that Xiao-Shjie was actually the avatar of the Stone of Nuwa, thus he told her his plan and convinced her to stay.
Naturally, Ningko cannot allow the Ritual to be cast. Thus she once again manipulated Jing Chou through treachery by murdering Jade, and left the blame on Xiao-Shje and Tou. With burning rage, Jing Chou's party managed to kill their way up the Tower of Babel, where they were beaten once again by Tou. Ningko appeared then and seized Xiao-Shje as hostage to divert Tou's attention. At this moment Jing Chou leaped forward and severed Tou's arm. Ningko then revealed her true demon form, and magically imprisoned Tou. Unable to mend the sky, the China world fell into Satan's rule.
Days later, with the instruction of the now immortal Ho Ren and Gou Yue Sheng, Jing Chou's lots successfully collected back the Artifacts from Ningko's handmaidens in the bloodied world, then rushed the Tower again. They beat Ningko in her demonic glory, and rescued Tou. Having Artifacts at hand, Jing Chou's invoked the Ritual of Reversal (which is also named the Ritual of Loss, 失卻之陣)at the top of Tower of Babel, which, utilizing the power of Tou as the avatar the Mirror of Kunlun, reversed the time and bring the party back to the moment prior to the passing of Tze Guang.
This done, they then invoked the Ritual of Trespass(also called the Ritual of Babel), sending them above the sky, and arrive at Tze Guang itself. At the heart of the meteor, where Mastero Guo prepared to cast the Ritual of Sealing, the then-alive Ningko appeared. Not knowing that her plan has been known, she intended to continue her deception, yet a fight eventually ensued, and Ningko yielded. She said that her wish was to return to her homeland, and to "love her love". Mastero Guo stated that was naturally impossible due to her demonic nature, and put her soul into the Koto of Fu Hsi(伏羲琴) for cleansing.
One moment prior to their leaving, Chen Fu saw that Jing Chou standing side by side with Tou, his supposed archenemy, who he hated with all his life. Ningko exploited this by giving Chen Fu the Fruit of Satan. By consuming it, Chen Fu suddenly possessed the strength and the power of Satan himself, his hate magnified a thousandfold. Chen Fu soon arrived at the heart of Tze Guang and starting destroying. As a finality, Jing Chou's band have no choice but to kill Chen Fu to save the world.
Several decades later, Ningko were reborn as Nicole, while Septem was the descendant of Tou, which can be seem from his eye.
Magic system is revamped in this game. All magics now belong to one of the five elements in Chinese mythology.
[edit] "The Black Dragon Dances, and the Cloud Flows"
"The Black Dragon Dances, and the Cloud Flows" is the fourth game of the main series. The game is presented in 3D, both in environment and in combat. "It's the first time that this game presents in 3D, and this makes a lot of arguments between players. A lot of players insist that Sword of Xuan Yuan should be a 2D-game so that it can express the style well. But also there are some supporters who like this evolution.
[edit] "Billows of the Bleak"
The introduction begins at the Battle of Fei River, a war between Former Qin and Eastern Jin. It ended up with Eastern Jin surrendered to Former Qin. Former Qin merged with Eastern Jin and united the whole China.
About one thousand years from Battle of Fei River ago, a girl called Che Yun (車芸) invented a mechanic fox named Yunhu (雲狐).
[edit] List of Sword of Xuan Yuan Titles
- Original Sagas
- Sword of Xuan Yuan (軒轅劍)(1990)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan II (軒轅劍貳)(1994)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan III : Beyond Clouds and Mountains (軒轅劍參:雲和山的彼端)(1999)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan IV : The Black Dragon Dances, and the Cloud Flows (軒轅劍肆:黑龍舞兮雲飛揚)(2002)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan V (軒轅劍伍:一劍凌雲山海情)(2006)
- Legends
- Sword of Xuan Yuan II (Legend): Dance of Maple Leaves (軒轅劍外傳:楓之舞)(1995)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan III (Legend): Scar in the Heaven (軒轅劍參外傳:天之痕)(2001)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan IV (Legend): Billows of the Bleak (軒轅劍外傳:蒼之濤)(2004)
- Other
- Sword of Xuan Yuan RTS : Legend of Evil Cleansing (軒轅伏魔錄)(2001)
- Sword of Xuan Yuan Online MMORPG (軒轅劍網路版)(2002)
[edit] References/Notes
- ^ 『鐘劍斧壺塔,琴鼎印鏡石』, thus Bell, Sword, Axe, Pot, and Tower, Koto, Ding, Seal, Mirror, and Stone.
- ^ Chang Lei, 張烈, Göktürks blooded warlord from the novel 虯髯客傳, by 杜光庭.