The Legend of Sword and Fairy
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| The Legend of Sword and Fairy | |
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| Developer(s) | Softstar Entertainment Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Softstar Entertainment Inc. |
| Platform(s) | PC: DOS, Windows, Sega Saturn, NES, etc. |
| Release date | Taiwan: 1995 China: 1996 Japan: 1999 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| System requirements | 486 |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a role playing game 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.
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[edit] Names in English
The game is originally named Xianjian Qixia Zhuan (traditional Chinese: 仙劍奇俠傳; simplified Chinese: 仙剑奇侠传; pinyin: xiān jiàn qí xiá zhuàn) by the developer. It was unofficially translated into English titles as such "The Magic Sword and the Chivalrous Youngsters",[1] "Chinese Paladin" or the abbreviated title "PAL". Softstar officially named it "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" upon the release of the sequel.[2]
[edit] Plot
There are many subtle differences between the numerous versions of the game. The plot given here is the PC game versions for Windows 95 and 98.
[edit] Introduction
The protagonist, Li Xiaoyao, lives in a small fishing village on the east coast of China near present day Suzhou. Li has lost his parents at a very young age, and was brought up by his aunt. When Li’s aunt falls ill, Li goes on a quest to seek a rumored fairy maiden on a nearby island for help. This fairy maiden turns out to be Zhao Ling’er, a 16 year-old girl living with her grandmother in a hidden palace on the island. Zhao is initially reluctant to give Li any help, but being an orphan herself, she is deeply touched by Li’s pleas, and spares him some magical medicine.
Li’s aunt recovers successfully after taking the medicine, but Li unknowingly broke the spell concealing the location of Zhao’s residence. As a result, Zhao gets kidnapped. Li frees Zhao from her captors, but the two did not manage to save her grandmother. In her dying breath, grandmother Zhao reveals that Zhao’s mother may still be alive, and pleads Li to protect her dear granddaughter. Back home, Li’s aunt sends Li to take Zhao to find her mother, and formally propose marriage once they do.
[edit] Suzhou and Yangzhou
Li and Zhao arrive at Suzhou. They meet Lin Yueru, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy martial arts master. Li and Lin initially resented each other, but later, through a series of misunderstandings, they end up arranged for marriage. On the eve of the wedding, Zhao disappears. Li sets out to look for her, to the great displeasure of Lin’s father. Lin, however, insists that she accompanies Li.
[edit] Capital City and Mount Shu
Li briefly reunites with Zhao, but they are quickly separated again. With Lin being his companion, Li’s search for Zhao brings them both to Shu Shan (蜀山, Mount Shu) in the Sichuan province. At the summit of the mountain is the martial arts faction Shu Shan Pai (蜀山派, The Clan of Mount Shu), a prestigious and powerful clan, also the guardian of the nearby Suo Yao Ta (锁妖塔, Deomon Locking Tower). Li learns that Zhao is imprisoned within the tower, and rushes in with Lin to rescue her.
Li finds Zhao after a treacherous descent to the bottom layer of the Suo Yao Ta, and learns of her true identity. However, the tower has no exits, so the only way to get out is to destroy it from the inside. As the tower crumbles, the party is struck by a huge stone block. Li and Zhao suffer severe injuries. Lin has her skull shattered, and dies.
[edit] Miao region and the finale
Li and Zhao reach Zhao’s homeland, the Miao region of China, which has been plagued by a prolonged drought. Li befriends A Nu, the daughter of the White Miao Chief, whose nation is at war with the Black Miao fighting for scarce water sources. Zhao, with her power she inherited from the White Miao queen and the aid of several ancient artifacts, successfully calls down a rainstorm and restores peace. However, the natural disaster has been orchestrated by a evil Black Miao cleric, and the characters eventually confront him. After the final battle, Zhao sacrifices herself to destroy the ancient water beast summoned by the cleric.
[edit] Gameplay
The 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. 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.
[edit] Development
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is developed by the Kuang Tu production team (狂徒制作群) of Softstar Entertainment Ltd. with concept work beginning as early as 1991. The group consisted at that time approximately 12 members, some being very young with little experience in game design. The Legend of Sword and Fairy was their first major RPG project. The production manager was Yao Zhuangxian (姚壮宪), who was 22 years old at the time. The game’s music was composed by Lin Kunxin (林坤信), whose most memorable titles include The Butterfly’s Love (蝶恋), Martial Arts Competition for Marriage（比武招亲）, and The Drunken Sword Master（酒剑仙）. Lin Jiawen (林珈汶), an graphics artist on the team, was the major contributor to character portraits and animation. She also enthusiastically participated in the designing of the mazes, but her expertise in that area was limited.[3]
Yao faced some turmoil in his love life during the game design process. This influenced him to integrate his own views of love into the game. [4] At some point, there arose a dispute regarding to the fate of two of the female characters in the end.[5] In the finished game, this matter was intentionally made ambiguous where Lin Yueru is shown standing under a tree in the ending cinematics even though she is supposedly dead. Yao commented that he invested a great deal of feeling into the story, and the unclear ending was meant to leave events open to the players’ imagination. In the years that followed the game’s release in 1995, Yao did not wish to openly address questions regarding the game’s ending.[6]
[edit] Characters
The character descriptions written here are completely in the context of the computer game.
[edit] Li Xiaoyao
Xiaoyao, a Chinese word meaning carefree, exactly describes this character. At the age of 19, he still does not have any sight of his future. Li’s only desire is to become a valiant paladin ridding the world of evil, and this vision fills his daydreams. Li’s meeting with Zhao set him on his adventuring life, during which he matures greatly. During the game, Li serves as a caretaker and protector of the female characters.
In combat, Li excels in striking the enemy with his sword. His magical repertoire is somewhat limited; focusing mainly in offensive spells that deals average damage and support spells that can improve his and his allies’ attack strength.
[edit] Zhao Ling'er
In the game, Zhao is repeatedly subjected to fate’s torment. She fled her homeland at the age of six to escape a evil cleric who later caused the death of both her parents. Having divine lineage, Zhao possesses vast powers greater than any mortal, but for that she got imprisoned in the Demon Locking Tower. With the heavenly endowments come great responsibilities, as Zhao has to overcome even death to do what she is destined to do.
Zhao is the most talented magician among the game’s four main characters. She uses her mastery of the five elements (wind, lightning, ice, fire, and earth) to harm her enemies. She is also the most potent healer in the party. Zhao’s favored weapons are staves, which usually have properties that enhance her magical capabilities. In the early game where she has not yet developed to her full potential, she enters combat dual wielding daggers.
[edit] Lin Yueru
Lin’s father is a rich martial arts master, and her uncle is a powerful government official. As a result, she is very spoiled. However, she does have formidable expertise in martial arts and is very good-natured. Lin takes on a very strong liking for Li and vows not to be married to anyone except for him. Lin joins Li on his various quests simply because she enjoys his company. Lin is also on very good terms with Zhao, there is no rivalry between them for Li’s affection. However, Lin does wonder what Li’s true feelings for her are.
Lin can wield swords in combat, but her truly favored weapon is the whip, which has the special property of being able to strike all enemies at once, dealing damage very efficiently. Her spells is basically an extension of this: dealing damage to all opponents.
[edit] A Nu
A Nu is the daughter of the White Miao chief; therefore, she is also somewhat spoiled and tasted little of life’s hardships. A Nu is very witty and manages to retain a great deal of youthful vigor even when the drought is devastating her homeland. Being only 14 years old, A Nu is the youngest of the game’s four main characters. Due to her age, she does not become as emotionally involved with Li as the two other female characters. Having spent the majority of her life in a time of war, she eagerly wishes to do something to restore peace. With Li and Zhao’s help, this is eventually accomplished.
A Nu’s combat talents are supposedly not yet fully developed because she is so young, but this is not reflected in actual battles. A Nu’s magic differs greatly in style from that of the other three characters. She specializes in using poison and summoning swarms of vermin, which can very effectively deal damage to many of the enemies found in the Miao region. A Nu’s favored weapon is the Miao scimitar, and she can wield staves with less proficiency. Overall, she is a formidable fighter and an invaluable ally in the final battle against the evil Black Miao cleric.
[edit] Reception
The 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 China.
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.[4]
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.[7]
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 became known 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.[8] Minor changes were made to the storyline; and the graphics was greatly improved using better technology. 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.[6]
[edit] Versions of The Legend of Sword and Fairy
[edit] DOS version
First released in 1995, it is often cited as the most successful video game in Taiwan and Mainland China.
[edit] Windows 95/98 version
A re-release for the Windows 95/98 platforms.
[edit] Saturn Version
This is a version designed for game play on Sega Saturn machines.
[edit] New Version
This is a remake of the DOS version, with minimal changes to the original storyline. Two alternate endings are dedicated to the two female protagonists of the story.
Initial release was in 2001, titled in Chinese as Xin Xianjian Qixia Zhuan (traditional Chinese: 新仙劍奇俠傳; simplified Chinese: 新仙剑奇侠传) (The Legend of Sword and Fairy Neo). It was re-released again as the New LSF XP version for the Windows XP platform.
[edit] Sequels and prequels
[edit] The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2
This is a sequel to the original game. The story is set ten years after the ending of the original game. Wang Xiaohu, an eight-year-old kid in Li Xiaoyao's hometown in the original game, has now grown up to become 18 years old. Looking up to Li as a youngster, Wang also dreams of becoming a great hero one day. The second main character in the game is Li Yiru, daughter of Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er. The third main character, Su Mei, who appeared in the New Version of The Legend of Sword and Fairy (as a baby fox with no name), is the daughter of a snake demon and a fox demon. Her parents were killed by Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru in the original game, and Su has sworn to avenge her parents' deaths. The final main character, Shen Qishuang is a new character with no apparent connections with the original game.
After the collapse of the Suo Yao Ta (锁妖塔, The Demon Locking Tower) in the original game, demons roamed unchecked throughout the land of China. Kong Lin, who is the assistant of Mo Zun (魔尊, Dominator of Demons) seeks to retrieve the three precious treasures of the demons. When the three treasures are all put together, they can revive the Mo Zun, and demons will dominate the world.
On the other hand, Wang Xiaohu, who is still dreaming about becoming a great hero someday, inherits his master's treasure: the Mo Dao (魔刀, Blade of Demon) and sets out on his own adventure, where he eventually meets Su Mei, Shen Qishuang and Li Yiru.
A new generation sets foot into the dangerous waters of "the river and lake" (江湖, Jianghu), to discover secrets of their past, to unravel a great conspiracy that threatens the world, and to truly understand the meaning of forgiveness and love.
[edit] The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3
| The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 | |
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| Developer(s) | Softstar Technology (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Softstar Entertainment Inc. |
| Version | 1.4 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date | China: August 4, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
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This is a prequel to the side story game The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3: Proposal and also the original game. Utilizing a 3D game design, it is set approximately 50 years before the start of the original game. There are minor relations to the side story game and the original game. In this chapter, the protagonist starts as a poor servant and later on becomes a rich merchant. He acquires a magical sword in the beginning of the story with a spirit possessed in it. The spirit is a teenage girl Long Kui (actually she died millennia ago) who may change her characteristics suddenly. Continuing his journey with the sword, he meets Xue Jian, another teenage girl from the rich city of Tang. She travels with them and continuously passing uncountable obstacles.
Multiple endings were first introduced into The Legend of Sword and Fairy series in this game. One thing worth mentioning is that the sequel of this game, The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3: Proposal picks up 8 years after the "Perfect Ending".
The five kinds of ending are:
- Long Kui Ending: Xue Jian runs into a pit of fire carrying the useless sword into a powerful sword. Jing Tian fights with Chong Lou and loses. Jing Tian lives with Long Kui in the end.
- Xue Jian Ending: Same as Long Kui, walks to the pit of fire carrying a useless sword, preventing Xue Jian from making contact with her, she jumps down the fire pit and becomes powerful again. Jing Tian fights with Chong Lou and loses. Jing Tian lives with Xue Jian in the end.
- Zi Xuan Ending: Chong Lou saves Zi Xuan and in doing so loses his powers. Jing Tian settles in the same village as Zi Xuan.
- Hua Ing Ending: Chong Lou and Jing Tian make a promise to fight 19 years later. Hua Ing follows Jing Tian and they travel together.
- Perfect Ending: Jing Tian fights Chong Lou, and wins. Chong Lou brings the other girl to life and the three of them live together in Jing Tian's new pawnshop. This is the ending where the sequel, the Legend of Sword and Fairy 3: The Proposal (仙劍奇俠傳三外傳: 問情篇) picks up eight years later.
[edit] The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3: The Proposal
This is the prequel to the first game of the series. Set after the war between Jing Tian (The protagonist of the 3rd game of the series) and the Guard of Hell Chong Lou. This side story of the third game takes place a few decades later. In this game, many questions are answered from the first game. Also, the father of the original game appears in the beginning with the protagonist of the game and a few times later on. This, however, still left many questions to be answered in the end.
The story then goes on where the main character of the story, nan gong huang appears in a town wanting to get a pot of wine for his friend. However, he doesn't have any money on him and while he walks, he saw the crowd around a man with a cage which locked a pink peach-shaped fairy. Nan gong huang then finds out that this man is tricking people's money and accidentally, the man left the cage behind. Nan gong huang then apporaches the fairy and set it free. And this fairy is later found out to be one of the main characters, wong feng xu. After setting the fairy free, nan gong huang meets with the violent wen hui and befriends with her for a journey up to a mountain where a clan of well-known sword-fighters train- shu shan. The story then goes on with the three of them. After a long travel, the characters meets xing xuan who later we find out in the game is the elder brother of nan gong huang.
There are three possible endings for this game. The wong feng xu ending; the wen hui ending and the perfect ending. However, to get the different endings, players need to achieve certain things. For the perfect ending for example, players need to use the wu ling lun for 360 times in battle. In this ending, wong feng xu saves nan gong huang's deadly poison by using her thousand years of training which turns her back to the fairy for another few years. And all the characters and nan gong huang's stepfather live toghter at the end.
[edit] The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4
Released on August 1 2007 in both Taiwan and Mainland China. Besides the classical Shu Shan Pai (Shu Mountain Sect) of the original game, a new martial arts faction, the Qiong Hua Pai, situated in the Kunlun Mountains in the far west of China is introduced in the game.
[edit] Spin-offs
[edit] Xianjian Kezhan (The Xianjian Inn)
A restaurant management simulation game released in 2001. The story is based on the original Chinese Paladin game.
[edit] Chinese Paladin Online
A new MMORPG is in the making and to be released in Winter 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Popular Title [1]
- ^ The English name is used officially in the game The Legend of Sword and Fairy 2.
- ^ 《仙剑奇侠传》铸造者：狂徒传说 太平洋电脑网
- ^ a b c 游戏《仙剑》中的主角让玩家们魂牵梦绕 南方网
- ^ 一些当年仙剑的内部资料和狂徒内部的灵月战争 第十艺术公社
- ^ a b 永恒仙剑怀旧专题 TOM游戏
- ^ 仙剑奇侠传 太平洋游戏网
- ^ 新仙剑奇侠传 百度百科
[edit] External links
- (Chinese) Official The Legend of Sword and Fairy website
- (Chinese) Softstar's website
- (English) Zhao Ling'er and Li Xiao Yao Fansite
- (English) Xian Jian English Forum
- (English) Xian Jian series at MobyGames
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