Redemption of Liuyin

I went in with mild skepticism and came out genuinely surprised. Redemption of Liuyin is the third entry in kingnagame's Ryukyu Hidden series, a Chinese indie lineage that nobody in Western gaming press has bothered to cover properly, and that quiet obscurity is part of its strange charm. The world draws from ancient Chinese mythology and wuxia sensibilities, dropping you into a crumbling fortress haunted by monsters, corrupt rulers, and the chaos unleashed by spirit-stone fragments everyone is killing each other to possess. It is a small world, but it has weight to it. The combat is the real argument for buying this. The design philosophy is blunt: attack, or lose. Hesitation gets you killed. Players coming from Sekiro will find the rhythm familiar but noticeably faster, and the stylish combo system pulls it closer to something like Devil May Cry in its flashier moments. You chain melee weapons into active skills, read enemy openings, and stay in constant motion through dodge-heavy skirmishes. A rope dart mechanic surfaces mid-game and adds welcome range and flow variation. The order in which you tackle challenges actually affects story outcomes and rewards, which gives replay incentive beyond just seeing the alternate endings. Community feedback flags the dodge and parry inputs as awkward on controller by default, and the skill menu ships with untranslated Chinese text in spots, which is a real friction point for players who cannot read it. Those are genuine rough edges, not nitpicks. Where the game earns quiet admiration is in its atmosphere. The 3D ancient-style aesthetic is not aiming for Black Myth: Wukong production values and it should not be judged against them. What kingnagame builds instead is a specific kind of handcrafted density, darkly lit fortress corridors, monster designs rooted in Chinese folklore, and a narrative that unfolds across multiple endings in ways that reward patience. The game is well-optimized for what it is, which matters more than it sounds for a small-team indie. Some players have noted the opening feels stiff, and the animation work has rough moments, but those imperfections read less like neglect and more like the natural grain of a developer growing in ambition with each installment. This is not a game for people who want polish over personality. If you have never touched the Ryukyu Hidden series, this entry works as a standalone entry point to the world. If you are a wuxia-curious player who enjoys offense-forward action and has the patience for a UI that occasionally shows its indie seams, Redemption of Liuyin offers something genuinely worth the time. The multiple endings add meaningful structural value, and the community reception sits solidly positive, which for a zero-marketing Chinese indie on Steam is a meaningful signal.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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