Xuan-Yuan Sword VII

Xuan-Yuan Sword VII is an action RPG developed by SOFTSTAR and set within a world layered with Chinese history and mythology. You play as Taishi Zhao, a composed and duty-bound swordsman pulled into a spiraling conflict that threatens the people he loves. The premise is genuinely compelling, and for players who have little prior exposure to wuxia-inflected storytelling in games, the setting alone offers something refreshing. This is not another European fantasy retread. The lore draws on real historical periods and mythological traditions that most Western RPGs never touch, and that novelty carries weight through the early hours. The combat is action-oriented and built around a core loop of light attacks, heavy attacks, and a Resonance system that lets Taishi channel different supernatural abilities tied to collected souls. Swapping between soul resonances mid-fight adds a layer of tactical thinking, since certain enemy types respond better to specific ability sets. It is not deep enough to satisfy players who want Dark Souls-level mechanical rigor, but it is more than button-mashing. The problem is that the system plateaus fairly quickly. By the midgame you have probably settled into one or two comfortable resonance loadouts and stopped experimenting, because the incentive to diversify never really arrives. Build variety exists on paper; it just does not hold up with the same pressure past the first dozen hours. Narrative is where the game earns its most sincere praise and its most pointed criticism at the same time. Taishi Zhao as a protagonist is measured and likable, and the family-driven emotional core gives the story a grounding that epic-scale RPGs often sacrifice for spectacle. The writing has genuine moments of weight, particularly around loss and duty. However, the pacing is inconsistent. There are stretches where the main plot momentum stalls into fetch objectives and transitional filler that feel like XP bridges rather than storytelling. If you came here for the narrative payoff, it does arrive, but you will work through some padding to reach it. The supporting cast is more functional than memorable, which is a missed opportunity in a story that clearly wants its relationships to land hard. Visually, the game holds up reasonably well for its release window. Environmental design reflects real care for Chinese architectural and natural aesthetics, and some areas are genuinely beautiful to walk through. Performance on PC is generally acceptable, though the game has documented issues with optimization that some players still report depending on hardware configuration. The Steam review score sitting at mixed, around 63 percent positive, reflects a community that appreciates what SOFTSTAR attempted while being honest about the gaps between ambition and execution. For RPG players specifically, this one is worth considering if you are hungry for a setting outside the usual fantasy defaults and can tolerate a combat system that is competent without being exceptional. Taishi Zhao's story is worth seeing through. Just do not expect the writing to reward re-reads the way a Disco Elysium or a Planescape will. It tells its tale once, clearly, and moves on. That is fine. It just means the replay value is limited, and the build experimentation ceiling is lower than the genre's best. Approach it as a single playthrough experience rooted in a mythology that deserves more attention in this medium, and you will likely leave satisfied. Monika, Scout Team