Swords Of Legends: A New Chinese Action RPG Arrives, Not a Souls-Like

Swords of Legends: Redefining Asian Action RPGs for a Global Audience

The landscape of Asian gaming has significantly evolved, moving beyond its traditional focus on PC MMORPGs and free-to-play mobile titles. With Black Myth Wukong, Lies of P, and Stellar Blade making significant waves, the Asian gaming scene is clearly shifting towards premium productions capable of competing with Japanese and Western blockbusters. The latest example of this trend is Swords of Legends, formerly known as Gujian 4. While the Gujian series has existed for over a decade, it remained largely unknown outside China, despite later English localizations on Steam. To broaden its international appeal and reach new players, developer Aurogon Shanghai decided to uncouple the new title from the numbered Gujian series, launching it as the new Swords of Legends franchise. This strategy aims to attract new players who have not tried previous games and appeal to a wider global audience with a more universal name.

Premium Chinese Action RPG – Swords of Legends: A New Era of Eastern Narratives in AAA Games

Inspired by Eastern mythology and folklore, Swords of Legends is a premium Chinese action RPG that casts players as an underworld executor tasked with guiding souls to resolve their regrets. The game incorporates characters and creatures directly from Chinese culture, such as Oxhead and Horseface, mirroring Black Myth Wukong’s strategy of exporting Chinese heritage with a polished international touch. Unlike many past Chinese titles, Swords of Legends is a premium game, exclusive to consoles and PC, with no free-to-play or mobile versions. This approach, which has proven successful in China, highlights the growing capability of Chinese studios to compete in the AAA narrative space, a development notably advanced by titles like Black Myth Wukong. Aurogon Shanghai’s adoption of Unreal Engine 5 allows Swords of Legends to achieve visuals that rival contemporary Western standards. The game features cinematic staging and environments influenced by traditional Chinese art and architecture, representing a significant leap from previous Gujian series installments. This progress underscores the rapid skill development within Chinese studios, enabling them to produce work on par with top-tier global AAA games.

Swords of Legends Delayed but Boosting Development Team in Chinese Game Industry

Though Swords of Legends was announced in 2021, development did not commence until 2023, following the securing of funding. The recent trailer does not yet provide a release date; its primary purpose is to reassure the public and attract new talent to the development team. This dual-purpose communication is a common practice within China’s game industry, where announcements often double as recruitment tools.

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