Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains Trailers
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains - 2nd Trailer
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains - 1st Trailer
Critic Reviews for Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is a solid traditional RPG remaster held back by a lackluster English translation.
Mists Beyond The Mountains would be a perfectly average turn-based RPG if not for its acid-trip alt-history storyline and cuckoo characters. Its bizarre narrative cuts through unexceptional level design and gameplay to deliver something worth a second look.
When push comes to shove, there’s just no way to ignore the terrible blow dealt to the game by its one-of-a-kind translation, evident in everything from the philosophical musings of the plot to how character arcs unfold. And if that alone wasn’t the deathblow, then the frustrating and plain unfun balance issues that made me beg for credits certainly did the trick.
It’s unfortunate that every positive I've mentioned comes undone at the hands of that dreaded localization. There were stretches of gameplay where I was just grinding, or exploring, and for a moment I’d forget what a mess the translation was, immersed in Xuan-Yuan Sword’s perfectly serviceable gameplay loops. But, this is an RPG, and to this player, world-building, deep characterization, and dense lore that I can immerse myself in is just as important to my enjoyment of an RPG as gameplay is. There will likely be a portion of players who will be able to look past this issue, simply content at being able to play a game that had been out of the reach of Western audiences for so long, and that’s perfectly fine. As I’ve indicated, there’s a solid RPG here somewhere and I have no doubt that this would be a fantastic experience had the port been shown the love and care it deserves. As it stands, though, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is such a compromised experience that it’s impossible to recommend in its current state.
