Classic pixel-art RPG Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains lands on Switch in Q4 2023

Gamera Games and Softstar Entertainment have announced during the 2023 Tokyo Game Show that the classic pixel-art RPG Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains will be released on Nintendo Switch during Q4 2023. The game will be available in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese.

The Nintendo Switch version of Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains brings optimization updates and adds some new conte to this classic game: the screen ratio has been optimized to 16:9, and both the visual quality and resolution have been enhanced. The user interface has also been refined for better usability. Moreover, the game incorporates a new China Chapter that was added to the smartphone edition, depicting the adventures of Sett and his companions in the Tang Empire. You can watch the game's trailer below:

The long-running historical fantasy franchise Xuan-Yuan Sword is one of the most successful games IP in Chinese-speaking territories. Mists Beyond the Mountains, its third installment, was originally released in 1999; this remaster edition brings the original to new platforms, respecting the original art, rich story rooted in Chinese fantasy and real historical events, and deep gameplay that made Mists Beyond the Mountains a critical and commercial success.

Mists Beyond the Mountains puts players in the middle of an epic story that spans two continents - from Venice to the Chinese Tang Empire, passing through the Abbasid Caliphate. The protagonist is Septem, a Frankish knight lieutenant to Pepin the Younger, who embarks on a long journey to find the Invincible Arts of War. In his travels he will be drawn to the complex power disputes between the major world powers - but will also have to face the machinations of Satan himself, always seeking a way to subjugate the world. The massive scope of the game will have players visiting cities such as Venice, Damascus or Chang’an, each with their unique art, architecture, food, customs, and clothes.

Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains offers free exploration of its vast world, along with epic fights based on the Active Time Battle system (similar to other classic RPGs such as Final Fantasy VII or Chrono Trigger). It also features a unique crafting system: players can of course gather ingredients to craft new gear, but they can also use an item called the Spirit Fusion Pot to capture enemies in battles, which in turn can be used in special Altars to craft not only items but monsters too. Using Eastern or Western altars brings different results to the final item.

21. September 2023, von Thore Varga