![]() The most developed system involves collecting and equipping charms, which buff Liao or specific attack types. In addition to unlocking new Kung Fu techniques as the plot dictates, The Legend of Tianding has several simple progression systems in place – and feel most vital when playing on the highest difficulty. It may not offer a massive repertoire, but reaching out of the way secrets, avoiding traps, and surviving boss encounters quickly teaches you to string together moves with perfect timing. With detailed animation work and plenty of visual flourishes during combat, it always felt great leaping across roofs or stringing together a flurry of kicks to juggle a tough enemy. Liao has a grappling hook to leap over hazards, and a sash used to grab and fling around weakened enemies, stealing weapons from their grasp (for temporary use) and pickpocketing items. As in the Guacamelee games, the Kung Fu moves you learn – think rising kicks, flying kicks, and downward strikes – are used for both combat and traversal. When it comes to gameplay, The Legend of Tianding is fast and fluid, with a focus on slick traversal (through city streets, underground sewers, moving trains, and ancient tombs) and stylish brawls against hordes of enemies or a single tough boss. Liao’s moveset is reasonably limited compared to some brawlers, but this makes it easy to memorise and combine them into lengthy and devastating combos. Just be warned, several plot threads are left unresolved for potential sequels. Depending on the side quests you complete – and you can complete them all before triggering the final battle – there are several endings available. That said, the violence always feels stylised rather than gratuitous and Liao primarily defeats his foes using Kung Fu. This kicks off a multi-stage quest that sees Liao stealing several ancient plaques, avoiding a bumbling detective hellbent on his capture, assisting several friends in the city, tackling members of an assassin order, and dealing with a bloodthirsty secret police agent – while evil twins scheme in the background during chapter interludes.ĭespite the swashbuckling vigilante narrative, the overarching narrative goes to some dark places and demonstrates the oppression faced by Taiwanese under Japanese colonial rule – through bureaucracy, informants, and police brutality. It doesn’t take long before Liao’s actions see him recruited by the rebel group – “28 Mansions” – and discover his master belongs to an order tasked with guarding an ancient tomb, housing untold riches and a cursed blade wanted by the local Japanese colonial authorities. ![]() It also softens the blow when the story takes a darker turn. The Mango comic-style presentation is used for both cutscenes and gameplay, transitioning smoothly between them. Tired of hiding, and keen to weaken Japanese colonial rule over the citizens of the city, the adventure begins in earnest when Liao goes after a Japanese tea trader trying to drive off local merchants and sell counterfeit goods. He repeatedly flees from an overbearing master, who insists he remains hidden after having had a vision that Liao’s fate was to die that year. Liao returns to Taipei city, after months of isolation and Kung Fu training in the nearby mountains. The state of the world, characters you encounter, and several events are supposedly based on reality, but Chinese manga style coupled with radio-play interludes quickly reveal The Legend of Tianding is a more fantastical experience. The Legend of Tianding feels like the opening act for a series of games, based on the exploits of Liao Tianding – a legendary Taiwanese Folk Hero fighting against the authorities during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in the early 20 th century. ![]() Mechanically, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, but the novel setting and fantastic presentation help it stand out. The Legend of Tianding – developed by Creative Games Computer Graphics Corporation and published by Neon Doctrine – is a stylish side-scrolling brawler, with plenty of platforming segments and secret hunting.
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