Shuyan Saga™ Reviews

A playable comic with excellent artwork and a good story. The action was fine and never bothered me but it's not a reason in itself to play the game. While I did think it was a bit short and could have used more time in the final chapter (or a full new one), and that it could have had more meaningful choices and consequences, on the whole it's not hard to just enjoy it for what it is rather than what it could have been.

Essentially you're paying 20 bucks for a comic book... granted, the illustrations are quite nice, but the combat/gameplay is rather bland and simplistic/repetitive... overall this should've just been a comic book and not a game. However, even if you are into that sort of thing, the story is dreadfully generic... I really wanted to like it because it seems like the devs spent a lot of time on it, but beautiful art and music cannot hold a game with a lackluster story and mediocre gameplay.

Shuyan Saga is a great fun interactive comic book game set in the ancient far east. The narrative portions of the game take the form of a slide show of (I believe hand drawn) comic book panels with a small amount of movement and animation to bring it to life without being over the top or distracting the viewer from the story, this is all acompanied by a full voice cast led by Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, Beauty and the Beast, Chuck, Burden of Truth) in the title role. The story itself concerns the title character of Shuyan, (voiced by Kreuk) a carefree princess who loves to study Kung Foo. The player takes the roll of Shuyan as she is drawn into a web of mystery, intrigue and deception as an invading army try to conquer her homeland. Shuyan ends up leading a rag tag band of unlikely friends in a fight to free her country from tyranical rule, and restore freedom and justice to her home. The fighting elements of the game switch effortlessly between top down arcade style beat 'em up and over the shoulder 1 on 1 martial arts kick 'em up, as Shuyan prooves you don't have to be a large man to be an action hero or to be a bad ass! The game is really a piece of interactive fiction in the tradition of Telltale Games, with the combat existing to further the story, not as an end unto itself, and therefore isn't so hardcore that it could put off casual gamers or non fighting game fans. All in all, if you like to be immersed in a well told story with superb voice acting (especially from Kreuk, who knocks it out of the park in her first attempt at this style of work) which genuinely makes you care about the characters, and you like the comic style art work, there is absolutely nothing here you won't love. All in all, highly recomended. 10/10.

Outstanding game. Perfect for novices and expert alike. Visual Novel format where the choices determine your future. It has elements of RPG style games such as Knights of the Republic where you have a 3d view of your attackers have attack / defend type missions that while easy at first, do become quite challenging. From there it takes elements of 2D/3D type fighting games such as Street Fighter/ Injustice albeit with a very easy control method of only hi/low attack or hi/low block. Different combinations such as up/up/down/down/up provide power moves such as "Thunder Fist" which deal more damage. After a series of successful attacks you build to a power move where you become stronger and more difficult to block for a short period of time. While it is simplistic, it is effective and fun. The artwork and Soundtrack, are first rate and fit the mood of the game. The 3D animation is simplistic cell shading, but it gives you a Japanese Manga, detailed understanding of the mood and type of enemy you are facing, While simplistic, it has allowed the adaptation of a very detailed motion capture system of highly difficult kung-fu moves to be authentically incorporated into the game; Overall a very new novel approach. Highly Recommend.

I got this game on day one. As a game it's hard to recommend for its short content and clumsy gameplay, but as an art I do recommend it. Starting with hard difficulty, then I figured out it was just more enemy waves and they punched a little harder. Stanima was hard to manage since I had to block more often. The story is fairly simple. It's about Shu Yan overcame her physical and mental limitation, find peace within her, master the "Way of Phoenix" and defeat the villain. It's interesting to see the development team try to present Chinese culture and kongfu in the game. All the artworks are stunningly beautiful, Shu Yan is also a likable character. The translation is very Chinese, y'know. Overall I wish there was a Chinese voiceover for it, that'd be perfect. 首发了这个游戏，当然作为游戏不是很推荐，因为内容很短，游戏本身的操作比较尴尬。不过作为一个艺术作品我是推荐的。 开始玩的最高难度，敌人数量比普通难度多而且打的更疼，因为要经常格挡耐力就很难控制。故事太简单了，讲的书燕克服各种艰难险阻，达到心如止水的境界，掌握凤凰之道，然后胖揍大反派。 制作组想用这个游戏表达他们对中华文化和功夫的理解。艺术概念和绘画是很美的，书燕也很可爱。翻译很解地气，你懂的。如果有中文配音就完美了。

Decent graphics and voice acting. Mobile-first game design makes it garbage though.

I very seldom give reviews but in my heart I knew I had to for this game. First impression of this game so far during book 1 is that the comic style artwork in this game is gorgeous, the soundtrack is also wonderful and really captures the theme of the game. I found this game to be almost like Aladdin meets Mulan with the feisty heroine trying to be independant but cope with her duty as a princess while wanting her own freedom. The game is split in to 3 episodes all included and once completed you have access to 2 additional modes which expands on the game a little. The game mechanics are interesting for a graphic novel and I found it kind of fun and as mentioned by a developer it also refrences on styles of kung fu, you fight enemies using the mouse which takes getting used to but easy to learn with experimenting, you can do low and high hits and block but also perform certain more powerful combos which will come in handy for harder enemies. This game also has full voice acting which is actually pretty good for the characters, the main character is also done very well with actress Krisitn Kreuk doing a great job which pleases me as I did enjoy her in Smallville. Princess Shuyan has a passion for learning kung fu but also has a deep desire to protect those she cares for and her kingdom from the approaching dark forces that threaten to consume her homeland. I am only in book 1 but so far it has me hooked and i'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of the game. Will update as I progress toward the end of the game but looks promising so far. Positives + Artwork - Dc comics artist + Voice acting and branching dialogue dependant on choice - Kristin Kreuk + Gameplay - top down fight mechanics are pretty fun. + Soundtrack - just wow really captures the essence of the game - composed by Aaron Tsang + Chinese voice acting has recently been added as this was previously a con due to being absent. Cons - Gamepads are currently not supported for those that prefer playing with a controller. I really hope this game does well as a potential sequel was outlined by the developer depending on how well the game does and I really would love for this fun adventure to continue. So is the game worth buying? I would definately say go for it, it's a right gem and worth a try ;D

I liked this game up until the spot where you get to practice your greet blindfolded. Then it turned into an endless well of frustration, as the control for it seems to be broken on the PC, undoing any enjoyment i derived from it up to that point. I cannot recommend this.

Shuyan Saga is a kind of motion comic with choices and fight scenes. My first reaction after seeing it was to be reminded a bit of Avatar, as not long ago I went on a marathon of [i]Avatar, The Legend of Korra[/i] and I have to admit that the start of the game gave me some of those vibes. The art for the comic book/story part is pretty great while the 3D characters and stages are less detailed while still managing to be charming in their own way. The fighting mechanics are rather simple, requiring the player to click with the mouse on the upper or lower part of the enemy figure to do high and low attacks which can also be chained to make combo attacks. Progressing in the game unlocks some upgrades, like evasion moves or special attacks which help fights remain entertaining as the enemies start to be a bit more aggressive, having more hit points and doing stronger attacks. I've only completed the first book and started the second, so my comment about the story is from an incomplete point of view, yet I'm finding it quite intriguing. Nothing revolutionary or too original, still everything feels written well, managing to make me sympathize and accept even a character like Jian as the story progresses. The music is another positive aspect of the game. It never feels out of place, highlighting the various moments of the story sapiently. The Voice Acting is nice too. Shuyan is obviously the star, but I also enjoyed the performance of the rest of the cast. I really appreciated the choices offered as the story unfolds. While not all choices offer story changing outcomes that I could see, they do shape up a different kind of Shuyan for the reader/player and I find that plenty cool. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] The game might feel a little bit high in price but I found it worth every € thanks to an interesting story, good art and great music. The atmosphere of the game feels really charming and Shuyan is a nice protagonist who also makes me wish for a Korra game made in this style.

Shuyan Saga tells the tale of Shuyan, a princess of Nan Feng whose country has been invaded by the evil Ganbaatar in his conquest of the known world and search for the Guardian Spirits of each realm in order to subdue them to his will and increase his ever growing power. The game is steeped in Chinese mythology and with the inclusion of Daoism, reads very much like a Wuxia novel. [h1] Gameplay[/h1] Shuyan Saga is half a visual novel, half a clicky action game. The game has fairly simple mechanics that don’t offer much depth, and the controls can be erratic at times. The visual novel component of Shuyan Saga is pretty basic, it doesn’t offer the normal features such as rewinding text or auto skipping to choices. It does however offer timed choices (to add additional tension during scenes) and the ability to quickly skip dialogue if you want to rush past the writing to get to the action. Being a game based on kung fu and martial arts, the game takes a careful stance to include this in its mechanics. Action can occur in two areas, the first where you are surrounded by enemies, and the second where you can face off against a single opponent. Shuyan also has something of a roleplaying game mechanic where you unlock additional skills as the narrative progresses and the game has tutorial lessons for Shuyan to explore her newfound abilities and direct the player into how to use them. The game relies quite strongly on the mouse. High or low attacks are determined by your aim and hard or soft attacks determined by how long you hold the left mouse button for. The right mouse button will place Shuyan into a defensive stance. At later stages swiping the mouse in various directions allows you to evade and counter powerful attacks. Each opponent has stances which you can study to learn where you need to strike them, their animations are usually quite obvious to show where they are guarding and where they are vulnerable. In addition each character in single combat will glow when they take certain actions further aiding you in adjusting your own combat choices to meet them. Yellow glows indicate a hard strike, and red glows indicate superattacks which cannot be blocked only avoided. Multiple attackers are targeted with the mouse and double clicking the ground encourages Shuyan to dodge, and roll to evade groups and place herself in a more favourable position. The main story blends various modes out of the 3, (story, area and single combatant) and switches between them dependant on what Shuyan needs to accomplish. The game also has two separate modes, a tournament mode, which focuses on single combat and an area exploration/puzzle mode featuring Jade entitled Jade’s Temple Adventure. The tournament mode is very forgiving at lower levels but quickly becomes less so as you climb the ladder. By the end, the game is quite punishing. Attacks are more frequent and unstoppable attacks are common, requiring careful responses with very little margin for error. The Temple Adventure actually allows the game to showcase some of its environment interactions. It is only unlocked after the 3rd chapter and requires you to dodge traps, use dart towers to damage opponents for you and can be frustrating due to the awkward top down camera. The puzzles aren’t particularly difficult to solve, but the sometimes unresponsive controls and cursor that is sometimes hard to spot can make for an annoyance when unintended interactions occur. Depending on your focus in the game, you can skip action sequences using the drop down menu which can be important for those who prefer the narrative side of the game. [h1] Narrative[/h1] Shuyan Saga has a fairly simple good vs evil story. There is little depth or nuance to the villains and the plotline itself is standard and formulaic varying from crisis to adventure and slowly escalating and deescalating the tension until it reaches the grand finale. Shuyan does progress somewhat as a character but her development doesn’t seem nearly enough compared to the odds she faces, and the side-characters are never quite given enough time to fully develop to stand on their own, except perhaps Jade who acts as a foil to the search for enlightenment that Shuyan is on. It’s quite clear that the narrative focuses on Shuyan and as a result she feels much like a Mary Sue character. [h1] Graphics[/h1] Shuyan has a mix of graphics. The cartoon style is quite entertaining and it’s clear the artists were quite skilled at displaying action from a variety of interesting angles, something that is incredibly difficult to achieve. However the character’s expressions are poorly done, the faces almost seem to morph from scene to scene and would not be consistently recognizable, if it were not for their costumes. The 3d graphics used during combat are a little chunky and whilst they fit the cartoonish theme they seem a little dated compared to the rest of the game and will likely not age well. They are clear enough however to reliably convey the information needed to effectively fight your opponents. The UI is not particularly user friendly, the menu is somewhat irritating in that it is not visible and located at the top of the screen, rather than comfortably at the bottom and the pause button must be pressed before the menu will pop up. The text is quite clear to read, and fairly large allowing for quick scanning to gain the gist if you aren’t a reader, and prefer the action elements of the game. [h1] Music and Sound[/h1] The soundtrack to Shuyan Saga is quite lovely, it is fully orchestral and has a definite Chinese ambience with the different tonal structure that is characteristic of Asian music. It’s melodies are quite soothing but can quickly escalate as you enter combat. The game is fully voice-acted, and despite the name of Kristin Kreuk as Shuyan, I wasn’t always impressed by her performance, likely due to some poor directing, where the tone she uses doesn’t quite fit the emotions of Shuyan at that point. I also found the anglicized pronunciation of Chinese names quite jarring. However playing in Chinese you can hear the more accurate pronunciation, unfortunately you can’t use alternate subtitles, the language you choose is used for both voice and all text. [h1]Overall[/h1] Shuyan Saga is a light visual novel with some elementary fighting game mechanics to add to the theme of kung fu. It’s meld of genres is interesting but not always effective, and although the artwork is quite amazing the poor portrayal of facial features mars what might otherwise be a truly excellent casual game. Recommended to: Those who enjoy a little bit of Kung fu action. Not recommended to: Anyone looking for more depth in either storytelling or fighting game mechanics.