$7.19 (−40%)古剑奇谭(GuJian) A Cursed Blade, A Broken Heart
Travel a hand-painted xianxia world with a doomed swordsman and the friends who walk beside him, in a turn-based story that unfolds slowly and stays with you.
Is 古剑奇谭(GuJian) worth it?
古剑奇谭(GuJian) is worth it if…
- you want a story-first RPG where the characters and their relationships matter more than fast combat
- you love xianxia and wuxia worlds with real Chinese folklore woven into the setting
- you have patience for an older game: turn-based fights, slow walking, and the occasional crash
- you play for music that stays in your head long after the credits
Screenshots
A journey carried by its characters
Baili Tusu steps into the world with an ancient evil sword bound to his body and no intention of letting anyone close. Then he meets Feng Qingxue, who calls him "Susu" almost immediately, and the bookish Fang Lansheng, the wanderer Yin Qianshang, the mysterious Hongyu, and the fox girl Xiangling, who adores him and follows anyway. The party grows one personality at a time, and the story gives each of them room: their own motives, their own griefs, their own slow-burning bonds. The romance between Tusu and Qingxue builds gradually across the whole journey, and it is the reason so many people finish this game in tears. The five included DLC episodes add stories before and after the main plot, deepening characters you thought you already knew. One thing to know: the game is old, and talking to certain NPCs can crash it, so save often.
What should you know before playing?
How does the combat work?
It is classic turn-based combat built around the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water, which strengthen or overcome each other. Enemies hit hard, and even well-equipped parties can be wiped in two rounds if you ignore elemental matchups, so battles reward preparation over button-mashing. There is also the Xingyun system, a constellation board where you spend points to grow each character's stats and skills, plus cooking, item trading and a homestead you can develop with farming and a fish pond. The pacing is deliberate, and some players find the boss fights brutal. If you want a relaxed run, the DLC weapons sold at your homestead make the journey noticeably easier.
Do you need to know Chinese to enjoy it?
The game is fully voiced in Chinese, and the dialogue leans on classical phrasing and literary language, so it asks a lot of non-native speakers. There is no official English translation, and the writing is a real part of the appeal: the script carries foreshadowing and wordplay that reward careful reading. If you understand Chinese, or enough of it, the story lands hard. If not, expect to miss some of the nuance that makes the plot so well regarded.
