I’ve mentioned in several reviews lately such as my Bright Memory Infinite review, that I have been really delving into games from developers and teams from different cultures. While I didn’t have the best experience with Bright Memory: infinite, when I saw the trailer for Sword and Fairy: Together Forever a while ago, I was intrigued.

It turns out, that Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is actually the 7^th entry in a long-running Chinese RPG franchise. I’m beginning to wonder what it is about games that are the seventh in their line that makes them resonate so much for me after playing this one. Sword and Fairy: Together Forever, despite some problems, is probably one of the better, more memorable action RPGs I’ve played in terms of storyline in a while.

Getting into the full premise of Sword and Fairy: Together Forever would take a whole page in itself. Condensing it down, the world of Sword and Fairy is very similar to Wuxia films, or fantasy martial arts films in layman’s terms. Long ago, the world was split into six realms, divided into three races: Humans, Deities, and Demons. These realms are also inhabited by elemental spirits, which help regulate the balance in the world.

You start out as Yue Qingshu, a Spirit Controller from the Mingshu Sect, a line of mystical martial artists who work together with spirits, akin to a summoner. Qingshu meets Xiu Wu, a Deity who was sent to capture (or kill) a fugitive Deity who has become a demon after breaking Heaven’s law. However, not all is as it seems, and soon a diabolical plot and political power play begin to take place.

I won’t spoil anything else, because the story itself is rather complex and interesting on its own. The characters are likable, and each one is fleshed out with a backstory and motivations that slowly unfold. The combat is a sort of hybrid of Hack-and-Slash and RPG mechanics. You can switch between your party members (of which you get 4) at any time in combat, and you can utilize their skills and normal attacks to create combos.

You can also combo with other party members to unleash even more powerful moves. There is also a higher “State of Sanity” that increases your stats, as well as a more powerful move called a Deity summoning that unlocks. There are multiple difficulties, but even on the easiest one, I found it to be challenging yet engaging.

Qingshu’s spirits (as you meet them) can be upgraded to increase various stats by feeding them spirit fruit. Party members can also be equipped with weapons, armor, and accessories to make them stronger. The progression is rather standard for most RPGs, but what really sets it apart is the Spirit growth (feeding spirits) and the detail in each weapon design.

In fact, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a beautiful game overall. On the PlayStation 5, I was constantly mesmerized by the beautiful environments, rich colors, and incredibly rendered cutscenes and environments. Even without English voice acting, I found myself getting emotional at certain points, and I got attached to various characters along the way.

The trouble with reviewing a game like this though is trying to quantify just how great the game is despite some glaring problems. On the one hand, you can increase the font size of your subtitles in the options menu, which is great for accessibility. On the other hand, the font for the rest of the text in-game isn’t adjustable and is very small by default. This might not be as noticeable on PC, but on my TV about 6 feet away, I had to squint to read quest text from time to time.

Then there’s the elephant in the room that I hesitate to talk about. If you aren’t aware of the state of Chinese game development, which is very limited if you aren’t making a mobile game or MMO, you might be turned off by the sometimes clumsy translation in-game. I wouldn’t say the dialogue is translated poorly. It is understandable, but there are noticeable grammar problems.

On top of that, some phrases that are common in English, such as words for formality or for more casual connections to people, aren’t present in Chinese culture. As a result, some of the translations are a little stiff, unless you know what they’re getting at. The only reason I knew, was because I watched Word of Honor on Netflix with a friend of mine that is of Chinese descent, so she had already given me some understanding of how English translations don’t always sound right.

For that reason alone, I know that a lot of people may look at Sword and Fairy: Together Forever and not give it a second thought. The steam page alone (marketed as Sword and Fairy 7) is poorly done and may paint a negative picture. However, with PlayAsia making this game the first in the franchise to come to a home console in the west, I can understand the clumsy translation.

It also doesn’t help that while reading the credits I noticed their localization team has 2 people in it. For context, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever will give you 30 hours of gameplay if you do a majority of the side quests on easy mode, and probably double that on higher difficulties. Can you imagine 2 people localizing a game of that magnitude? I would lose my mind.

Moving on from that though, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a beautifully done game. The story is moving, the puzzles are interesting, and there is a massive amount of lore to read and find. On top of that, the battles are engaging, and the side quests have their own story elements to them. If you can handle the back and forth of traveling to various places, you’ll get an even richer experience.

To sum it up, while Sword and Fairy: Together Forever might not be the most mechanically innovative game I’ve ever played in terms of combat, I found myself very enthralled by it. The rich, colorful world and the complex story made the game the equivalent of a book I couldn’t put down. I had to know what was next because each time I thought I understood what was coming there was more to discover.

If you can keep an open mind past the translation issues, I think Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a worthwhile experience. It has a polished gameplay feel that really surprised me, and it really feels like a big-budget RPG even though it is from a small Taiwanese studio called Softstar Technology.

I really hope it sells well enough here in the West to warrant either remastered versions or remakes of previous Sword and Fairy titles. I’d also settle for an 8^th entry in the franchise sooner or later. I can’t recommend Sword and Fairy: Together Forever enough if you’re willing to give it a shot.

A PlayStation 5 review copy of Sword and Fairy: Together Forever was provided by PlayAsia for this review.

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Sword and Fairy: Together Forever

$39.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Fantastic Story
• Well-Developed Characters
• Smooth Controls
• Engaging Combat System
• Beautiful Visuals and Environments

Cons

• Small Text Size
• Translation is Clumsy in Places