The Gate of Firmament Critic Reviews

Xuan Yuan Sword is a worthy addition to the RPG genre on the Xbox One. The game is long, with a very engrossing story and characters that you really come to care about. Sure, it’s not the prettiest game in the world, but that kind of misses the point

Even with the myriad of bugs there’s an odd and endearing quality that Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament possesses. Sure, the $25 asking price seems a bit high when you judge it on its looks alone, but there’s a surprising amount of gameplay held within, as long as you can stomach the lackluster visuals, poor translation and bugs. If you’ve been craving a new JRPG game to enjoy, there’s enough ‘meat on the bone’ here to keep you interested, even if there are better choices available. With some more QA time, and a better translation, this might have been a completely different, and even more enjoyable, experience. All the typical checkboxes have been marked to make for a decent experience, and there are a few mechanics included that I really enjoyed, but like a good B-movie, I enjoyed it for unintended reasons instead.

Xuan-Yuan Sword is gaming’s homage to a so good it’s bad B-movie. There are some really great aspects to the game. The combat’s potential depth is realized in boss fights, the story is engaging, and it has strong characters with depth. It’s got all the essentials of a good JRPG, but it's mixed with a poor localization and shoddy technical work to create a game that is almost enjoyable at first. The technical issues and translation are comical at the beginning and you’ll find yourself surprised at the absurdity, but the humor slowly erodes as the hours pass by. Eventually you’re left with a paper mache house built around a solid framework. It’s a game that could have been good with another few months of development and a better translation, but what we got could still be a fun romp if you approach it with the right mindset.

A game that lovers of the genre will be able to appreciate, but it is not ambitious enough and features mistakes that we can hardly overlook.

Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament is bait without a hook. Everything from the visuals to the several elements of play remains shoddy and poorly presented throughout. The story is interesting to begin with, but even this is let down in the long run by crappy localisation. It certainly doesn’t help that the game is riddled with bugs, wonky animation, and a general lack of polish.