So I saw this game, Project X, in development in the CHINA HERO PROJECT thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBoapC8vqiI&feature=youtu.be
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1354445
Having read a lot of wuxia and xianxia translated into English on novelupdates, I was immediately interested. I have not really seen many Chinese action games in this particular style - usually, these kinds of games are either MMOs or army-based.
Having read such stories as I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World and Against the Gods, I am very interested in this particular game - I was even thinking about how fitting they are for videogame adaptations - some of them even have mobile game adaptations, but that's not really what I want.
Most of these stories are set in the world of martial arts, with something called 'cultivation' - essentially, reflecting on the nature of the universe and the laws of nature in seclusion, attempting to comprehend said laws and truths will refine your body and make you stronger in stages. Since each stage is clearly defined, it almost translates 1:1 to 'levels' in an RPG. Once you 'level up' by reaching another stage in cultivation, for example, breaking through the 'gate' of that stage to become a new level of powerful means your body can carry several hundred pound objects instead of a few dozen after 'breaking through' via cultivation, et cetera.
Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Immortal Ascension are the 'commonly used' stages of becoming a powerful martial arts practitioner. There are usually either 9 levels to each 'stage' of development. If you wanna read more about it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltrans...ry_of_terms_in_wuxia_xianxia_xuanhuan_novels/
A lot of this cultivation is aided by legendary herbs and the like, which ALSO perfectly translates to videogame terms - find the 1,000 year old ginseng, and it will speed up your cultivation to get to a higher level in a lot of these stories.
I am really surprised more games haven't taken advantage of some of the crazier worlds possible in xianxia - there are worlds in which a fight between two characters literally splits mountains apart on the scale of Asura's Wrath, the worlds are sometimes ridiculously populated with hundreds of billions of people in a world clearly larger than Earth, beings the size of a small continent - hell, there's even a part in ISSTH where an entire ocean has a giant crack in it with water and land being pulled in that, when seen from the air, a single blood red eye can be seen peering out like some hellish Lovecraftian god.
The only Chinese fantasy game I'm really aware of that crossed my attention recently was becoming aware that Falcom of Ys and Trails in the Sky fame published the Chinese fantasy RPG 'Genso Sangokushi' I and II in Japan, along with making a special arrangement soundtrack. Any more I should check out that I'm unaware of? Character action/action RPG wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan would be really cool to play.
There are so many possibilities in the xianxia world:
People who ride magic swords like Tao Pai Pai's pillar in Dragonball are commonplace.
Beasts the size of cities that fight with human sized protagonists.
Hell, a Platinum Xianxia character action would be a perfect fit because of the type of large-scale boss fights they're best at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBoapC8vqiI&feature=youtu.be
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1354445
Having read a lot of wuxia and xianxia translated into English on novelupdates, I was immediately interested. I have not really seen many Chinese action games in this particular style - usually, these kinds of games are either MMOs or army-based.
Having read such stories as I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World and Against the Gods, I am very interested in this particular game - I was even thinking about how fitting they are for videogame adaptations - some of them even have mobile game adaptations, but that's not really what I want.
Most of these stories are set in the world of martial arts, with something called 'cultivation' - essentially, reflecting on the nature of the universe and the laws of nature in seclusion, attempting to comprehend said laws and truths will refine your body and make you stronger in stages. Since each stage is clearly defined, it almost translates 1:1 to 'levels' in an RPG. Once you 'level up' by reaching another stage in cultivation, for example, breaking through the 'gate' of that stage to become a new level of powerful means your body can carry several hundred pound objects instead of a few dozen after 'breaking through' via cultivation, et cetera.
Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Immortal Ascension are the 'commonly used' stages of becoming a powerful martial arts practitioner. There are usually either 9 levels to each 'stage' of development. If you wanna read more about it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltrans...ry_of_terms_in_wuxia_xianxia_xuanhuan_novels/
A lot of this cultivation is aided by legendary herbs and the like, which ALSO perfectly translates to videogame terms - find the 1,000 year old ginseng, and it will speed up your cultivation to get to a higher level in a lot of these stories.
I am really surprised more games haven't taken advantage of some of the crazier worlds possible in xianxia - there are worlds in which a fight between two characters literally splits mountains apart on the scale of Asura's Wrath, the worlds are sometimes ridiculously populated with hundreds of billions of people in a world clearly larger than Earth, beings the size of a small continent - hell, there's even a part in ISSTH where an entire ocean has a giant crack in it with water and land being pulled in that, when seen from the air, a single blood red eye can be seen peering out like some hellish Lovecraftian god.
Wuxia ( 武俠 wǔ​xiá ) - literally means "Martial Heroes". Fictional stories about regular humans who can achieve supernatural fighting ability through Chinese martial arts training and internal energy cultivation. Themes of chivalry, tragedy, revenge & romance are common.
Xianxia ( 仙侠 xiānxiá ) - literally means "Immortal Heroes". Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism.
Comparison: If Wuxia is "low fantasy", then Xianxia is "high fantasy".
Xuanhuan ( 玄幻 xuán​huàn ) - literally means "Mysterious Fantasy". A broad genre of fictional stories which remixes Chinese folklore/mythology with foreign elements & settings.
Xuanhuan and Xianxia novels may sometimes seem similar on the surface. Look for the presence of Daoist elements (the Dao, Yin and Yang, Immortals, etc...) in the novel to easily distinguish the two – if they aren't present, then the novel is probably Xuanhuan.
The only Chinese fantasy game I'm really aware of that crossed my attention recently was becoming aware that Falcom of Ys and Trails in the Sky fame published the Chinese fantasy RPG 'Genso Sangokushi' I and II in Japan, along with making a special arrangement soundtrack. Any more I should check out that I'm unaware of? Character action/action RPG wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan would be really cool to play.
There are so many possibilities in the xianxia world:
People who ride magic swords like Tao Pai Pai's pillar in Dragonball are commonplace.
Beasts the size of cities that fight with human sized protagonists.
Hell, a Platinum Xianxia character action would be a perfect fit because of the type of large-scale boss fights they're best at.