Sword and Fairy: Together Forever

Despite some glaring issues, Sword And Fairy: Together Forever’s likeable cast and fun story makes this action RPG a good entry point into Chinese wuxia fantasy. [Issue#19, p.78]

Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a linear, cutscene heavy RPG so people's mileage may vary. I enjoyed the story and characters despite the clumsy translation and the action combat is decent if unremarkable. Importantly it runs well, with only the odd hiccup, which after the last game wasn't a given.

Issues aside, I enjoyed playing Sword and Fairy: Together Forever. It isn’t going to be for everyone, and the lore can be a bit overwhelming, but for those willing to stick with it, you’ll find a deep and engrossing RPG.

The more than satisfactory combat system therefore turns out to be diluted within a vision that has preferred to put the narrated phase at the center of the work, too often weakening the feeling of enthusiasm and grit returned by the excellent clashes.

When you get down to it, it’s still a lot of basic hack and slash fights broken up by lots of endless cutscenes, with extra side quests there to pad out the length even further. I don’t foresee Sword and Fairy: Together Forever garnering the kind of following here in the west that it has in China, but if you just want to kill lots of monsters and watch lots of dialogue, it may be worth your time.

A new beginning for the saga, which despite its imperfection, is enjoyable until the end.

Sword and Fairy: Together Forever won't satisfy everyone. Action enthusiasts will be disappointed in how underutilised the combat system is, and those looking for a lovingly crafted story will have to stomach an especially poor English localisation. But even with its obvious flaws, Together Forever has undeniable charm in its endearing characters and elegant presentation. An enjoyably breezy RPG, if you can keep your expectations in check.