When western audiences think of grand, epic fantasy journeys, there’s no doubt that an RPG powerhouse series such as Final Fantasy comes to mind, or, when thinking of action RPGs, their thoughts might drift to Ys. With that in mind, the wuxia action RPG Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a phenomenal blending of similar gameplay and story elements from both revered series. The seventh game in the critically acclaimed Chinese RPG series The Legend of Sword and Fairy, Together Forever is entertaining and inspiring despite being hindered by a lackluster English translation.
Our story centers around protagonist Yue Qingshu, a young woman destined to take over her family’s struggling spirit cultivation sect. With only her and her ailing grandfather left as members, the sect’s influence has faded dramatically in recent years, with even the nearby farming village relying on a more powerful sect for lasting protection from the monsters that plague the human realm. Still, Qingshu does what she can to help keep the peace and carry on her duty, eventually coming into contact with an injured deity named Xiu Wu. She inadvertently forms a symbiosis with him as he recuperates, deeply bonding the two metaphysically. The reason for Xiu Wu’s appearance amongst humans quickly reveals itself, with trouble stirring in the demon realm. It isn’t long before Yue Qingshu and Xiu Wu find themselves dragged into a significant and surprising conspiracy that has the potential to endanger all of the realms in turn. With help from the kindhearted Bai Moqing and boisterous Sang Yo, will the pair be able to avert disaster?
I adore the story of Sword and Fairy: Together Forever, which delves into universal themes of equality, honor, compassion, understanding, and love (both romantic and familial). The tale the game weaves is fascinating and compelling, showing people’s conflicting sides: horrendous cruelty in one moment, tender mercy the next, and unexpected kindness, as seen with a group of enslaved refugees aiding the young noble daughter of the family that was so abhorrent to them. In a world where some consider a child’s mere existence a sin worthy of lifelong punishment, others want nothing more than for that youth to live freely, as all children should. The plot truly shines in the heartfelt earnestness of the heroes’ actions, especially with how the characters can alter and amend their viewpoints when shown different perspectives and new information.
Speaking of heroes, I’d be remiss not to talk of the main party here. Yue Qingshu is a determined and protective character who showcases how inner strength doesn’t just mean being tough-as-nails. Xiu Wu doesn’t know much about the human realm at first and can be disparaging of it by taking things at face value, but through his developing bond with Qingshu and others, he starts to understand the strength and hearts of those around him—his character development is exceptional. Sang Yo can be over-the-top, but his heart is always in the right place, and his devotion to Moqing in light of her struggles is touching. Bai Moqing is a gentle and kind soul who initially tries to run away from uncomfortable truths before ultimately standing for what is right and just, even if it means siding against her family. The four prominent party members comprise the narrative’s heart and soul, which contains a varied and memorable cast of characters. While she’s not a party member, I can’t leave out Kuiyu here as she’s an ultimately noble and heroic leader of her people that I couldn’t help but root for from her introductory scene.
Sadly, as much as I greatly appreciated the plot and characters, the script’s English translation is the most significant weak point for Sword and Fairy: Together Forever. Many lines throughout the game read stiffly and awkwardly, with numerous typographical and grammatical errors sprinkled throughout. While it isn’t the worst localization ever, and it’s relatively easy to correct the script in your head as you go, the frequency of the errors still breaks the immersion.
From a gameplay stance, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a party-based action RPG where you control one of the four party members, unleashing basic button-press combos on foes. Each party member has unique skillsets and moves, and you can link these special abilities to a shortcut button for easy access during fights. During story segments, Qingshu also forms partnerships with helpful spirits that grant special stat boosts you can strengthen by leveling. It’s easy enough to get the hang of combat, and it can be fun to play around and experiment with skills and each character’s differing playstyles. You can seamlessly switch between the party members for most fights, adding a nice strategic element to battles.
Beyond combat, the game has weapon forging and strengthening, provided you’ve the prerequisite materials. There are also minigames aplenty with my personal favorite being the early “snowboarding” one, alongside a plethora of interesting and never too-frustrating puzzles that can be a pleasant diversion from the action RPG combat, cookable food to boost stats, and side quests to partake in at your leisure. While many of the side quests tend to be of the “fetch” variety, the lore and insight they provide help to expand the game’s world-building and lore nicely. There’s even a fast-travel option to visit numerous areas of the world relatively quickly. I do have three nitpicking complaints about the gameplay, though. While the stat boosts that food preparation gives you are nice, the duration of said effects is far too short to be of much use out on the field. My other complaint is that, while fast-travel between the world areas is nice, many of the towns and hubs are also huge and don’t have the fast-travel option within them. Hence, getting from point A to point B still takes a long time, especially when visiting different shops or trying to complete side quests in said areas. Finally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the periodic stealth segments, but they’re spread out decently and are certainly not the worst I’ve encountered in a game. For the most part, those wanting a solid action RPG gameplay experience will not be disappointed.
Visually, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a feast for the eyes. The areas are huge, full of beautiful imagery and bright colors. The character models and artwork are gorgeous and expressive, especially during FMVs. Its lack of enemy variety is more than made up for by the creative enemy designs. Together Forever is a game you can simply stare at in awe. Its soundscape and music is beautiful and moving, helping to further paint the picture and emotions of a given scene through the gorgeous instrumentation at work throughout (such as the ethereal ending theme song). The Chinese voice acting is also passionate and quite fitting for the characters and situations they encounter.
Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a genuinely excellent game, mainly held back by a less-than-ideal translation. Still, it’s a genuine delight to play. I especially found myself growing to care for the world and its characters, a testament to how strong the overall story is despite the poorer localization. It’s an excellent title for those who enjoy the likes of Ys and Final Fantasy, and I can only hope we’ll see more entries from the Sword and Fairy series in the western markets if they all share the quality of this one. Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a beautiful, heartfelt journey I won’t soon forget.
