Most of us likely don’t play games for their education value.
If you’re a fan of Taiwan’s bubble tea and night markets, it will be interesting to have a glimpse of where it all comes from. While Taiwanese games haven’t always gotten great reception, this game has pulled it off perfectly. The save points are marked by tea tables and health pickups are meat buns, a Taiwan staple food. The music and aesthetics characteristically Taiwanese. The best part of The Legend of Tian Ding is, of course, the fact that it is soaked in Taiwanese culture. Some of the tracks have more modern influences, but that does help the excitement in more epic sequences. The atmospheric music pairs well with each level, and the music during combat enhances the excitement. The soundtrack is carefully composed to produce a wide variety of tracks for different situations, while keeping the overall theme of a historical Taiwan. Of course, no Taiwanese experience is complete without accompanying music.
It made it all the more satisfying to hear their “ai ya” when being hit. I was especially amused by the enemies that taunt you during battle. The radio host between chapters gives a great and exciting delivery. Most voices are delivered in Taiwanese Hokkien, the main language spoken by Taiwanese both today and during that period. The voice acting is also equally charming. This gives the world a unique flavour that isn’t seen in a lot of other games. Characters bustle around selling their wares or pulling rickshaws. It also helps that the streets in the hub world are filled with life and movement.
Even during gameplay, the game retains that with its bold outlines and signature comic book dots. The story between gameplay is reminiscent of classic Taiwanese comics – bright, bold colors mixed with thick, dark action and shading lines. The game is generally delivered to you through a charming manhua aesthetic. Taking money from the poor here is okay… right? GRAPHICS & AUDIO – STEP INTO THE TAIWANESE MANHUA Although, people may not be too happy if you steal from the rich only to gamble it all away. If that’s not what you’re looking for, you can go big or go home and wager more of your money. This minigame is quite relaxing in between combat-heavy levels. Just try to form pairs with the cards you have together with any drawn or discarded cards. While the rules seem intimidating at first, it is fairly simple to learn, and most actions are automatically done for you. If the story between gameplay is not enough of a break for you, The Legend of Tian Ding also features a minigame called Four Color Cards. As soon as I could buy the upgrades, I had enough money to buy most of them already. As I replayed some of the earlier levels to find all the secrets, I found myself racking up a lot of coins. Your health and damage upgrades are only available later in the game and are unlocked using coins dropped from enemies. The progression of the game, however, can be quite uneven. Not to mention, these environmental hazards hurt the enemies too – sending an enemy flying into spikes is always satisfying. The environmental hazards are themselves not very unique, but the design of them paired with the movement make for excellent platforming. It certainly helps that you have this freedom to chain abilities, making your movement buttery smooth. With it being a platformer, these movement abilities are used to climb platforms and jump across gaps. The game gives you complete freedom in your attacks, meaning you’re not locked into certain combos. The beauty of this combat comes from stringing together your abilities to juggle the enemies. There are also some attacks which also double as movement abilities to kick forward, upward, or slam downward. You can steal the weapons from your enemies, all of which have their own movesets. You start with a dagger that has a basic 3-attack combo. The Legend of Tian Ding fulfills this desire beautifully. Perhaps after watching Shang Chi, some of us had an itch for a kung fu game that needed to be scratched. GAMEPLAY – EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING While the voice acting is charming, and it can give a good break in-between chapters, there are times where it seems a bit too much. What’s more, there are unskippable cutscenes between chapters to deliver even more story. There may be long bouts of dialogue and text that give you context, and historical information. However, because it is based on real events, the exposition in between gameplay can get overwhelming. Tian Ding doesn’t even know his own legend
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