GuJian 3

Gujian 3 is the third installment of a series of Chinese action RPG developed by Aurogon studio since 2010. In the country of its creators, the brand has gained a considerable reputation and has lived to see not only a book adaptation, but also the well received TV series Swords of Legends. The third part came out at the end of 2018, but western players had to wait almost a year for the English location. Wangyuan Shengtang is responsible for releasing Gujian 3.

Plot

The action of Gujian3 takes place in a universe known from previous parts of the series, maintained in the style known from xianxia literature. According to the convention of the genre, this world is full of beings with almost divine power. Among its inhabitants is also Beiluo, a sword-ruling young man who is dragged into an eternal conflict between semi-gods and demons against his will. The game is very different from the Western RPG style, being inspired by Chinese mythology and Taoism.

The story told is not much related to the events presented in the two previous instalments of the cycle. References to those games are rare and practically in the form of easter eggs. In other words, it is not a requirement to know what happened in Gujian and Gujian 2.

Mechanics

The gameplay in Gujian 3 is in many ways a typical action RPG, albeit with a big dose of slasher. We observe the world from the third person perspective, and the gameplay is about exploring locations where we talk to NPCs, perform tasks and face our enemies. The battles are highly arcade: we use different types of attacks and special abilities to create spectacular combinations. It is worth switching between strong and weak attacks, which gives us the energy points and morale needed to activate special powers. Be careful, because the battles are demanding and chaotic pushing of buttons will not take us far. So we must also take advantage of dodges and a defensive stance, while keeping an eye on the condition bar.

Nevertheless, from time to time we will find other activities. Apart from fighting, we can also try to make pacts with monsters and NPCs. These will not only help us in the fight, but will also allow us to expand the main character's base with new places. The construction of buildings requires the completion of a special mini-game. In addition, you will find a handful of other activities, such as fishing, side tasks with unusual challenges and the Lost Tales card game. It should be noted, however, that although formally Gujian 3 is a game with an open world, the gameplay is linear - we visit the locations in a predetermined order.

Game modes

Gujian 3 focuses entirely on single player mode, but includes several options to customize the gameplay. There are four difficulty levels to choose from, as well as three control systems: one using the gamepad and two allowing you to play with the mouse and the keyboard.

Technical aspects

The Gujian 3 three-dimensional graphics are on a high level, as is the orchestral soundtrack and Chinese dubbing. The battles are spectacular and maintained in an almost exaggerated style typical of xianxia, rich in air acrobatic and special effects accompanying magic. It should be added that although the game does not have network functions, it requires an Internet connection to save the game state.