The domestic Xianxia "Pokémon" is finally coming.

Recently, "Sword and Fairy World" ushered in the fourth test. Given that this is the last test, the game's completion is a significant improvement over previous tests, indicating that it is a big step closer to launch. The official also made it clear that "we will go all out to promote the official launch of "Sword and Fairy World" within the year." ”

You must know that the research and development of "Sword and Fairy World" cost as much as 300 million yuan, and since the project was established in 2021, it has undergone nearly three years of careful polishing. In addition to the huge investment in R&D, CMGE has also invested heavily in acquiring the IP of Fairy Sword. As early as 2021, CMGE spent 747 million yuan to wholly acquire Beijing Softstar, and successfully obtained the ownership of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" in Chinese mainland.

Not long ago, in order to further consolidate its copyright status, CMGE made another move and spent 76.33 million yuan to purchase the overseas ownership of Xianjian, thus realizing the unification of copyright worldwide.

In this context, the success of "Sword and Fairy World", as a strategic self-developed project of CMGE, is crucial. At the same time, players are speculating whether the game can match its high cost and become a title that is both popular and popular. What innovations and features will CMGE use to attract players and ensure the success of the game?

Another big world, MMO killer?

At the end of 2021, Xiao Jian, CEO of CMGE, said that "Sword and Fairy World" aims to be the first domestic national style cultural metaverse game with open-world elements. Putting aside the concept of the metaverse, which has been proven to be a "version trap", "Sword and Fairy World" is first and foremost inseparable from the two labels of open world and national style.

Sword and Fairy World claims to have a "seamless world of 384 square kilometers that can be expanded." "In this vast world, players can see a lot of scenes and environments that were once familiar. The seclusion of Guyun Temple, the mystery of Xianling Island, and the splendor of Taohuadian, this time also added areas such as Yunzhong Island and Guiyun Mountain, each of which can awaken the unique "fairy sword" memories in the player's heart.

With such a vast map, Edgeworth's flight is the finishing touch, and as you move between these scenarios, you can fully feel the depth and freedom that the game brings. Especially when the player steps on the dangling blade of the sword and stops to watch the peach blossoms falling behind him, that oriental Zen and aesthetic feeling naturally emerges.

However, the size of the open world is not always better. An open world that is too large can easily fall into the so-called "big and empty" trap if it doesn't have enough content to support it.

In this regard, Sword and Fairy World has found a balance between scale and content, and the team has crammed a lot of exploration content into this large world, gradually building the flesh and blood of the game. In addition to the most basic big world gameplay such as solving puzzles, finding treasure chests, and placing dungeons, "Sword and Fairy World" has also added many proven gameplay methods on the market, including but not limited to peek-a-boo, auto-chess, cyber fighting crickets, edgeworth racing, and home building.

Ultimate hand, start

Or more familiar with multi-role switching, big world card drawing, constellation, running map, opening a teleportation point... In the community, many players complained that the game was a bit "original".

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In addition, a very interesting setting is the "Scar Charm", which allows players to leave their own markings or messages. On these scar spells, you can often see players expressing their feelings directly, with praise for the plot, some warm strategy tips, or playing Miyazaki Old Thief's "There is a superb view in front" stalks.

I have to say that "Sword and Fairy World" does sew a lot of things, which is nothing to avoid, especially for a multi-terminal interoperable online game, wanting not to get a little shadow of other games is a very idealistic thing in itself. The key is, can "Sword and Fairy World" concentrate its own characteristics and give full play to its consistent advantages in the new era?

Catch sunny days, grab rainy days, and "spirits" also have good days

Since the popularity of "Palu", Tencent, NetEase, Zulong, Lilith and other big companies have come down one after another, hoping to preemptively seize the market, which is not a new thing.

"Sword and Fairy World" is not blindly copying Palu's gameplay this time. On the one hand, as early as 2023, when the PV was first exposed, the spirit gameplay shown in "Sword and Fairy World" had already begun to emerge, with unique features and innovations. In contrast, the "Palu wind" only quietly blew at the beginning of this year and became the focus of heated discussions.

On the other hand, the spirit gameplay has deep roots in the history of the Sword and Fairy series, and it comes from the tradition and innovation of the previous generations of Sword and Fairy works, such as the second generation combined the spirit system with the combat gameplay, and the same gameplay also appeared in the seventh generation. Therefore, the imperial spirit has always run through the background of the fairy sword, rather than a simple "take-it-or-leave-it".

How to present the charm of this set of gameplay again in the new generation of games, "Sword and Fairy World" uses the concept of "animism" to describe this time. Specific to the game, the infusion, the spirit, and the spirit together constitute the core of this gameplay.

The first is the newly introduced "Spiritual Infusion" mechanism in this test, which can make all things awaken "spiritual intelligence" under the effect of spiritual power. Whether it's a pot of wine, a sword, or an inconspicuous bamboo or lotus flower, it is possible for players to instantly ignite and manifest a new life form, and the ignited spirits can help players explore the big world.

Spirits are also easy to understand, meaning that the player can turn into a spirit or something else. Through this ability, the player can turn into a chicken to eavesdrop on the conversations of NPCs, or become a broom to sweep the fallen leaves, or become a white crane to soar over the mountains and seas. If you played "Black Myth" some time ago, the charm of this "seventy-two changes" is self-evident.

And the finale of the "Imperial Spirit" is able to allow players to drive all things. Players can use gourds to catch spirits and let them fight, and the spirits also have the attributes of the five elements, they can also produce elemental reactions when fighting, or use them as mounts, go to the sky and the sea, and see what you see.

Of course, the part-time work attributes of the spirits are also indispensable, and players can put them in the "Cloud Stay", and let them alchemy, farming, watering, mining, mining, mining... Or distribute them to quests in place of player liver materials. One interesting thing is that if the player instills spirits on them while they are producing materials, the spirits will work harder as if they were being beaten.

However, "Sword and Fairy World" actually does not advocate the curious values of "you don't do it, some are Palu do", the spirits still have to sleep when they are sleepy, and they will rest when they are tired, strictly abide by the 8-hour work system, and emphasize the harmony of all things, you have me, and I have you.

To sum up, the development team of "Sword and Fairy World" did not simply add a game element when designing the pet hunting gameplay. CMGE treats the spirit characters in the game with great care, carefully designing their appearance characteristics, background stories, and even ecological settlements, and many players in the community are attracted to them.

When the relationship resumes, can IP still work?

As the memory of a generation, the IP of Fairy Sword spans 29 spring and autumn seasons, and the feelings and memories it carries have long been deeply imprinted in the hearts of countless players and audiences.

Whether it is in the first generation of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Linger fought side by side, telling touching stories; It is still the melodious and moving arrangement of the theme song of the four fairy swords "Back to Sleepwalking Immortals", leading players to travel through time and space to pursue the friendship between Yuntianhe and Han Lingsha...

Even if it is only a film and television drama adapted from the Sword and Fairy series, there is always something that inadvertently touches the softest place in the audience's heart, which makes people have endless memories and immerse themselves in that unforgettable love affair with Sword and Fairy.

However, judging from the many game cases adapted from well-known IPs, the feelings carried by IP cannot play a decisive role.

Especially in an IP with a deep historical heritage and a wide audience base such as the "Sword and Fairy" series, although the fan base is highly loyal and widely distributed, it shows obvious differentiation characteristics within it.

Those who are immersed in the single-player story may not completely eat the gameplay and business model of online games, and for fans of film and television adaptations, it is only difficult to convert them into gamers.

"Sword and Fairy World" is obviously aware of this, and no longer simply sells feelings, but uses a three-dimensional integration of plot, vision, and interaction to narrate. In terms of plot, instead of mechanically repeating the story that has been told, it is better to meet some of the players' thoughts, such as the plot of "Reunion of the Distant Moon", which makes the "Ling'er Party" and the "Yueru Party" quarrel in the community, and it also reflects the influence of the fairy sword.

In terms of visuals and interactions, there are some classic easter eggs, such as Yueru's classic move "Qiankun Throw" when she debuts, which will also surprise people. There are also poems after the end of the chapters of the past dynasties, which are continued in "Sword and Fairy World".

Compared with other Xianxia online games that are constantly moving, numerical values, and apprentices, "Sword and Fairy World" still has its own accumulation in it, and this unique accumulation is obviously the vivid and vivid characters carefully shaped in the "Sword and Fairy" series of works over the years, as well as the storylines that tell the story of life and vicissitudes of life.

Now that CMGE has held all the copyright of Sword and Fairy in its own hands, we will wait and see where "Sword and Fairy World" will push this IP.

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