I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures and their history. I also love playing games where I can kick bad guys in the face. The Legend of Tianding is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up loosely based on the history of early 20th century Taiwan.
It’s 1909; the Colonial Japanese authorities rule Taiwan with an iron fist.
The citizens of the (Daodeching) lives are made a misery by the corrupt Japanese authorities who have invaded the formerly peaceful country.
However, all is not lost as heroic vigilante Liao Tian-Ding has vowed to kick out the invaders and bring peace back to Taiwan. He does this by stealing from the Japanese and their greedy collaborators and giving it to the poor.
Think Robin Hood crossed with a kung-fu flick, and you are not too far from the mark.
Equipped with a sword, a sash, and a barrel full of kung fu skills, players take on the role of Tian-Ding, freeing Taiwan one punchup at a time.
Combat is simple but fun and has you string regular attacks together with special moves and sash attacks that let you steal weapons from worn down enemies. You can duck and roll away from oncoming attacks too. The back and forth of the fights make you feel like an absolute badass.
There are several ways to power up Tian-Ding throughout the five-hour campaign to suit your playstyle. You can level up and buff your stats. There are also items throughout the game that extend your maximum health and stamina, or you can upgrade your sword at the local blacksmith.
You also receive equipable amulets for completing optional sidequests or defeating certain enemies. These have a range of different effects that include reducing damage, adding a triple jump, or getting more health back when eating steamed buns.
The world of Legend of Tianding is littered with collectables that add buffs to your weapons or passive abilities to Tian-Ding. As well as being useful, they also do a great job of bringing the setting and period to life. These range from toys and board games, to food and drink. Each is put within its cultural and historical context via fascinating descriptions of each found in the pause menu.
The Legend of Tianding is presented as a traditional Chinese manga. Each chapter (read: level) opens with a teaser of upcoming events and an introduction to the bastard whose arse you will be kicking by the end of the stage.
This is all presented with colourful panels popping up and dashing across the screen, which gives the game’s minimally animated cutscenes a better sense of impact, urgency and motion. The whole thing is executed flawlessly, and the game world and its characters consistently pop.
Each of The Legend of Tianding’s chapters is varied and fun. Some have you beating up waves of enemies. Others see you carrying out heists to pinch specific items while trying not to get caught.
The same cannot be said of some of The Legend of Tianding’s side quests, which often devolve into a series of fetch quests that have you running from one end of town to the other, and back again. Though the optional rewards from these missions are useful, these tasks slow the game’s otherwise brisk pace to a crawl.
However, there was one side activity, I ended up hooked on – Four Colour Cards. A traditional Taiwanese card game that is simple to grasp, difficult to master, and surprisingly addictive.
The Legend of Tianding is a bright and beautiful brawler that brings to life an overlooked period of history many outside of the region know little about. Bursting at the seams with great characters, gorgeous visuals, and rock-solid combat, Tianding is bound to steal your heart.