The Legend of Tianding

The art style is very good, as is the combat system. The game suffers from too much linearity and repetitiveness. There are some good ideas here and there, but they are all almost half-cooked. 6/10

Story is immersive and the gameplay in general is fun.

I really liked the comic-book style cutscenes, along with the 'theater' narrator at the beginning of chapters. It went well with the Taiwan early 1900s aesthetic and colour palette. The city feels atmospheric and manages to be immersive in its 2D presentation. The game is short and manages to keep things tight, not much felt wasted or filler. The combat is fun and can feel rewarding, pay attention to it and it will reward you. You can kick bullets! Some of the boss fights were tough but after a few tries were manageable. The music goes well with the atmosphere and fights, and was overall enjoyable, even the one that plays at the credits.

Great story