The Legend of Tian Ding Reviews
The Legend of Tianding is a highly enjoyable take on the Metroidvania genre that augments its smooth and satisfying action platforming beats with an uniquely historical setting that at once feels both refreshing and genuinely interesting. Though The Legend of Tianding could certainly do with a better hub area, a longer duration and maybe some more homegrown innovations, it nonetheless represents enticing morsel of polished and entertaining Metroidvania goodness that dependably enthrals for as long as it lasts.
Legend of Tianding is a great example of the 2D action, platforming genre. Due to its smooth combat, effortless traversal and gorgeous visuals, the game instantly stands out compared to its peers. Although there are difficulty spikes with boss battles, these matchups have been brilliantly designed, offering a myriad of indicators to aid you in your fight. Beautifully and seamlessly merging an array of mechanics, this is the perfect way to celebrate the Taiwanese hero.
As a combat experience The Legend of Tianding is up there with the Guacamelee! series, showcasing excellent gameplay that allows you to string together multiple attacks and use your enemies' weapons against them. With distinct chapters introducing their own standalone missions, however, the game stubbornly forces you to endure a huge amount of set-up, with long conversations with NPCs and arduous treks across the hub world of Taipei. Trimming this fat would have benefited the overall pacing greatly, but push through this and you'll be rewarded with one of the most thrilling combat experiences we've encountered in a while.
The Legend of Tianding is more than just a side-scrolling action game. It lives within a larger world and does its best to separate itself from the rest of the side-scrolling action genre. It mostly does a good job with its gameplay design but stumbles in some areas to keep it from being perfect. In the end, it’s one worthwhile action game when you need a little bit more than just punching and kicking.
A stellar slice of indie goodness whose frenetic and precise fighting elevates it above the pack, while highlighting an important chapter in Taiwanese history.
The Legend of Tianding is a great indie title. The game has the true spirit of indie gaming: it tells a story that could still be relatable considering the political climate of Taiwan, represents the cultural and social aspirations of a nation, has a unique visual identity, and knows its limitations. The Legend of Tianding is a short game, but it provides such a memorable experience that makes it difficult to wait for the next title from the team behind it.
The Legend of Tianding is a beautiful sidescrolling beat 'em up that deserves to receive more attention than it's getting. Its comic book art style carries through from the story to the gameplay. The action is fast-paced, the level designs well thought out, and the boss battles are challenging but fun. If you're a fan of kung fu movies, you need to add The Legend of Tianding to your library.
Have you heard? The Legend of Tian Ding has swooped in to deliver exciting kung fu combat and platforming. Take a look at how this Taiwanese treasure gives us an insight into Taiwan's history and culture during this historical period.
The Legend of Tian Ding is a quality small-grade game.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
It's a nice mix of metroidvania, kung fu and manga. Its eye-catching graphics, nearly 10 hours of storylines, episodes and variety of enemies manage to entertain you with its music that accompanies the game beautifully, although not catchy.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The combat system, the value of sub-missions along with the very good design of the game 6 stages, has enabled The Legend of Tianding to provide a fun 2D experience for those interested in this genre.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The Legend of Tian-Ding is an action-packed, kung-fu tale with great writing and an even greater art style. The comic book depicting 1900s Taipei is glorious and such a gorgeous aesthetic to play through; Its use was well executed and added layers of humour, threat, and depth to all characters of this heroic tale. Tian-Ding is a fantastic indie hidden gem that I hope becomes, like Liao Tian-Ding, legendary.
The Legend of Tianding shows how indie developers can mix solid mechanics and cool history-based protagonists to deliver a fresh take on the classic side-scrolling brawler experience. The game is tough but fair, asking players to master a series of moves and constantly finding new ways to test their skills. I would have liked less backtracking and, maybe, more meaningful side quests but simply engaging with the core missions is very fun.
While there have been quite a number of side-scrolling action/brawlers this year, for the most part they've been coming up short in one area or another...
I’ll confess that I expected little from The Legend of Tianding due to its origins as a remake of a Flash game, as well as the minute amount of hype garnered when it first came out last year, but I was really pleased with the game as a whole. Even if its art style is hampered by some dull level design, and its pacing can occasionally be a bit dull, its gameplay was just good enough to make me (mostly) ignore these setbacks.
If you are a fan of manga or manhwa and are curious about Asian stories (and in particular, those about countries under Japanese rule during the late 1800s), I can easily recommend this game.
If you are a fan of beat’em ups and welcome a splash of Metroidvania and RPG mechanics thrown in, then The Legend of Tianding should be on your radar.
A fun and well-made indie action game based on Taiwan's history and folktales.
If you are looking for a solid action experience with a real challenge, The Legend of Tianding is a great option. But if you are looking for an engaging story with a strong narrative and fantastic characters, The Legend of Tianding is perfect. If you are looking for both? Well, all I can say is you need to buy this game right now! It is one of the best action titles I have played in 2021, and if you know me, that is saying a lot.
The Legend of Tianding hands down is one of my favorite indie action/adventure games for the year. It is a tried and tested concept improved by a fresh Taiwanese perspective usually dominated by Western and Japanese influences. You have likable heroes, fun gameplay mechanics, and a quasi-open world to explore and challenge, making it well worth the price of admission and then some.