The Scroll of Taiwu
- September 20, 2018
- ConchShip Games
- 77h median play time
Get on Steam"The Scroll of Taiwu" is a role-playing game with a unique world and randomly generated maps, NPCs, and enemies. Players can choose their path, be it kind, evil, or neutral, and learn various martial art techniques and traditional Chinese skills. The game offers diverse game mechanics, including establishing a village, running businesses, and forming alliances or feuds. Ultimately, players will face the greatest enemy of the Taiwu family and shape the world's fate.
PC
Windows
Tablet
Reviews
- The game has a unique and complex system that allows for deep exploration and various gameplay styles, making it highly addictive.
- The developers have shown dedication by regularly updating the game and addressing bugs, indicating a commitment to improvement.
- The game effectively captures the essence of Wuxia culture, providing a rich narrative and immersive world.
- The game has been in Early Access for over six years without an official English translation, making it inaccessible for many players.
- The user interface is poorly designed and lacks intuitive guidance, leading to a frustrating experience for new players.
- Despite its potential, the game suffers from numerous bugs and balance issues, which detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- story62 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of "The Scroll of Taiwu" is expansive and deeply rooted in Chinese mythology, focusing on the player's journey as a descendant of the taiwu, tasked with defeating evil across generations. While the narrative offers rich lore and character interactions, many players find the progression slow and the main storyline lacking a clear direction, often feeling more like a sandbox experience than a structured narrative. Despite its flaws, the game provides opportunities for players to create their own stories and explore a vast world filled with intriguing NPCs and side quests.
“You are a descendant of the Taiwu (aka the sword holder). Your quest is to get strong and beat the evil by the time you age, marry, and have children. At some point, your main character dies, and all his knowledge transfers to a new heir. This means a new character, but the world continues, and every heir gets stronger and stronger, so you play a family of heroes to beat the evil and save the world.”
“For a game that's in 'alpha', The Scroll of Taiwu has plenty of content to offer, from the rise of your bloodline in the main story to side professions and the myriad sects that dot the land, all with dozens of skills to learn and hundreds of randomly generated people to meet across their maps.”
“The story behind the game is so moving.”
“The story mode is not even there; what have been done in the past two years of 'intensive development'?”
“The storyline, features, and content literally didn't receive a single upgrade in two years.”
“The storyline still halts in the tutorial part, and there's no ending at all.”
- gameplay58 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has been described as complex and interesting, with various mechanics that can be satisfying to master, but it suffers from a lack of clear tutorials and explanations, making it difficult for new players to grasp. Many users noted that the game feels more like a simulator than a traditional game, with a significant grind and time investment required to understand its systems. Additionally, there are concerns about the limited content updates and the overwhelming number of mechanics that do not significantly enhance the overall experience.
“No idea what happened for the bad reviews by players, but if you're looking at just gameplay itself, it's a massive good from me.”
“After you figure out the basics, you'll find that this game has a lot of different and interesting mechanics.”
“Simply working out the mechanics is like figuring out a whole new world, and very satisfying once you get the right combinations working.”
“Lastly, just like the original Taiwu, the in-game tutorial and info is atrocious and will not help you learn the game at all. If you cannot watch a Chinese guide video, I'd suggest waiting until more guides come out. Even now, I am half trying to figure out mechanics, half searching on Baidu as I go.”
“Tl;dr - after improving the game for 2 years behind closed doors in a circle-jerk environment where they shut out all outside negativity, this game has become inherently inhuman in its gameplay design.”
“Most of the game mechanics are not explained outright and require some trial and error with some contextual knowledge of Chinese mythology.”
- music20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and background compositions, even earning a perfect score from some reviewers. However, there are calls for greater variety and improved mixing to enhance the overall experience. The integration of cultural references and the ability to customize music adds a unique touch, making it a fun aspect of gameplay.
“Amazing background music 10/10”
“It's pretty fun with some custom music.”
“Very nice game, I like the music.”
“The game plays like Firaxis + Civilization, with incredibly abundant references to Chinese culture and traditional texts, in various fields such as medicine, Taoism, Buddhism, literature, chess, music, tea, etc. The main developer has a degree in Chinese language and literature, so the game almost made me cry when I first saw the book titles of various fields and all the cultural references.”
“From classics such as Wudang sword and Shaolin staff to hidden weapons, whips, and even... musical instruments?!”
“You can make friends with the NPCs and invite them to accompany you, or learn/teach martial arts, life skills, and music & painting skills from/to them.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding in the game has been improved from previous versions, with many players noting that it feels less excessive and more rewarding, allowing for a sense of accomplishment. However, some still find the midgame tedious and feel that the battle mechanics can become monotonous. Overall, while the grinding is integral to mastering skills and martial arts, it can be a double-edged sword, balancing enjoyment with repetition.
“The battle part is more tedious than before.”
“It's a cool game, but the midgame is a bit tedious.”
“Given the number of skills and martial arts you can learn and master, there will be a lot of grinding, and it doesn’t matter that you are a genius; you would still learn skills at the same pace as your intellectual inferiors.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally described as decent and fitting, with some reviewers noting improvements and a unique aesthetic that blends elements of classic Hong Kong kung fu films with a modern 4K village simulation. While not groundbreaking, the visuals are considered understated yet complex, allowing players to engage their imagination. There is hope for further enhancements in the final version.
“I have long been a big fan of Hong Kong kung fu movies, RPGs, and video games, but this graphically understated, yet evolvingly complex world of multi-generational wuxia takes the sweep of Monkey Journeys West, One Armed Swordsman, Drink With Me, Enter the Dragon, Snake in Eagle's Shadow, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and puts them in a 4K village sim twist.”
“Graphics - much improved.”
“Graphic is also very fitting.”
“I'd like to believe that in the final version, graphics and audio will be updated too.”
“Lack of visuals allows you to fill the voids with your imagination.”
“This graphically understated, yet evolvingly complex world of multi-generational wuxia takes the sweep of Monkey Journeys West, One Armed Swordsman, Drink With Me, Enter the Dragon, Snake in Eagle's Shadow, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and puts them in a 4K village sim twist.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, with users highlighting its fun gameplay and significant replay value. The successful community translation mod enhances accessibility for English players, making it more enjoyable than the early access version.
“High replayability.”
“It's fun and has a lot of replay value.”
“The community translation mod is doing really well, making the game more accessible for English players than the EA version ever was.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of severe bugs and freezing issues, particularly on platforms like the Steam Deck. Users have noted that the official version is riddled with problems, making it frustrating and unenjoyable to play. Overall, the game's stability is considered significantly lacking, detracting from the overall experience.
“The game is buggy as hell, ridiculously much buggier than EA.”
“My Steam Deck won't open the game; it freezes at 90% initialization stage.”
“The official version is buggy and not fun, with a complex system that lacks guidance, and the UI/UX is beyond terrible.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization has not seen significant improvements, with many users reporting an increase in bugs and a general decline in performance. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be lacking, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
“There is a Chinese saying that 'one minute on the stage, ten years of performance' that has been most vividly displayed.”
“There is no significant improvement; even more bugs and overall downgraded performance.”
“The performance.”
“There is a Chinese saying that 'one minute on the stage, the ten years' performance' has been most vividly displayed.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its relationship system, which generates unique and often bizarre stories that vary for each player, leading to amusing and unexpected interactions.
“The relationship system creates great (sometimes weird and funny) stories, and each player can experience them differently.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in this game is praised for its solid foundation, indicating a promising depth and complexity that enhances the overall gameplay experience. Despite being a work-in-progress, it is recognized as a standout feature that contributes to its status as one of the best indie games of 2018.
“Though this game is still a work-in-progress version, the developers have laid a solid foundation in terms of the game's mechanisms, character development, and other core concepts that qualify this game as one of the best indie games of 2018.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game deeply emotional, largely due to its rich integration of Chinese culture and traditional texts, which evoke strong feelings and nostalgia. The developer's background in Chinese language and literature enhances the game's ability to resonate with players, leading to profound emotional experiences, including moments that can bring them to tears.
“The game plays like Paradox + Civilization, with incredibly abundant references to Chinese culture and traditional texts in various fields such as medicine, Taoism, Buddhism, literature, chess, music, tea, etc. The main developer has a degree in Chinese language and literature, so the game almost made me cry when I first saw the book titles of various fields and all the cultural references.”
