The world has gone to hell, demons are crawling out of every corner, and the only thing standing between humanity and complete annihilation is a collection of legendary swords scattered across a monster-infested wasteland. Oh, and the people brave enough to go looking for them. No pressure, then.
That’s the rather unfortunate situation awaiting players in Realm of Taiwu, a dark fantasy action roguelite from Leap Studio and publisher 4Divinity, launching into Steam Early Access today.
An officially licensed spin-off of The Scroll of Taiwu, the game takes place in an alternate timeline where the original hero never arrives to save the day. The legendary Fuyu Sword falls to the villainous Xiangshu, darkness consumes the world, and the survivors are left dealing with an army of corrupted monsters. Your mission? Find ten divine swords, fight your way through the apocalypse, and somehow put everything back together.
Ten Swords, One Very Unhappy Demon Lord
Realm of Taiwu throws players into a world inspired by Chinese martial arts fantasy, where ancient sects, legendary weapons, and powerful spirits have all been caught up in Xiangshu’s corruption. You’ll take control of survivors from different martial arts sects, each carrying their own regrets and reasons for fighting, as you venture into dangerous territories in search of the missing divine swords. Naturally, Xiangshu hasn’t made retrieving them easy.
The corrupted lands are crawling with everything from ordinary fiends to mutated beasts, powerful minibosses, and manifestations of Xiangshu himself. You’ll need to carve your way through enormous waves of enemies using martial arts abilities, powerful weapons, and whatever useful treasures you manage to get your hands on.
There’s plenty of loot to chase, too, with equipment ranging from common finds to legendary divine armaments. Throw alchemical elixirs into the mix, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment with different builds as the enemies become increasingly unpleasant.
Even the Fish Have Something Going On
While you’ll spend a good chunk of your time sending demons back where they came from, there’s more to these expeditions than cutting down everything with a health bar. Random encounters can pop up during your adventures, offering additional challenges and rewards.
You could stumble across carp attempting to leap through the legendary Dragon Gate, take part in cricket-catching rituals, unlock hidden treasure vaults, or encounter strange monster sacrifices. It’s an unusual collection of distractions for a world that’s supposedly on the brink of destruction, but we’re certainly not complaining.
Completing these encounters can earn you extra rewards to strengthen your character before the tougher confrontations ahead. And when you’re facing an enormous demonic monstrosity, a little extra help is always welcome.
Your New Best Friend Might Be Possessed
Some of the creatures wandering the corrupted lands aren’t entirely beyond saving. Scattered throughout the world are Tainted Spirits, trapped by cursed chains and struggling against Xiangshu’s influence. Rather than immediately introducing them to the sharp end of your sword, you can use your vital energy to break their seals and restore them.
Once purified, these spirits become your loyal Spirit Attendants. Each comes with its own personality, backstory, and mystical combat abilities, giving you additional companions to bring into battle. You can also level them up and invest resources into unlocking their hidden potential, gradually turning rescued spirits into valuable members of your fighting force.
It’s a rather nice arrangement, really. You save someone from demonic corruption, and they repay the favor by helping you beat the living daylights out of the creatures responsible.
A Flying Ark Is a Pretty Good Place to Call Home
When you’ve had enough of battling demons, the Conch Ark provides somewhere to recover, regroup, and prepare for your next expedition. This enormous flying refuge serves as your permanent hub, housing survivors, helpful NPCs, and the Wanqu Folk, who keep everything running while you’re busy risking your life.
Here, you can refurbish equipment, strengthen characters, unlock new abilities, and improve your Spirit Attendants. There’s also a Sacred World Tree growing aboard the ark, providing passive bonuses as it develops.
The Conch Ark isn’t just somewhere to dump your loot, either. You can interact with its residents, switch between playable protagonists, and invite friends to join your expeditions through online co-op. Given the number of demons waiting outside, bringing a friend sounds like a good decision.
Realm of Taiwu launches into Steam Early Access today, bringing its combination of martial arts combat, roguelite progression, demon-slaying, and treasure hunting to PC. Leap Studio expects the game to spend approximately a year in Early Access, with plans to expand the story, introduce additional chapters and characters, and provide even more build possibilities before the full release.
If you’re a fan of action roguelites with plenty of loot to chase and increasingly ridiculous enemy hordes to cut through, Realm of Taiwu looks worth a shot.