Info about Nine Treasures of Liuyin:

Official game description:
As for the production team
==========================
This is the second iteration of our action game development. Unlike before, we have made progress this time. Currently, our investment and experience cannot be compared to other major games of the same type, and it can only be a small action game. Although as players, it is understandable to compare it with a major game, and the development team fully understands and agrees with this, it is inevitable. However, as a conscientious development team, we still provide sincere prompts before purchasing.  
1\. The current game action details are relatively stiff, but if they can adapt, they will receive good positive feedback.  
2\. The game's combat system is built around fast-paced defense and counterattacks, with deep details to explore and easy to learn but difficult to master.  
3\. For players who are used to playing major games of the same type and cannot tolerate flaws, it is recommended to try, observe, or swipe away.  
Thank you again to the players who have been following and supporting us all along. We will continue to work hard until one day we can produce even better works.  
Summary of Version Issues&Temporary Solutions
=============================================
Problem 1: Some models of controllers may have conflicts and unsuccessful key changes, or may experience continuous attacks or sprints due to logging out of a certain key position.  
Solution: Open the settings interface and go to Custom Settings to restore default settings. If you need to change keys, it is recommended to use the Xbox Series controller.  
Problem 2: Currently, there are conflicts between PS controllers and some non XBOX controllers with keyboards and mice, which can result in the inability to open games using controllers or keyboards.  
Solution: Unplug the USB cable from the controller, restart the computer and Steam, play with the keyboard and mouse throughout, or switch to using the XBOX native controller.  
Problem 3: The current version has some performance consumption.  
Solution: For players who need a smooth experience, it is recommended to default or reduce the resolution, UI display, texture, and shadow settings. It is strongly recommended to default the parameters, unless recording a show, otherwise the text prompts for boss battles will be blocked.
About the Game
==============
This is a dark, soul like role-playing game, trying to create a different experience in this genre. The protagonist fights against a powerful enemy in this city in search of a divine artifact.  
In addition to honing their combat skills, the characteristics and strategic analysis of skill combinations are also particularly important for players. The game has designed three sets of active and passive systems to quickly familiarize and combine these skills, which plays a good role in quickly defeating and suppressing enemies. The game adopts a multi branch plot mode, where the order of defeating the forked path will affect the original boss or plot structure, making the plot and drops slightly different. Increasing efforts to explore treasures and adventures can greatly reduce the difficulty of facing enemies.  
The game features a rich skill combination strategy, a tumultuous storyline, and dozens of enemies with different mechanisms.

Release date: 1 Aug, 2024

Categories: Soulslike Combat, Action RPG, Real-time Combat, Exploration, Character Progression, Multiple Endings, Top-Down Perspective, Single-player Story


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Moderate difficulty, beginner-friendly (weight 0.71): The game's difficulty is moderate and accessible, with forgiving mechanics like generous parry windows and no death penalty. The player character is strong from the start, and the game emphasizes timing-based mechanics over high execution skill. This makes the game beginner-friendly for players new to Soulslike games.
- Active development and support (weight 0.21): The developers are very sincere and responsive to player feedback, actively updating the game with new content and bug fixes. The development team's updates have largely fixed the game's issues, indicating ongoing support and improvements. The game is improving with more content and optimizations.
- Unique dark Chinese fantasy setting (weight 0.18): The game features a dark, ancient Chinese fantasy setting reminiscent of Sekiro, with a unique art style based on traditional Wuxia. The game combines dark fantasy, top-down perspective, and light Soulslike elements for a rich experience. The game has a strong 'Xia Ke Feng' (Chinese侠客) atmosphere.
- Branching storylines and exploration (weight 0.12): The game incorporates puzzle-solving elements and multiple branching storylines, with different endings triggered by completing side quests in different orders, increasing replayability. The game world incorporates Soulslike elements such as interconnected maps, one-way doors, levers, and treasure chest mimics. The game's story unfolds through a combination of main quests and side storylines.
- Enjoyable and unique boss battles (weight 0.05): The boss fights are a highlight, incorporating unique elements like opera singers and zither attacks for a refreshing experience. Treasure chest monsters and side-quest bosses are well-designed and have their own unique ideas. The boss difficulty is acceptable.
- Advanced rendering technologies (weight 0.04): The game uses advanced rendering technologies such as PBR, BSDF, and SSS to enhance the realism of materials, character skins, and lighting effects. These technologies contribute to a more visually immersive experience.
- Humorous elements and boss weaknesses (weight 0.04): The game incorporates humorous elements, such as a powerful ape enemy being weak to fire, which can be exploited after acquiring the fire blade skill from another boss. Some bosses have weaknesses to certain moves, which are hinted at in dialogue, such as using the Flame Blade against the magic ape.
- Vague positive feedback (weight 0): These points are too vague to be useful. They express general sentiments without providing specific details or actionable feedback. Therefore, they are not included in the summary.

Common complaints:
- Clunky, unresponsive combat and controls (weight 0.95): Many reviewers found the combat to be clunky, unresponsive, and lacking impact.  They cited issues with input lag, stiff animations, and poor hit feedback, making it difficult to judge whether attacks are connecting.  The controls and overall feel need significant refinement.
- Weak guidance and missing map (weight 0.67): The game lacks sufficient guidance, tutorials, and a map, making it easy to get lost and unsure of where to go next.  Important information is missing or poorly explained, leading to player frustration.  The game feels unpolished as a result.
- Problematic fixed camera perspective (weight 0.57): The fixed camera angle and isometric perspective create several problems.  These include obscured enemy attacks, difficulty judging distances, and a limited field of view, especially during boss fights.  The lack of camera control hinders player awareness and contributes to frustrating deaths.
- Excessively dark visuals/environments (weight 0.56): The game's visuals are frequently described as too dark, making it difficult to see enemies and navigate environments.  The high contrast between dark backgrounds and bright effects can also cause eye strain.  This issue detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
- Confusing and fragmented narrative (weight 0.54): The game's narrative is confusing, fragmented, and poorly explained.  Reviewers struggled to understand the plot, character motivations, and the overall world-building.  The lack of voice acting and character art further detracts from the story's impact.
- Poor combat feedback and hitboxes (weight 0.53): Reviewers noted that the combat lacks satisfying impact and feedback.  This includes issues with hitboxes, unclear attack ranges, and a general sense that attacks lack weight.  The parry/block mechanic is also confusing and ineffective.
- Audio bugs and sound issues (weight 0.06): Reviewers encountered various audio-related bugs and issues. These include unresponsive audio settings, overly loud background music, and sound effects that are jarring or out of place. These problems detract from the overall immersion and polish of the game.
- Unintuitive movement and stamina (weight 0.06): The character's movement speeds and stamina system feel poorly balanced and implemented. The purpose of the slow walk is unclear, and stamina recovery is too slow, hindering combat flow. These issues contribute to the overall clunkiness of the game.
- Enemy AI issues and inconsistencies (weight 0.05): Some reviewers reported issues with enemy AI, such as enemies having perfect aim or inconsistent behavior. These issues can make the game feel unfair and frustrating. One reviewer stated the game was unplayable due to severe issues.
- Limited enemy variety and design (weight 0.04): The game suffers from limited enemy variety, especially in the later stages. Ranged enemies can attack from outside the player's field of vision, creating unfair situations. The map design is also less intricate than in similar games.
- Annoying and repetitive sound effects (weight 0.04): The game's sound design includes unpleasant and repetitive sound effects. The character's passive ability to destroy environmental objects creates an annoying sound experience. These audio issues detract from the overall immersion and enjoyment of the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Parry and posture break combat (weight 0.46): The core combat loop revolves around depleting an enemy's posture bar through attacks, parries, and exploiting openings, leading to opportunities for special attacks and executions. Mastering parrying and dodging is crucial for success, with visual cues aiding timing. Breaking enemy stances is very important, leading to long stun durations and significant posture damage, especially useful for boss fights.
- Sekiro-like parry mechanic (weight 0.34): The game incorporates a parry mechanic, drawing inspiration from Sekiro, but some reviewers find it slightly inferior or situational. Successfully parrying an enemy attack when the white indicator flashes will stagger them. The game also features dodging and executions.
- Skill tree and character progression (weight 0.23): Players can unlock and upgrade martial arts skills, perception skills, and underworld skills using materials gained from defeating enemies and exploring. These skills enhance abilities and allow for character build customization. Special moves can be purchased from Liuyin using energy bits found in chests and special items from dead bosses, with a choice between two powers per boss item.
- Top-down Soulslike ARPG (weight 0.14): The game is a top-down or isometric Soulslike action RPG with light elements, drawing comparisons to Diablo and other similar titles. The game features a top-down perspective with three movement settings.
- Linear exploration with branching paths (weight 0.11): The game features linear exploration with branching paths, hidden chests, and bosses to discover. Maps include distinct areas with frequent teleport points and clear path markers. Multiple routes and boss orders affect the story and enemy structure, with different difficulties.
- Throwing knives for ranged combat (weight 0.08): The game features throwing knives that can be used to damage bosses from a distance, with different types of knives being effective against different bosses. Using throwing knives to whittle down boss health from outside their attack range is an effective, albeit cheesy, strategy.
- Boss fights: dodge strong attacks (weight 0.04): Bosses use strong attacks indicated by a 'strong attack' prompt, which can only be avoided by dodging. Bosses have both health and poise (韧性) bars; depleting the poise bar makes them more vulnerable to damage.
- Multiple endings (weight 0.03): The game features four different endings, with story lines that don't contradict each other. The game allows unlocking new endings by completing different levels.
- Movement speed implementation (weight 0.03): The game features three movement speeds (walk, jog, run), which feels unnecessary and could be simplified to just walk and run. Running requires pressing the LS button, otherwise the character walks very slowly; consider using the degree of the analog stick's movement to determine whether to run or walk.
- Healing and save system (weight 0.02): Healing occurs with potions or by resting at shrines, which also replenish potions; shrines allow saving and travel to other unlocked shrines, but resting does not respawn enemies, which respawn after a few minutes.

Performance notes:
- Unplayable on Steam Deck (weight 0.02): The game is reported as unplayable on Steam Deck. This is a critical issue for users of that platform and should be addressed for broader accessibility.
- Death results in progress loss (weight 0.02): Upon death, players lose progress back to the last bonfire save point and are subjected to a loading animation of the corresponding map. This can be frustrating for players, especially after making significant progress or during challenging sections of the game.
- Alt-tab causes screen issues (weight 0.02): Switching to the desktop while the game is running can cause screen flickering and black screen issues. This is a specific technical issue that disrupts gameplay and needs to be addressed for a smoother user experience.
- Fast loading times (weight 0.01): Loading times are reported as very fast. This contributes to a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience.
- Slow camera after loading (weight 0.01): Loading screens transition into scenes with slow camera movements. This can disrupt the flow of the game and may be perceived as a minor annoyance.
- Background color optimization needed (weight 0.01): The reviewer hopes for optimization of the background colors. This is a minor aesthetic point that could improve the visual experience.

Recommendations:
- Needs more polish and optimization (weight 0.44): Many reviewers feel the game needs more polish and optimization before it can be widely recommended.  They cite bugs, control issues, and a general lack of refinement as key problems.  Despite these issues, some see potential and are willing to reconsider their recommendation if improvements are made.
- Gamepad strongly recommended (weight 0.25): Several reviewers specifically mention control issues, particularly with keyboard controls, and recommend using a gamepad for a better experience.  They also suggest improving device adaptation for controllers.
- Add difficulty options (weight 0.25): Multiple reviewers suggest adding difficulty options to make the game more accessible to a wider range of players.  They suggest that an easier mode would allow less skilled players to enjoy the game, while those seeking a challenge could still play on a higher difficulty.
- Good for Soulslike/martial arts fans (weight 0.24): The game is recommended for fans of Soulslike games, especially those who enjoy martial arts themes or a less punishing experience. The parrying and combat are often compared to 'Sifu'.
- Anticipation for future updates (weight 0.11): Many reviewers express anticipation for future updates, DLC, and optimizations from the development team. They are looking forward to new content, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
- Good value for price (weight 0.05): Reviewers often mention the game's price and value, suggesting it's worth buying on sale or that the price is justified by the content. Some suggest a slightly lower price point, but acknowledge the value of future free updates.
- Support for domestic games (weight 0.03): Some reviewers express support for domestic games and developers, even if the game has flaws.  Some reviewers are withholding negative reviews or giving positive reviews to support domestic products, which indicates review bombing.
- Manage side quests (weight 0.02): A small number of reviewers recommend the plot design and the ability to influence the story. They also suggest using a guide to manage the side quests that affect the ending.
- Adjust camera angle (weight 0.01): A small number of reviewers hope the camera angle can be adjusted.

Other player notes:
- Dark fantasy, Soulslike, Chinese setting (weight 0.12): The game is a dark fantasy action RPG with Soulslike combat elements, set in ancient China. The story revolves around a mysterious organization, spiritual stones, and meteor fragments that corrupt humans and animals, turning them into monsters. The player explores various locations, meets characters who teach skills, and uncovers the truth behind the world's changes.
- General support, vague feelings (weight 0.06): Several reviewers express general support for the game and the development team, citing its domestic origin and ambition. However, these points lack specific feedback and actionable suggestions, and some express vague feelings.
- Minor translation issues, no VA (weight 0.05): The game lacks voice acting and contains minor grammar mistakes and typos in the English translation. Some text, such as special attack messages and upgrades menu, is not translated, but it doesn’t feel like you’re missing on anything.
- Active updates, future content (weight 0.04): The development team is actively updating the game and plans to release future updates, including 3D scene exploration, a dynamic difficulty system, and 4-player online co-op. Reviewers hope for more martial arts skills in future updates.
- Game is relatively short (weight 0.03): Several reviewers noted that the game's story mode and overall length are relatively short. This may impact the perceived value and playtime for some players.
- Challenging areas, valuable rewards (weight 0.03): The game includes treasure chests that teleport players to challenging areas with powerful demons, similar to Elden Ring. Defeating these demons grants valuable rewards, such as the Flame Flying Knife, which enhances ranged damage.
- High replayability, vague story (weight 0.03): The game offers multiple endings, story paths, and hidden areas, which enhance replayability. The story begins vaguely, similar to Souls-like games, encouraging exploration and discovery.
- Restricted climbing/jumping (weight 0.01): The character's climbing is restricted to specific points, lacking free jumping, potentially for bug control. This limitation may affect player freedom and exploration.
- Controller recommended on PC (weight 0.01): The PC version is recommended to be played with an Xbox controller. This suggests that the game may be better optimized for controller input than keyboard and mouse.

Emotions:
No emotions}