The year is 750 AD, and the player controls Septem, a knight in a Frankish order under the command of Pippin the Younger. He is an orphan who doesn’t remember his parents, but since his eyes have different colors (one blue, one black), he suspects one of his parents might be of Asian origin. One day, Septem’s commander tells him that he learned from an Arab trader that somewhere in the Far East there is a place that harbors the key to the absolute victory, ending all the wars in the world. Because of his mixed blood, Septem is ordered to travel to Asia and find out about this secret knowledge.
Xuanyuan Jian 3: Yun he Shan de Bi Duan takes the player across the world of the 8th century, from Europe to Middle East, and through Tian Shan mountains to China, which was then ruled by the Tang dynasty, enjoying cultural prosperity. The gameplay system is similar to the one first introduced in the second game. During the battles, it is possible to attack physically, cast magic spells, or perform special actions which deplete the stamina gauge. The player can also mix items to produce new ones, and recruit enemies into the party in order to summon them in battles.
New to this installment is a real-time element in the turn-based battles, similar to the ATB (“Active Time Battle”) system used in Final Fantasy games: enemies would act if the player is not quick enough to execute a command. AI-controlled characters will sometimes join the party. The game has pre-rendered backgrounds for most of the locations; battle graphics are hand-drawn, similar in style to Chinese paintings.
