The year is 383 AD, when the Jin Empire controlled the southern part of China. In the great battle of Feishui, the Han (ethnic Chinese) nations of the Jin Empire fought against the non-Han country of Qin. As we know today from history books, the Jin people emerged victorious. But what if history could change?..
One thousand years before the Feishui battle, there lived a young girl named Che Yun, who was born in Linghu, at the outskirts of the country of Jin. Her grandfather was once a minister and a scientist who invented the Wooden Shield Technique, which allowed to make animated wooden creatures. He was falsely accused of treason and killed. Che Yun inherited the secret teaching of her grandfather. With the help of Yunhu, a fox she made out of wood, Che Yun decides to clear her grandfather’s name and find out what forces are behind the war in China.
Xuanyuan Jian Waizhuan: Cang zhi Tao is a side story to Xuanyuan Jian 4. Traditionally, side stories are games which are made with the same engine as their predecessors, but have their own setting and plot. Like most Xuanyuan Jian installments, the game features both historical and fictional characters. It looks very similarly to the fourth game, and uses the same 3D exploration engine with 180 degree camera rotation, re-vamped turn-based battle system, stamina- and magic-based techniques, and the Heavenly Book system , which allows the player to capture monsters in battles, build settlements for them, use them to create own weapons, armor, accessories, and items, and recruit them later during combat. One of the playable characters can also learn magic from captured enemies.
Like in the previous installment, player-controlled party contains three active combatants, each specializing in his or her own special abilities, martial art techniques, or magic spells. Che Yun can use various techniques that damage or sabotage mechanical enemies encountered in the game. A new feature is the player’s ability to upgrade Yunhu, Che Yun’s wooden fox who represents her in battles. Special points are awarded beside the regular experience, and can be allocated by the player to teach Yunhu new skills and techniques, as well as increase his attributes. Yunhu cannot be healed by conventional means and must rely on special repair kits or Che Yun’s techniques for that.
