Developer: Softstar
Publisher: Softstar
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 – Review
The Sword and Fairy series is a collection of Taiwanese action RPGs that never really took off in the West. However, a dedicated fanbase on the eastern side loves these Chinese mythology-inspired games, resulting in many entries and spinoffs. After a few successful worldwide releases in the past years, with Sword and Fairy: Together Forever being a prime example, the developers decided to bring over their newest spinoff: Sword and Fairy Inn 2.
Story
The story of Sword and Fairy Inn 2 might be a bit confusing and overwhelming at first for new players since it’s a big crossover game, which means it features characters from the expansive series. At the beginning of the game, a handful of characters decide to open an inn together where other famous warriors pass through and have small interactions and stories. This is the point where the overwhelmed players stop to feel lost since there isn’t that much of an engaging and deep story. Most of the interactions between the characters are just banter or tell small stories that don’t require prior knowledge.
This accessibility is a great addition for newer players but also the narrative’s biggest weakness. Since there isn’t a big overarching story, most of the time spent with the characters is very limited. This can offer some good fan service for fans of the series, but for others, this will feel like a pretty bland and uninteresting experience. It becomes clear that the developers focused more on gameplay and fanservice, which is understandable, but this doesn’t remove the feeling that most texts and interactions feel meaningless.
Graphics
The graphics of Sword and Fairy Inn 2 are a bright joy to look at and fit the tone of the game perfectly. The characters are also very cutely designed and stand out from each other, just like the dishes you serve and the ingredients you collect for them. This is especially nice since looking for these dishes and ingredients is a big part of the gameplay, so having a distinct look helps a lot.
Sound
It’s not every day that a game takes inspiration from Chinese culture, so it’s very nice to hear a lot of Chinese-inspired music during your playthrough of Sword and Fairy Inn 2. These songs fit the game perfectly and give off a relaxing vibe. Along with this music, there is also a lot of voice acting. All of these performances are nice but don’t do anything too exceptional. Most of the interactions are just casual talks, so there isn’t much room for big emotional performances.
Gameplay
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 is a simulation game where players manage their own inn, where they must focus on delivering food and upgrading their establishment to get access to even more dishes. Combining this with inventory management and a touch of character development gives players a lot of systems to take note of.
The core of the gameplay experience is the loop of preparing for the day and opening your inn. Before you open the doors, you can adjust the menu to choose which items will be served that day, taking into consideration which ingredients you have in stock to make sure nothing runs out. At this point, you can run into town to buy new ingredients and tend to your garden to plant them yourself. When you are done with the preparations, it’s time to open your inn. This process is pretty much automated and asks the bare minimum of interaction, but it is nice to see your money go up. When the day is over, you get the option to train some staff, upgrade dishes and build relationships. Now it’s time to go to bed and do it all over again. While the game focuses mostly on the restaurant of the inn, there are also guests in the rooms that can be challenged to minigames to earn extra rewards.
At its core, the systems of Sword and Fairy Inn 2 work together nicely to deliver a gameplay loop that feels rewarding and lets you make impactful choices, like investing in expensive ingredients or saving your money to get new upgrades. All of this is further enhanced with a milestone progression system that asks you to hit certain objectives to upgrade your inn. Along with these milestones are smaller quests that make you do specific things, like sending a certain character to the market, to further the small narratives. While this sounds like a great progression system, this is where the game stumbles. Hitting the milestones gives minimal rewards, like new dishes and ingredients that will just replace your previous ones. The same goes for the quests, these narratives are never very engaging or interesting, so they don’t feel as big as a reward. This creates the risk of the gameplay feeling repetitive if you’re not a big fan of a grind-fest or the Sword and Fairy series. Another small thing is that the game lacks a decent tutorial. Many of its mechanics are explained, like going to the market and opening the inn, but others are never mentioned, like how to upgrade dishes. This can get frustrating since these things are essential to progress the game, and players will have to look for them without a decent guide.
Conclusion
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 delivers a solid gameplay loop of preparing for the day and running your inn, especially with a nice and cute presentation. The problem, however, is that the game can get repetitive and doesn’t do a lot to switch up the gameplay. The narrative doesn’t help here since it’s focused on fanservice and light stories that don’t offer a lot of depth. All of this makes it a game for fans of the Sword and Fairy series, or gamers that love a good grind. Others probably won’t stick around for hours as there is not that much to experience.
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