Not Clair Obscur: A Fresh Take on an 18-Year-Old Chinese RPG

If the new trailer for Sword and Fairy 4: Remake is giving you Clair Obscur vibes, you’re definitely not alone. Many are speculating that this upcoming RPG could spark a trend of copycats trying to capture the essence of the 2025 Game of the Year, much like the surge of open-world titles that drew inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after its monumental success. However, Sword and Fairy 4: Remake has roots that run deep, as it’s part of a long-standing series.

“This single-player turn-based RPG is reborn in Unreal Engine 5 with cutting-edge technology,” announced the developer. “Embark on a quest to uncover the immortals alongside Tianhe Yun’s team. Meanwhile, a long-sealed truth is beginning to surface.” This announcement came with a new trailer that has caught attention for its impressive production quality and dynamic turn-based combat.

The combat system is a key reason for the comparisons to Clair Obscur. Like this year’s standout RPG, Sword and Fairy 4: Remake showcases cinematic battle animations filled with motion blur and slow-motion effects, along with a command wheel that’s integrated into the action rather than being tucked away in the HUD. The use of Unreal Engine 5 adds a layer of hyper-realistic polish that echoes Clair Obscur’s aesthetic.

While it’s common for the gaming community to simplify new releases into familiar terms and reference popular titles as a frame of reference, Sword and Fairy 4: Remake has a rich history of its own. One critic pointed out the lack of research in some discussions, highlighting that we’re getting a stunning remake of a beloved RPG, yet some commentary reduces it to mere comparisons with other titles.

The original Sword and Fairy 4 debuted in 2007, and the series itself began with The Legend of Sword and Fairy in 1995, which was inspired by Chinese mythology but never made it outside East Asia. The latest installment prior to this remake was Sword and Fairy 7, released in 2021, which shifted from turn-based to real-time combat and is available on both PC and consoles. Sword and Fairy 4: Remake is an update to that earlier title and is also available on Steam. While it may share some visual similarities with Clair Obscur, it’s important to recognize that many turn-based RPGs feature a similar setup where players watch a static lineup of characters execute commands from a menu.

It’s entirely possible that the developers at UP Software have incorporated some stylistic elements that we now associate with Clair Obscur since its rise in popularity, as trailers for that game were generating excitement well before its release. However, Clair Obscur also draws from earlier series, like Persona, which featured similar mechanics. As RPG enthusiasts have been reminding each other this year, the genre encompasses much more than just Final Fantasy and its modern interpretations.

Perhaps Sword and Fairy 4: Remake will be the next title to broaden players’ experiences within the turn-based RPG landscape.