Game Groups > Xianjian Qixia Zhuan / Legend of Sword and Fairy series

Xianjian Qixia Zhuan (traditional Chinese 仙劍奇俠傳, simplified Chinese 仙剑奇侠传, literally "Legend of Magical Sword and Miraculous Heroes") is a series of Chinese role-playing games and its spin-offs, created by the Taiwanese developer Softstar Entertainment. The games are set in the feudal China, usually not specifying a concrete historical epoch. As in most Chinese-made RPGs, the gameplay follows a predominantly Japanese template, which simple turn-based combat mechanics, automatic leveling up, and linear story advancement. A defining feature of the series is the emphasis on romantic relationships between the hero and the female characters. Some of the installments are connected to each other by recurrent characters and plot elements, though for the most part each one features a new cast of protagonists.

The series has achieved a widespread popularity in Chinese-speaking countries. In 2005, a TV series entitled Chinese Paladin was released, based on the story and characters of the first Xianjian Qixia Zhuan.

Since none of these games was released in the West, there is no official English translation of the series' title, though Softstar used The Legend of Sword and Fairy in documentation and installation routines of some of the games. The series has also been referred to as The Magic Sword and the Chivalrous Youngsters.