Sword of Suzuliana has launched and performed well, captivating players with its tactical gameplay, classic role-playing aesthetic, and love of narrative and musical score. But despite its many virtues, the game still received mixed reviews from the public. This is due to two main reasons: monetization and progress barriers.
This is because Suzuran Sword is a Gacha game! Getting you to spend money is the focus, arguably more important than creating a satisfying gaming experience. Those unhappy with the monetization are strongly opposed to this approach, and progress barriers come in the form of rechargeable stamina that prevents you from continuing to play when you run out of stamina. Of course, you can regain your strength naturally. Or you can spend money.
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It’s strange for a lot of these complaints to be made because you know what you’re getting into when you download the game. However, it’s also worth noting that in recent years (in fact, probably since HoYoverse started making big-budget gacha aimed at the wider Western market), the harshness of such gacha mechanics has been greatly diminished. Suzuran Sword isn’t the worst in the genre by any means, but if you compare it to today’s popular games, it’s by no means the best either.
Beyond that, many players (those who were attracted by the renowned game development talent XD hired to create the game as well as its classic RPG look) may not be used to this type of game. Looking at the Steam reviews, a lot of players want this game to be just a classic RPG, and well, you can’t take that view with too much scorn.
I play gashapon games and play a lot! While I could certainly stop myself from throwing a stupid amount of money at them, there’s no question as to what the goal of this monetization practice is. That’s why they offer free codes and giveaways to keep you sweet. These games are slot machines. They’re usually well made and a lot of fun, but they’re slot machines. Muzen Zero Zone, Suzuran Sword…all of them!
It is for this reason that, while the game is decent and worth checking out if you can trust yourself not to fall victim to such temptation, I doubt it will surpass its current Steam aggregate rating and its current popularity among people position in mind. A shame indeed, but not an accident.
