At the mention of BioWare, the iconic Mass Effect and Dragon Age trilogies come to mind, gamers from the nineties and two thousandths recall Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Among the masterpieces, the Jade Empire project was lost, the passage of which brought a lot of joy to the owners of the disc.
About the game
The release took place back in 2005 on the Xbox, making a fuss in the gaming environment. PC fans had to wait 2 years to begin the passage of Jade Empire: Special Edition.
The graphics are not bad for the beginning of the two thousandth, but it upsets the camera’s template behavior: if two heroes speak, the lens alternately jumps from one face to another. If there are three speakers, the cameras are located in an equilateral triangle, four in a square.
The plot linearity saddens: caring providence seems to lead the protagonist’s hand from one task to another, periodically allowing to frolic with side quests.
Plot
The action takes place in a fictional world resembling China: in the Jade Empire, philosophical views based on the treatises of Lao Tzu, martial arts, magic and intricate mechanisms coexist.
The empire knew the drought, crop failure, the emperor declared war on the gods and defeated disasters.
The protagonist is a student of Master Lee, an orphan from a small village, who set out to find the stolen sensei. The journey turns into a battle for the fate of the empire.
Stages
The quest in Jade Empire begins after half an hour of introductory tasks and training.
"Two Rivers"
Events begin with the invasion of an unknown army, in the ranks of which ghosts rage about. A barely trained young fighter enters into an unequal battle and wins with the help of teacher Lee, who talks about the chosen hero and the atrocities of the emperor.
The passage of the Jade Empire begins in the catacombs under the school - the hero finds a part of the medallion and he receives a vision: the Water Dragon is killed by the emperor in order to end the drought, but the souls of the dead do not leave the human world.
The predawn Star and the hermit Sightful Zu join the hero and go in search of the abducted master Li on the aircraft.
"Parking Tyan"
Having crashed near the town, the hero visits the pirate harbor in search of a vehicle. After a brawl, the engineer Crazy Kahn and the traveler Sky join the squad.
The passage of the Jade Empire continues in the flooded Tian Parking lot, where the Lotus Assassins blocked the dam to drain water from the ruins. In the ruins, the protagonist will meet a dead girl, in whose body the good demon Chai Ka, who was sent to protect the hero, inhabited.
The amulet was found by the Lotus Slayers, therefore, the choice is given before leaving: to break the mechanism and leave or close the dam, flooding the ruins.
In South Forest you have to choose a side: Forest Shadow or Demon Mother. Upon completion, Lord Yoon will give up a wind map if the player realizes that the forest is safe. The squad is replenished with new members - Henpecked Hou and Black Whirlwind.
"Imperial City"
In the new location, the emperor’s daughter meets the father’s guilt on the leader of the Lotus Assassins - the Hand of Death.
Continuing the passage of the Jade Empire in the den of the enemy will lead to the disclosure of the visionary Zu: sent to kill Master Lee.
Having chosen the path of "good", the protagonist learns that the Dawn Star is the daughter of teacher Lee.
On the way the Great Inquirer will meet and explain that the emperor is behind everything: he controls the Lotus and the Hand of Death. Zu will sacrifice himself to save the main character from the clutches of the Hand of Death.
"Imperial Palace"
The body of a little girl from Parking Tian becomes the battlefield of the demons Chai Ka and I-Zhen. The player chooses whom to support, and the loser leaves the child's body. The girl is the strongest character in the squad: during the battle, she turns into a monster, and then restores her health.
In the palace, the Silk Fox, the daughter of the emperor, learns that the ruler knew about souls locked up in the world of people doomed to remain in the grip of the death of the Water Dragon - the thirst for power drove the ruler crazy.
The passage of the Jade Empire does not end with the death of the emperor - Master Lee kills the protagonist and selects the amulet.
"Temple of the Monks of the Spirit"
The journey continues in the world of spirits: Water Dragon talks about Li's cunning plans to overthrow the ruler with the hands of a hero.
The essence leads to the abbot Song, the head of the order of the Monks of the Spirit, who died at the hands of teacher Li, and talks about the attack on the Abode of Sorrow.
After winning the afterlife, the hero returns to life, and members of the squad rush to meet a friend.
"Defense of the Temple"
While the character was dead, Master Lee sends an army led by the Death Hand to attack the Abode of Sorrow.
Heaven fights with the Hand of Death, but he remains alive. The hero tries to banish Lee’s influence by getting a choice: kill the Death Hand or persuade him to correct the mistakes.
"Return to the Palace"
The detachment rushes to the chambers of the ruler, where the last battle will take place. Along the way, it turns out that the emperor dismembered the body of the Water Dragon so that water poured over the lands of the empire.
The player chooses: to destroy the remains for granting freedom to the Dragon and the spirits or to desecrate the water in order to gain power for the battle with the emperor.
If a player agrees to accept death without a fight, he will remain in the memory of the people as a hero, otherwise he will have to fight with the new ruler.
Side quests
Passing Jade Empire is reduced to the implementation of tasks such as "bring-serve" from the NPC. There are many of them in each chapter: it is enough to periodically approach the merchants and speak with characters not involved in the battles.
Passing additional quests in Jade Empire increases performance and helps to level the character.
System requirements
For a project released in 2005, the requirements are not excessive:
- The game is designed for the operating system Windows XP.
- It will be launched on the fourth Pentium with a clock frequency of 1.80 GHz, and at 3.00 GHz it will work at maximum graphics settings.
- 512 MB of RAM is enough to run. Comfortable game at 1 GB.
- Video card nVidia GeForce 6200 at 126 MB, and better 6800 at 256.
- DirectX 9.
Verdict
The end of the passage of the Jade Empire depends on the chosen actions: if the protagonist freed the Dragon, then in the headband the grateful residents of the Jade Empire. In the case of the chosen option with the appropriation of power, the Lotus Assassins will bow before the hero.
In the game, Good and Evil are presented as two areas of philosophy: the path of the Open Hand and Clenched Fist. Further events and the fate of the squad members, which the player recognizes after the end of the game, depend on the chosen actions.