{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6525d7b12eec7412e6dfbb08","clusterId":"c_b75aaaf36c17b854a57f1419","slug":"sword-sage-awakening-trial-shows-a-counter-focused-combat-system","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Sword Sage: Awakening Trial Shows a Counter-Focused Combat System","summary":"A trial session for the action RPG Sword Sage: Awakening was held at the Bilibili First Look event in Shanghai. The game, developed by Sword Panda Limited and published by 4Divinity, features a combat system called Evade Cyan, Strike Red, based on Chinese martial arts philosophy. It removes stamina and standard dodge actions, replacing them with directional defensive stances and counterattacks. The story draws from Chinese legends and is described as a bright, lighthearted cultivation tale with varied side stories.","whyItMatters":"The game's rejection of Soulslike conventions in favor of a stance-based counter system rooted in Chinese swordsmanship offers a distinct action RPG approach worth watching.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eA trial version of Sword Sage: Awakening, presented at the Bilibili First Look event in Shanghai, runs about three hours and splits into a tutorial chapter and a harder area with a hidden boss named Yuan Gong. The developer, Sam Wu, has a background in Chinese martial arts and swordsmanship, which directly shapes the combat. Instead of stamina or a dodge roll, the player uses a defensive stance mapped to the left bumper and the right stick to match enemy attack directions. A successful evade leaves a blue afterimage and opens a counter window marked by a red flash. Some enemy attacks display their direction as text, forcing precise input to avoid damage and trigger a special counter animation.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sword Sage: Awakening replaces stamina and dodge with directional stances and counters. The combat system is built by a team with Chinese martial arts experience, not a genre studio.","twitterPost":"Sword Sage: Awakening swaps stamina and dodge for directional counter stances. The designer's martial arts background shapes the feel.","threadsPost":"Sword Sage: Awakening's combat system removes stamina and dodge entirely, replacing them with directional defensive stances and counterattacks. The developer's Chinese martial arts background is the reason the system feels distinct from other action RPGs.","newsletterBlurb":"A trial for Sword Sage: Awakening at Bilibili First Look reveals a combat system that replaces stamina and dodge rolls with directional defensive stances and counterattacks. The game's producer, Sam Wu, has a background in Chinese martial arts, which informs the Evade Cyan, Strike Red mechanic. The story is a lighthearted cultivation tale inspired by Chinese legends.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/928/G092856/20260618036/\",\"title\":\"Playing the Action RPG \\\"Sword Sage: Awakening\\\" Made by a Chinese Martial Arts Practitioner: The Fresh Play Feel of the Unique Counter System \\\"Evade Cyan, Strike Red\\\"\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4282,"outputTokens":600,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1782543388,"createdAt":"2026-06-27T06:52:59.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-27T06:55:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-27T06:55:24.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b75aaaf36c17b854a57f1419","canonicalTitle":"中国武術の経験者が作るアクションRPG「Sword Sage: Awakening」をプレイ。独自のカウンターシステム“避青入紅”が生む新鮮なプレイフィールとは","representativeArticleId":"a_160c7c29f5a48665f9b7a593","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Sword Sage: Awakening\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"review\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-26T05:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-26T05:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-27T06:55:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/928/G092856/20260618036/","title":"中国武術の経験者が作るアクションRPG「Sword Sage: Awakening」をプレイ。独自のカウンターシステム“避青入紅”が生む新鮮なプレイフィールとは"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Sword Sage: Awakening"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"review","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The trial version of Sword Sage: Awakening runs about three hours and includes a tutorial chapter and a harder area with a hidden boss named Yuan Gong.","The combat system, called Evade Cyan, Strike Red, replaces stamina and dodge roll with a defensive stance mapped to the left bumper and right stick to match enemy attack directions.","A successful evade leaves a blue afterimage and opens a counter window marked by a red flash; some enemy attacks display their direction as text.","Developer Sam Wu has a background in Chinese martial arts and swordsmanship, which directly shapes the game's combat design.","The game is developed by Sword Panda Limited and published by 4Divinity, with a story based on Chinese legends described as a bright, lighthearted cultivation tale."]}