{"rewrite":{"id":"r_1dededf15c05fd4b6ac465aa","clusterId":"c_adbaa57a722c91314c6312fa","slug":"tianji-shadow-of-the-ancients-modernizes-turn-based-combat-with-action-systems","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients Modernizes Turn-Based Combat With Action Systems","summary":"Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients is the first title from Tsai Ming-Hung, creator of the Xuan-Yuan Sword RPG series, after he left Softstar to work as an indie developer. The demo was shown at bilibili's Bilibili Game First Look playtest event. Set in Tang dynasty China, the game follows Shangguan Shuo, who loses his memory in a battle with the Xuanxin Sect. The battle system is timeline-based turn-based with action elements: a weakness and break system, follow-up attacks, and parrying.","whyItMatters":"Tsai Ming-Hung's first independent project reworks the classic turn-based RPG by layering action-game mechanics onto the command system, keeping the player active between turns.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe battle system keeps a timeline-based turn order, but the author reports almost no idle time during the roughly three-hour session. Each character skill carries an attribute, and enemies display their weakness next to their HP bar. Depleting the weakness gauge with the right attribute skills puts an enemy in a break state, where it cannot act and takes extra damage, though it later enters a weakness nullification state that blocks that approach. Follow-up attacks trigger randomly off character stats and can stack, and a timed parry input grants heavy damage reduction with a chance of just guard or counter. The result is a turn-based RPG where the player acts as a participant in every battle rather than a spectator.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Hands-on with Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients, Tsai Ming-Hung's first indie title after leaving Softstar. The turn-based battle system layers in action mechanics: weakness breaks, stacking follow-ups, and timed parries. Set in Tang dynasty China, the demo ran about three hours.","twitterPost":"Hands-on with Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients, Tsai Ming-Hung's first indie title after Softstar. Turn-based battles get action layers: weakness breaks, stacking follow-ups, timed parries. Demo ran about three hours.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Automaton went hands-on with Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients, the first title from Xuan-Yuan Sword creator Tsai Ming-Hung since he left Softstar. The demo, shown at bilibili's playtest event, layers action mechanics onto a timeline-based turn-based battle system. The full preview covers the weakness and break systems, follow-up attacks, and parrying.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/reportjp/20260908-465706/\",\"title\":\"Popular RPG Creator's \\\"Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients\\\" Is a Thorough Modernization of the Classic RPG: Action-Packed Battles, Fast-Paced Exploration, and a Modern Take on the Genre\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4653,"outputTokens":3182,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788839071,"createdAt":"2026-09-08T03:40:46.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-08T03:43:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-08T03:43:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_adbaa57a722c91314c6312fa","canonicalTitle":"人気RPGクリエイターが放つ『天機行：古朝の影』は「王道RPGを徹底的に現代化」していた。“暇しない”バトルにテンポ快速の濃厚探索、いま遊びやすいRPGの形","representativeArticleId":"a_354966ff5c8332e7157e3615","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Tenki Kou: Koshou no Kage\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"review\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-08T03:00:01.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-08T03:00:01.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-08T03:43:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/reportjp/20260908-465706/","title":"人気RPGクリエイターが放つ『天機行：古朝の影』は「王道RPGを徹底的に現代化」していた。“暇しない”バトルにテンポ快速の濃厚探索、いま遊びやすいRPGの形"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Tenki Kou: Koshou no Kage"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"review","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}