Publisher Justdan has officially revealed the first details of Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients, a new in-house developed RPG directed by the creator of the Xuan-Yuan Sword series. The game is a turn-based RPG set during the Tang Dynasty, combining traditional RPG mechanics with a combo-focused battle system intended to deliver both the impact of an action game and the depth of strategic play.
Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients
Players take on the role of Shangguan Shuo, an amnesiac protagonist searching for his lost identity, whose journey takes him through the region of Bashu and a mysterious, centuries-old subterranean city, drawing him into a larger conspiracy involving the enigmatic Xuanxin Order.
The narrative is set during the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty and follows the Tianji Guard, a secret Imperial Court organisation investigating an ancient ruin in Bashu. During the investigation, the group’s commanding general dons a bronze mask, loses his sanity, and effectively disbands the organisation in the process.
Months later, the mysterious Xuanxin Order emerges in the region, gaining influence through the use of masks and spiritual practices. The protagonist, Shangguan Shuo, awakens within one of the Order’s strongholds with no memory of his past, possessing only a Tianji Guard fish token and an unfamiliar mask as clues. His search to uncover his identity gradually leads him deeper into the conspiracy surrounding the Xuanxin Order.
Gameplay Mechanics & Design
Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients departs from conventional turn-based RPG combat by building its battle system around combo mechanics. This includes systems such as Chain Skills, Weak Point Exploitation, Pursuit Skills, Block Counters and a No Damage Bonus, aimed at combining strategic depth with fast-paced combat.
Players also have control over enemy encounters through a visible encounter system on the map, allowing them to choose whether to engage in battle. The system also allows players to instantly defeat weaker enemies when holding a level advantage, intended to keep exploration moving at a steady pace.
The game features high-definition, hand-drawn 2D art, with environments designed to reflect the style of traditional landscape painting. Detail has been applied to character attire, architecture, and regional flora and fauna to enhance the game’s visual immersion.
Exploration incorporates action-game elements such as climbing, swimming and environmental puzzles, adding verticality and challenge to different areas. Players will also be able to switch between day and night within towns, which triggers different hidden events and time-specific items, adding variety to the exploration experience.
As the story progresses, Shangguan Shuo will encounter a range of companions, each offering unique skills beyond combat, including cooking, equipment refinement, Core upgrades and item trading. Companion side stories will provide further insight into each character’s background, with their support skills developing further as players progress through the game.
Tianji: Shadow of the Ancients is currently in active development, with further details on gameplay systems, characters and precise release timing to be announced at a later date. The game is set to be available in Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (via Steam) and PlayStation 5, with a planned 2027 release.
Pokdepinion: Chinese folklore don’t always get all the attention on historical-themed games (with Black Myth: Wukong largely the sole exception for now), so this might be one to watch.