- Site: Jade Empire: Special Edition
- Publisher: BioWare
- Developer: TransGaming, Inc.
- Genre: Role-Playing Game
By Brad Cook
All your life, you’ve known nothing but Two Rivers, a nondescript town by the sea. You came there as an infant, via circumstances unknown to you, but Master Li soon took you under his wing. You became his star pupil, and now he promises that greater adventures are in store for you. Your destiny will shape the future of the Jade Empire.
But which path will you take? The high route, also known as the Way of the Open Palm, or the low road, known as the Way of the Closed Fist? How you treat your fellow classmates, as well as those you meet during your adventures, pushes you toward one of the Ways. No matter which one you choose, you’ll tackle enemies with martial, magic, weapon, support and transformation styles of fighting, each one best used against specific types of opponents.
The Past Informs the Present
Jade Empire is a fictitious land ruled by the mysterious Emperor Sun Hai. Two decades ago, he and his elite Lotus Assassins took extraordinary steps to end a 10-year drought. Sun Hai ordered his brothers, Sun Kin and Sun Li, to lead an attack on your people and defeat the Water Dragon they worshipped, in hope of ending the drought. He achieved that goal, but his brothers were lost and the dead were prevented from reaching the underworld, causing their spirits to roam the land.
Your idyllic way of life is interrupted when the Lotus Assassins, now under the command of the powerful Death’s Hand, attack Two Rivers with flying machines that rain destruction on the school and the village. The invaders kidnap Master Li and take him to Jade Empire’s capital, Imperial City. Accompanied by other warriors you’ve met, you set out to rescue him. As you learn more about Jade Empire’s complex back story, however, you soon realize that you’re not sure who or what you can trust.
Along the way, you become more powerful, honing your abilities as you complete quests, defeat enemies, and recover Essence Gems that you plug into your Dragon Amulet to augment your abilities. The amulet was yours as a child, but it was broken into pieces that were scattered across the empire; find them to increase the number of Essence Gems that can be active simultaneously.
Small Pains
You’ll encounter many other characters during your adventures, from fellow student Dawn Star to the enigmatic Sagacious Zu to the black-clad freelance assassin Silk Fox. The many decisions you make while conversing with them not only push you toward Open Palm or Closed Fist but also affect how they interact with you, to the extent that certain side-quests are available only to followers of one Way or the other.
The story culminates in two endings, each the epitome of Open Palm or Closed Fist, with a third option for those who decide not to fight the main antagonist at the end. The fates of other characters who survive the final battle depends on which ending you choose; for some, it also depends on your treatment of them during the story. Romantic entanglements are possible.
Before you begin your adventure, remember this wise piece of advice from Master Li: “Small pains are part of learning. But not every setback imparts wisdom. You must be careful.” And remember that what he says also applies to your relationship with him.
Game Hardware
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Killing Blow. Sagacious Zu helps you finish off an ogre.
Gao the Dumber. You shouldn’t have much trouble defeating fellow-student-gone-bad Gao the Lesser and his allies.
Take to the Skies. Flying machines provide the context for a few of the mini-games.
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System Requirements:
- Mac OS X version 10.4.11 or 10.5.4
- Intel Core Duo processor
- 1GB of RAM
- ATI X1600, Nvidia 7300 GT, or Intel X3100 or better graphics chipset (Intel GMA950 chipset not supported)
- 4.8GB hard disk space
Three is a Magic Number
Your primary abilities become stronger as you gain experience. You decide which ones to focus on.
| Primary Ability | Secondary Ability it Influences |
|---|---|
| Body: Dictates your ability to handle damage in combat. | Health: Depletes as you take damage. If it reaches zero, you die. |
| Spirit: Your skill at manipulating an internal energy called Chi. | Chi: Use to enhance attacks or restore lost health. |
| Mind: Your ability to think quickly while fighting. | Focus: Runs down while using a weapon or when invoking Focus mode, which slows down your enemies’ movements so you can attack more effectively. |
Not all conversations with other characters depend purely on selecting certain responses. Your character’s conversation skills dictate your ability to steer the discussion in a specific direction. To get better at a specific skill, increase the corresponding primary abilities as you gain levels.
Conversation Skill
Charm — Influence others by being friendly. Your Mind and Body abilities dictate its level of usefulness.
Intuition — Sway the listener with reasoning skills. Your Mind and Spirit abilities dictate its level of usefulness.
Intimidation — Use your physical presence to convince others that your ideas are the best ones. Your Body and Spirit abilities dictate its level of usefulness.
The Fight’s the Thing
Unlike many role-playing games, Jade Empire features real-time combat, which means you need to quickly execute your moves. Blocks beat quick attacks, quick attacks beat power attacks, and power attacks beat blocks. Area attacks don’t inflict damage, but they do scatter any enemies not trying to block you, giving you much-needed breathing space during fights with many participants.
You’ll want to string your less-powerful quick attacks into three-move combos, during which you can switch between styles and add even more moves. You can also execute Harmonic Combos, which use magic or support style attacks with deadly results. You only have a limited time to complete a Harmonic Combo, however.
Some attacks also allow you to poison, freeze, immolate, slow down, paralyze, shock, disorient or drain an opponent. Grab power-ups dropped by enemies, or look for the shrines scattered around the empire, to restore health, focus, and Chi between battles.
When you gain a new level, you increase various fighting styles’ effectiveness, allowing you to focus on one or two and become powerful in those areas. Favor those styles while building combos and you’ll eventually be ready to face Death’s Hand. Or even Emperor Sun Hai.