The Legend of Tianding similar games & best alternatives
The Legend of Tianding
2021
Related articles
Quick resume
The Legend of Tianding is a sidescrolling action game about Liao Tianding, the legendary Taiwanese Folk Hero. Explore the dazzling streets of Colonial Japanese Taiwan in the early 20th century.
Global score
94/100
Genres
Action, Adventure, Role-playing (RPG), Platform, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Arcade, Indie, Fighting
Similar games
Pros
- Beautiful comic book art style
- Fluid and satisfying combat system
- Engaging boss fights
- Unique taiwanese historical setting
- Immersive storytelling and cultural collectibles
Cons
- Relatively short game length
- Some side quests are repetitive fetch quests
- Minor translation and localization issues
- Limited enemy variety
- Occasional difficulty spikes in boss fights
Analysis
A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Continuation.
How to use the graph
Similar games map
Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.
- Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
- Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
- Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
- Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.
Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.
Motivations
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Autonomy3
"Players can choose difficulty, explore levels, and customize combat style with weapon stealing and skill upgrades, allowing some control over playstyle."
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Competence4
"Combat is skill-based with combos, dodging, and boss fights requiring pattern learning and timing; players report challenge especially on harder difficulties."
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Competition-3
"Focus is on single-player experience with no mention of multiplayer or leaderboards; play is at personal pace without social comparison."
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Continuation2
"Players enjoy replaying for collectibles and achievements; some grind involved but overall engagement is positive though game is relatively short."
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Cooperation-5
"Entirely single-player game with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."
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Creativity3
"Players can combine moves, steal and use various enemy weapons, and customize character with amulets, adding creative combat variety."
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Domination-5
"No evidence of dominating others; interactions are single-player and respectful."
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Escapism4
"Players enjoy immersive historical setting and engaging combat as a form of escape and entertainment."
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Expectation-4
"Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment, with no indication of obligation or external pressure."
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Experimenting3
"Players experiment with combos, weapon stealing, and traversal abilities; some side quests encourage exploration of mechanics."
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Exploration2
"Game includes some light Metroidvania elements and collectibles encouraging exploration, though mostly linear progression."
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Expression2
"Customization through amulets and skill upgrades allows some player expression, but no avatar personalization."
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Fantasy2
"Game is based on a folk hero with some fictionalized elements and stylized storytelling, blending history and fantasy."
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Fellowship-5
"No social or community features; strictly single-player experience."
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Growth3
"Players develop combat skills, learn boss patterns, and improve character stats through collectibles and upgrades."
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Health-5
"Typical sedentary video game play with no physical activity or health-related features."
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Idle-4
"Requires focused attention during combat and platforming; not suited for casual or background play."
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Intimacy-5
"No evidence of close social relationships or emotional sharing; single-player narrative focus."
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Leadership-5
"No leadership or group management elements; player controls only their own character."
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Progression4
"Players collect items, amulets, and upgrades that enhance combat and traversal abilities, showing clear progression."
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Relaxation2
"Generally enjoyable and smooth gameplay with some tension in boss fights; overall balanced challenge and flow."
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Sensation3
"Vibrant comic art style, dynamic combat animations, and energetic soundtrack provide sensory stimulation and excitement."
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Status-5
"No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."
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Story4
"Strong narrative immersion with comic book style storytelling, character development, and cultural/historical context."
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Strategy3
"Boss fights and combat require pattern recognition, timing, and tactical use of skills and weapons."
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Thrill3
"Boss fights and combat provide suspense and challenge, creating moments of tension and relief."
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Value3
"Players find good value in gameplay, story, and cultural content despite the game's relatively short length."
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Violence4
"Combat centers on martial arts fighting, weapon use, and defeating enemies, emphasizing action and destruction."
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Survival2
"Players must avoid damage and defeat enemies to progress; boss fights especially require survival skills."
Where to buy
Last update: 29/04/2026