This might be the only game where you can accidentally castrate yourself due to bad translation problems (localization isn't finished yet), but it's a highly innovative, original, and fully playable early access game which is still worth playing at this point even though a bunch of kinks with game mechanics and optimization still haven't quite been worked out yet.

The first thing to know is that even if combat is turn-based this is not another D&D "d20" game that's been reskinned with Chinese stuff. The combat and skill development system is entirely original and matches the wuxia setting the way you might expect if you've watched enough kungfu movies. While the combat is described as "deck-based", it doesn't really seem like a "card game" from the player perspective even if the mechanics are implemented that way. You pick 1-6 "kung fu skills" to equip before a fight and this causes different numbers of basic moves (punch, kick, etc) to be added to a "deck", but it doesn't look like this to the player even if internally the moves are shuffled in an array and "drawn" from one side.

From the player perspective it just looks like you have a bunch of different moves ready and need to select the right ones to block opponent attacks and use enough of the right types to activate bonuses and the special moves you have equipped. This matches up much better with the usual "kungfu fight" than stuff like over-abstracted D&D type d20 wargame dice roll mechanics, allows for better strategy formation options, and gives you something to do other than just "click button to attack".

On top of that there are some Kenshi-like aspects to the game like the ability to build buildings and start your own martial arts "sect" that can claim and expand territory.

Well that's all I feel like typing at the moment but there are other things worth reading about as well, such as the meta-progression aspects, the "verbal duel" mechanic (which I think is OK but not ideal), etc. but other people have no doubt covered that stuff.

The main things lacking due to early access seem to be missions/quests, "story", some game balance stuff, and some other things that are kind of typical like optimization and UI. Localization still isn't finished properly but is good enough about 95% of the time.

My overall conclusion is that, if you're interested in an original Chinese "kung fu world" (wuxia) game with original mechanics, this is worth buying in its current state especially when it's on sale for a small discount.

This is probably the closest thing there is to a game based on “The Expanse” at least in the single ship simulation category. If you want to feel a bit like James Holden then you probably will.

Also, everyone will think this is a weird comparison, but this is a good relaxing game (after the initial learning hump) sort of like a more grown up Dave the Diver without the on-rails story, JRPG dialogs, or extra mini games.

Instead of diving into the ocean to catch fish, you dive into the A ring of Saturn and catch ore and other ships (which might be dead already or might fight back) using realistically speculative technology in an environment of proper physical behavior. No magic tractor beams and even your cargo hold is physically simulated rather than just being a table of units.

Rather than run a sushi restaurant, back on the station you can bring in money either just selling retrieved items, or you can do a little bit of other stuff like try to speculative invest in ore and “ship flip” (buy up, repair, and sell ships which isn’t that profitable but is great for training mechanics).

There’s no main story or anything to hand-hold you to where to go next.

The main shortcoming of the game is a lack of content amount and variety. There are “stories” but they’re rather slow-going, only found by accident, and not very plentiful. The game is in need of more things to do and objectives to pursue other than just make money, and it could use a better dialog system with more story type content.

But this is a game everyone ought to try if it looks the least bit interesting. I think the “demo” is actually still the full game so at least download that and check it out.