A new trailer for the Sword and Fairy 4: Remake has drawn attention for its visual similarities to the acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Publisher CubeGame highlighted the game's update using Unreal Engine 5, featuring turn-based combat in a story rooted in Chinese mythology. While some see it as imitating recent trends, the series boasts a rich history dating back to 1995.
The trailer for Sword and Fairy 4: Remake, announced by publisher CubeGame on December 29, 2025, showcases a single-player turn-based RPG rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. It invites players to join Tianhe Yun’s team on a journey to find immortals, uncovering a long-sealed hidden truth. The video emphasizes high production values, including cinematic battle animations with motion blur, slowdown effects, and a command wheel integrated directly into the scene rather than as a separate HUD element.
These features have led to comparisons with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a 2025 release often cited as a standout RPG. Observers note the hyper-realistic sheen from Unreal Engine 5 and the stylish combat presentation, evoking the French-developed game's aura. However, critics like The CRPG Book editor Felipe Pepe have pushed back against superficial labels, arguing that media often overlooks the depth of Chinese games. Pepe commented on a post calling it a “Clair Obscur-like,” stating, “I really hate how games media handles anything out of China. We’re getting a gorgeous remake of one of their best RPGs ever, but the clown does zero research about it.”
The Sword and Fairy series originated with The Legend of Sword and Fairy in 1995 for MS-DOS, drawing from Chinese mythology as an analogue to Final Fantasy but without Western localization until later entries. Sword and Fairy 7, released in 2021, shifted to real-time action and became available on PC and consoles. The original Sword and Fairy 4 dates to 2007 and is already on Steam, making this remake an enhancement rather than a new concept. A tweet from user Dream's Longest Day shared screenshots to highlight visual parallels, quipping, “The only bar you have to clear is to recognize shape and colors at this point, and you are failing miserably. My 3-year old cousin can see the similarities.”
While developers UP Software may have incorporated modern stylistic choices post-Clair Obscur's success, such elements trace back to earlier influences like the Persona series. This remake could further broaden appreciation for turn-based RPGs beyond Western staples.