Martial Kingdoms
Encyclopedia
Martial Kingdoms is a single-player wuxia
strategy
video game developed by Taiwan
's T-Time Technology Co., Ltd. The game was released in 2003. It has a sequel, Martial Kingdoms 2, which was released in 2007.
(martial arts world) and win the game. At the start of the game, each sect controls at least one duo (or base), out of about 20, all located on a map of China
. A sect is considered conquered when it has lost all of its bases to the attacking sect. To achieve the ultimate goal, the sect needs to become more powerful first and ways to increase its strength include: recruiting and training new members; collecting more natural resources (such as gold, iron ore and wood) by conquering other sects' bases; upgrading its factories to produce weapons, equipment and medicine of better quality; discovering and learning more powerful skills through studying and gaining experience from battles; forming alliances with other sects. The player can manage the sect's members and arrange their daily schedules, determining how much time the member spends on each task (collecting resources, training, producing items etc) and what skill the member will be learning.
during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor
. The emperor is deceived by the treacherous chancellor Yan Song, and he fears that the wulin
(martial arts community) may pose a threat to his rule over China. He sends the Jinyi Wei
(secret police) to stir up conflict among the various sects, hoping that they will destroy each other.
There are four storylines that the player can choose from. In each story line, the number of bases occupied by each sect at the beginning is different and certain sects only appear in certain
storylines. In addition, the player has the option of creating a new sect if he/she does not wish to play as any of the 12 default sects.
The 12 default sects featured in the game are:
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
strategy
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
video game developed by Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
's T-Time Technology Co., Ltd. The game was released in 2003. It has a sequel, Martial Kingdoms 2, which was released in 2007.
Gameplay
The player chooses one from 13 martial arts sects to play as, and must conquer the other sects to rule the wulinJianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
(martial arts world) and win the game. At the start of the game, each sect controls at least one duo (or base), out of about 20, all located on a map of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. A sect is considered conquered when it has lost all of its bases to the attacking sect. To achieve the ultimate goal, the sect needs to become more powerful first and ways to increase its strength include: recruiting and training new members; collecting more natural resources (such as gold, iron ore and wood) by conquering other sects' bases; upgrading its factories to produce weapons, equipment and medicine of better quality; discovering and learning more powerful skills through studying and gaining experience from battles; forming alliances with other sects. The player can manage the sect's members and arrange their daily schedules, determining how much time the member spends on each task (collecting resources, training, producing items etc) and what skill the member will be learning.
Plot
The game is set in the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor
Jiajing Emperor
The Jiajing Emperor was the 11th Ming Dynasty Emperor of China who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin...
. The emperor is deceived by the treacherous chancellor Yan Song, and he fears that the wulin
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
(martial arts community) may pose a threat to his rule over China. He sends the Jinyi Wei
Jinyi Wei
The Jinyi Wei was the imperial military secret police of the Chinese emperors of the Ming Dynasty and were bound to serving the emperor only. The Jinyi Wei was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards and it developed into a military organization the following year...
(secret police) to stir up conflict among the various sects, hoping that they will destroy each other.
There are four storylines that the player can choose from. In each story line, the number of bases occupied by each sect at the beginning is different and certain sects only appear in certain
storylines. In addition, the player has the option of creating a new sect if he/she does not wish to play as any of the 12 default sects.
The 12 default sects featured in the game are:
| Name | Storylines | Main base | Specialties in martial arts / others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demonic Cult (魔教) | 1, 2, 3, 4 | Dian Lake (in present-day Yunnan Yunnan Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with... ) |
Palm, finger, sword and spear styles |
| Beggars' Sect Beggars' Sect The Beggars' Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured prominently in works of wuxia fiction by writers such as Jin Yong and Gu Long. The sect has also found its way into some Hong Kong martial arts films such as King of Beggars.... (丐幫) |
1, 2, 3, 4 | Yingtianfu (present-day Nanjing Nanjing ' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions... ) |
Palm and staff styles |
| Shaolin Sect Shaolin Sect The Shaolin Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several wuxia works. It is one of the largest, most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is at present-day Shaolin Monastery in Henan... (少林寺) |
1, 2, 3, 4 | Mount Song Mount Song Mount Song, known in Chinese as Song Shan , is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China... |
Fist, staff, palm and finger styles |
| Wudang Sect Wudang Sect The Wudang Sect is a fictional Chinese martial arts sect featured in several works of wuxia fiction. It is one of the most famous and recognised orthodox and righteous sects in the jianghu. Its home base is in the Wudang Mountains... (武當派) |
1, 2, 3, 4 | Wudang Mountains Wudang Mountains The Wudang Mountains , also known as Wu Tang Shan or simply Wudang, are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei Province of People's Republic of China, just to the south of the city of Shiyan.-Geography:... |
Sword, palm and fist styles |
| Emei Sect Emei Sect The Emei Sect is one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu in several works of wuxia fiction. Its home base is on Mount Emei in Sichuan... (峨嵋派) |
1, 2 | Mount Emei Mount Emei "峨眉山" redirects here. For the county-level city that Mount Emei is located in, see Emeishan CityMount Emei is a mountain in Sichuan province, China... |
Sword, palm, finger and kick styles |
| Mount Hua Sect Mount Hua Sect The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is featured in three of Jin Yong's wuxia novels as one of the leading orthodox Chinese martial arts sects in the jianghu. As its name implies, the sect is based on Mount Hua. In reality, a Mount Hua Sect exists but it has nothing to do with... (華山派) |
1, 2, 3 | Mount Hua Mount Hua Mount Hua or Hua Shan in Chinese is located in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. Also known as Xiyuè, Western Great Mountain, it is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance... , Mount Heng Mount Heng (Shanxi) Heng Shan or Heng Mountain in Shanxi Province is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. At 2,017 m, it is one of the five tallest peaks in China Proper. Heng Shan in Shanxi Province is sometimes known as the Northern Heng Shan, and the one in Hunan Province as Southern Heng Shan... (only in story line 3) |
Sword and palm styles |
| Mount Wu Sect (巫山派) | 1, 2 | Mount Wu (in present-day Sichuan Sichuan ' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu... ) |
Saber, kick, sword and staff styles; Poison-based secret weapon attacks |
| Dongting Sect (洞庭幫) | 2, 3 | Dongting Lake Dongting Lake Dongting Lake, or Lake Dongting is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River . Hence the lake's size depends on the season... |
Staff styles; Qinggong |
| Taiyi Sect (太乙教) | 1, 2, 3 | Mount Huang | Saber, sword and staff styles |
| Baoxiang Sect (寶相寺) | 1, 2, 3 | Mount Tiantai | Finger styles |
| Heroes' Gate (英雄門) | 2, 3, 4 | Qilian Mountains | Spear, saber, sword and fist styles |
| Shennong Shennong Shennong , which names mean "Divine Farmer", but also known as the Emperor of the Five Grains , was a legendary ruler of China and culture hero reputed to have lived some 5,000 years ago... Sect (神農幫) |
1, 2, 3 | Changbai Mountains Changbai Mountains The Changbai Mountain Range or Jangbaek Mountain Range are a mountain range on the border between China and North Korea... |
Saber styles; Production of medicine and antidotes |
See also
- List of organisations in Wuxia fiction
- Xuanyuan Jian
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