Game Review: Sword and Fairy Inn 2

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam)

I've been a fan of the Sword and Fairy series for many years now, and I always look forward to a game getting an English-language release. Sword and Fairy Inn 2 is a spin-off, sim management title that originally released back in 2022 on PC, and 2023 on consoles. Its console release came to us by way of publisher EastAsiaSoft, and we're going to be taking a look at it today on the Nintendo Switch, though it's also available on all major consoles. That's enough intro I think, let's dive in!

Sword and Fairy Inn 2 brings together much of the cast from the very first Sword and Fairy game, but this time they're out to manage an inn. This is an inn in the style of the hotels that Gordon Ramsey used to fix up his shows Hotel Hell, in that they seem to be a restaurant first, and an inn second. The plot focuses on three characters named Xiaoman, Zhao Ling'er, and Li Xiaoyao. This trio get up to all sorts of hijinks, and have to run their newly opened business while also meeting up and recruiting old friends, and surviving the opening of a much larger rival inn. There is quite a bit of plot I can get into here, but it's really far too complicated to explain within the context of a review. This is a spin-off title that takes most of its plot cues from a game that isn't even available in English at the time of this writing. There is technically a TV drama adaptation of Sword and Fairy 1 that curious players can find online, but most people are going to go into this game blind. This wouldn't be much of a problem if the game kept its plot simple and centered on managing the inn, but that's not the case here at all. Characters constantly reference events that took place in Sword and Fairy 1, and it makes for a very confusing experience that is hard to wrap one's head around. There are moments where the game tells its own story, but it can be tiring having character after character show up and already have an established relationship with the main trio that is chalked up to: "Oh! It's that person we did that thing with that one time!" I personally found the cast endearing enough that I didn't mind this all that much (And, I also have seen the aforementioned TV drama adaptation!), but I can see how many others might simply ignore the story after multiple scenes of that sort. Having said all that, I do hope that this game's release means that we'll get an English-language release of Sword and Fairy 1, but I guess that's just wishful thinking at this point.

So the story isn't exactly very beginner-friendly, how does the gameplay compare? I can thankfully open up the rest of the review by stating that things are far easier to get into on that front. Sword and Fairy Inn 2 is one of the most involved restaurant management sims I've played in a long while. Not only do you have the restaurant management side of things that makes up much of the core gameplay loop, you also have several other related aspects to manage. Just to cover a few of them, there's a farm to attend to, the inn portion of the building to maintain, a town that you can visit to purchase additional ingredients and supplies, a crafting system to create new furniture and decorations, a set of training grounds to improve the skills of your staff, and several minigames thrown in because there wasn't enough going on already. It may sound a bit complicated, and indeed it can be a bit overwhelming when you first start the game, but everything comes together in a surprisingly smooth fashion once you get over the initial learning curve. The game does a pretty good job of letting you know which thing to focus on next, and you'll find yourself juggling the various aspects of Sword and Fairy Inn 2 in no time. There can be a bit of that "jack of all trades, master of none" vibe going on at times, but all the minor systems feel developed enough that they can be entertaining in their own right.

My experiences with Sword and Fairy Inn 2 are mostly positive, but there are some big issues that I should get out of the way first. Probably the biggest failing I found with the game would have to be its lack of direct player input. This is a sim management game through and through, and there isn't much for you to do beyond play a numbers game, and assign tasks to your computer-controlled staff. There are some minigames that involve quick time actions, and visiting the town is done via a character you take direct control of, but everything else sort of runs automatically. Each employee at the inn is given a job, and these range from cooks, runners, janitors, and a manager. Those jobs are all carried out automatically, and don't ever really require any input from the player. You can take over some small tasks, like seating customers and picking up tips they may leave behind, but even these actions can be performed automatically. If you were expecting to actually have a hand in cooking, or even in simply controlling your servers, then this isn't the game for you. I guess that's where expectations come into play. Those looking for more intense gameplay might want to grab something like Overcooked instead. Everything takes place through menus, and there is a strong emphasis on inventory management. Raw materials are needed to upgrade the inns facilities, and ingredients of all sorts are required to make every dish. Buying the right ingredients for every dish on the menu, and making sure that you have enough to get through a rush of customers, is far more important here than ensuring said dish is made correctly. Gameplay can change by way of staff and the skills you choose to focus on, but that goes back to the sim-heavy focus. All this together can create a bit of a disconnect for some players, since the game seems to almost be playing itself, but I feel that it also helps simplify the many individual systems that have to work together at once. I don't know about everyone else, but I'd be tired out rather quickly if I had to perform all the running and cooking during each in-game day.

Even though I'm a fan of anything Sword and Fairy, there were some times where I felt like this game was simply a mobile title ported to console. I actually am not really sure if that's this game's origin, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. My earlier description of the gameplay might've reminded some people of cell phone games that run themselves while idle, and there is a wonkiness to the controls that had me side-eyeing the game more than once. The game's uneven translation also means that players will often have to re-interpret a lot of the dialog. It can be hard to follow the key story events when the everything feels like it's being channeled through a cleaned-up machine translation. I got quite far in the game as far as upgrades go, but there were several gameplay elements I never fully understood. For example, I was always confused as to why certain customer types would choose certain days over others. This may seem unimportant, but the game ranks your performance based on money earned, and some customers pay more than others. I also upgraded the inn several times, but was never able to upgrade all of its individual facilities. Training rooms never maxed out, and I never got full inn occupancy. I don't know if these are things you can only mess around with in the very late stages, but it made me wonder if parts of the game were simply broken. There is still more than enough to manage without the inn running at its full capacity, but I found it strange that others reported similar experiences online. I'm willing to accept that I might've simply missed some in-game explanation, but I put a lot into the game and still never fully understood it.

Visuals are probably the thing about Sword and Fairy Inn 2 that I felt the most conflicted about. On one hand, the characters are cute and well-animated, but I'm not a fan of the chibi aesthetic at all. That's just a general preference of mine, and this game pretty much solely features that visual style. Beyond that, it's also worth mentioning that the characters and CG images are pretty much the only thing really worth noting as far as graphics go. Just about everything in the game has a generic look to it, and this even extends to things like the menus and UI. The backyard area where you go on nightly dates looks cool, but the rest of the game is largely forgettable, and that includes the inn itself. The animations can also be a bit all over the place, and they sometimes don't match with what's going on during a scene. Being mediocre is one thing, but there are some visual aspects that bothered me in particular. Just about everything having to do with the farm is bland and borderline ugly, and it is really hard to tell what crops are growing until you harvest them. That's not it either, as the fonts used are quite small, and can be very hard to read if you're playing in Handheld Mode on the Switch. This is of course negated if you play on a TV, or on any other console, but it's worth a mention since the Switch release seems to have been given a decent amount of focus during the game's launch. On the topic of the Switch version, I also experienced crashes while playing the game. These seemed to always happen while training my staff in cooking, though I can't be sure what actually caused them. I really do feel like this is the perfect game for the Switch, but it's hard to recommend it after having it crash on me more than once.

While I have similar mixed things to say about Sword and Fairy Inn 2's sound, it thankfully leans a bit more to the positive side of things. First up is the fact that the game is fully voiced. It's only voiced in Chinese, but it features actors that are reprising their roles from the mainline games. Everyone gives solid performances, and it can be a neat change of pace for those who aren't used to playing games with Chinese voice acting. There are some moments during the minigames that are left untranslated, but these are small asides that don't affect gameplay. The music, on the other hand, doesn't hold up quite as well, but is still okay for what it is. There weren't any tracks in the game that I disliked, but there also weren't any that stood out to me either. The music just gets you through the game, but doesn't really elicit a response from the player in any way. Though the sound is a bit of a mixed bag, there really isn't anything truly negative to say about it. It's not the strongest aspect of the game, but there's no part of it that's worth criticizing either.

Though Sword and Fairy Inn 2 does have something resembling a main storyline, comparing its longevity to games with a finite ending isn't really fair. This is the type of game that you can play for dozens of hours on end, or until you feel you've reached your perfect inn. I do want to remind everyone that I played through my main game file for about ten hours, and still couldn't figure out how to unlock some parts of the game. I could've just been missing something obvious, but that's worth keeping in mind for those looking to "beat" this game. Having said that, I still plan to play well beyond finishing this review, and feel that it is very much worth its current $19.99 price tag. It is far from a AAA release, but its price reflects that. I actually feel a bit bad being as hard on it as I've been throughout this review, though I will still stand by everything I've said. Those looking to play the game might want to take a look at it on PC (via Steam), as it seems to go on sale there quite often.

If you're looking for a sim management game that has a fantasy setting, then Sword and Fairy Inn 2 is the game for you. I know that might sound like a specific niche to appeal to, but there are quite a few games already in that specific sub-genre. This game is far from perfect, but there's plenty of fun to be had, and gameplay avenues to get lost in. I do have to caution Switch players to perhaps grabbing it on another platform if possible, though it was still fully playable beyond the occasional crash. If you're a gamer who prefers more direct interaction, or just a higher level of polish, then this might not be the game for you. Its low price does mean that one can pick it up on a whim, so maybe give it a shot even if this might not be the type of game you normally play. I just hope that we see more Sword and Fairy games released in the West in the coming years. On that note, I'll see you in the next one!

Check Out Sword and Fairy Inn 2 on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/sword-and-fairy-inn-2-switch/

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Story: A- (If you know Sword and Fairy 1!)
Gameplay: B
Graphics: B-
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A very deep restaurant/inn management sim that has several intertwined gameplay mechanics.
+ Features characters and plot elements that draw from the first Sword and Fairy game. (Which is arguably the most popular entry.)
+ Can be played for dozens of hours since there is so much to see and do. It will take most people well over ten hours just to get most of the upgrades.
+ Minigames, inventory management, staff skill increases, and other gameplay quirks, mean that you'll never have a boring minute while playing.
+ Fully voiced, and features solid performances from voice actors who reprise their roles from the main series.
+ Very reasonably priced at $19.99.

Cons:
- There is very little direct player input beyond the management side of things. Much of the game's "action" takes place automatically.
- The story can be very confusing for those not familiar with the first Sword and Fairy game. Which is understandable since it's not available in English at the time of this writing.
- Even though I played for quite a while, I still couldn't figure out how to unlock certain upgrades.
- The graphics can be a bit bland, and the game has something of a mobile feel to it overall.
- Though this might just be a me thing, I experienced a handful of crashes while playing on the Nintendo Switch.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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I could use a drink!