Everyone loves a good adventure to go on now and again, right? Whether it be travelling through time via a magical ocarina, defeating a rampaging army of storm troopers or preventing a large comet from crashing into the earth, story-based questing is one of the most popular and absorbing pastimes anyone could wish for. Counting the number of hours I have wiled away sitting in front of an unfolding epic storyline would be an impossible and depressing task, so instead let’s focus on the newest game from BioWare, whom gave us the spiffing Knights Of The Old Republic last year.

Jade Empire tells the story of a young martial arts apprentice who resides at the tranquil Two Rivers martial arts school. Much in the way that BioWare’s Star Wars title offered the player the chance to choose between a male or female character, with the main romance options being changed as a result. After being given the basics of the health and strength systems as well as a dose of combat practice, the game kicks off into a whirlwind story which quickly sees the character and his crew have to leave the school and head out into the world.

The immediate difference between this and BioWare’s previous title is the method of combat, with the game doing away with a menu system in favour of real-time action fighting. Battles take on a certain ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ atmosphere, with the player able to slow down the action and unleash a brutal array of kicks and punches towards the enemy with ease. As the player gains experience he can improve his health, his focus so he can slow the action down for longer, and his chi which allows him to use massively powerful strikes to break an enemy’s block or guard.

As you progress through the adventure and meet different characters, you’ll pick up different fighting and magic styles that will offer a variety of different advantages and disadvantages over the others. Finding an appropriate style to suit your character’s strengths really helps, with stronger fighters being more suited to styles like White Demon and Stone Immortal and quicker fighters suited better to Thousand Cuts. There are plenty of chances to mix and match though, and finding an ideal balance will greatly aid your character in combat.

Doing away with the normal stat-based levelling system of other adventures, the game features just three main stats: body, mind and spirit. Each has two attributes, one being an aid to fighting whilst the other helping conversation. For example, your body rating encompasses the amount of health your character has, whilst also influencing charm, which helps when trying to get information or side quests out of characters you’ll meet. Although seeming simplistic, raising certain parts of your statistics will influence what you can and cannot get done in the way of side quests, making for a good deal of different outcomes.

Ah yes, the side quests. Anyone who loved Shenmue will instantly feel right at home with Jade Empire, not only due to the Asian influences but also the sheer amount of optional tasks you can undertake. Fancy taking time out to help a debt-ridden villager clear his financial problems, or hunt down some kidnappers? Go right ahead. Each quest has a number of solutions for the character, and each will change his orientation between the way of the open fist (good), and the way of the closed fist (naughty). People who enjoyed turning evil on their crew in Knights Of The Old Republic will have a ball here, and at the very end the game will offer the player a choice between a good ending or a bad one.

In the same way that the aforementioned Star Wars game absorbed players completely, Jade Empire drags you straight in and has you travelling about helping and hindering people for hours. It says a lot for the talent of the people at BioWare that you’ll actually actively search out the side quests and want to complete everything available. The main quest itself might be a reasonably straightforward progression through love, hate and revenge, but the associated strings which the player can grab add layers to all of the characters and locations.

It’s all helped by the fact that the game looks and sounds fantastic. The warm, rich colours spread from village to forest have just the right tinge to them to give the player a genuine feeling for the Asian settings, with the bustling Imperial City packed full of appropriate architecture and a bustling population going about their daily business. Every location you’ll visit during your time with the game is detailed with the same care and attention, all the while being backed by a range of soaring backing music that almost always suits the nature of the visuals perfectly. One thing that perhaps would have been an improvement would have been authentic oriental accents for the characters though, and you would be excused the odd wince at the Americanised nature of the vocals in an otherwise eastern culture.

Having played through Jade Empire, you can certainly see why BioWare chose to forego the opportunity of developing another Star Wars game and focus on their own adventure world. With a selection of detailed characters and a whole bunch of locations dripping in atmosphere, the game offers players a richly entertaining adventure with a number of different paths to explore. The ability to mould your own character into something unique may not be as detailed or flexible as Fable displayed, but the nature of the combat and the world in which you journey is rich in detail and care. Sequel, anyone?