Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔) is a 1999 Action RPG developed by Beijing's Zhiguan Technologies, and serving as a continuation of the Chinese literary classic, Lady Whitesnake
.
After the events of Lady Whitesnake, Bai Suzhen, the titular lady, has to atone for the flooding of West Lake, where she's sentenced to imprisonment in Leifeng Pagoda. Prior to her sentence, Bai Suzhen gave birth to Xu-xian's son, Xu Meng-jiao, destined to free her when reaching his teenage years.
Players are in control of Meng-jiao, at fifteen years of age, inexplicably re-imagined in the game as a demon-slaying badass wielding a sword who can harm monsters. In the decade-and-a-half between Bai Suzhen's sentence and Meng-jiao's birth, the seals of Leifeng Pagoda had weakened, with assorted supernatural forces released into civilain villages, and Meng-jiao - alongside a new ally, a budding apperantice sorceress named Xue-er - will take on all kinds of monsters, before infiltrating Leifeng Pagoda and traverse every floor in search of a way to release his mother.
This game contain examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: In every iteration of the Lady Whitesnake mythos, both Xu-xian and his son, Xu Meing-jiao, are scholars. NOT demon-slaying badasses. Especially ones capable of slaying towering, monstrous behemoths.
- Amphibian at Large: Monk Fahai from the novel is revealed in his "true" form, a giant toad-monster large enough to take up half an entire room on the Leifeng Pagoda's top floor. Players as Siu-Ching the Green Snaken needs to kill his giant toad form in a boss fight, at which point he transforms back into a human.
- Artificial Stupidity: On the same level as the similar Blade & Sword, where in the middle of a fight enemies will somehow stop attacking if you leave an area's border (players using Xue-er will take advantage of this by letting her spam her disc attacks from behind the borderline). There are also archer enemies whose AI programs them to aim in a straight line... even if you're in a maze-like corridor. So they'll pointlessly spam arrow attacks into a wall.
- Attack Animal: Feng-shou, a dragon-lizard hybrid creature and the first companion Meng-jiao can recruit, can help him attack lesser onscreen enemies. He can also relegate his companion to Xue-er in levels when she is in play.
- Beastman: Most of the higher-ranked demon mooks are humanoid but with animalistic features, with horse-headed and bull-headed lesser demons appearing frequently (based on guardians of the Chinese underworld).
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: The Queen Ant boss is almost as large as the entire chamber she's fought in, dwarving Meng-jiao. Her minions, the regular ant-people mooks, might also count due to being human-sized ants (who can somehow stand upright and arm themselves with spears).
- The Blacksmith: In the village / civilain areas, there's the neighborhood smith, Wang, who can upgrade weapons for Meng-jiao and sharpen his blade if necessary. He's never seen outside his forge.
- Chinese Vampire: Yep, there are jiangshis in the game as well, depicted as pale-skinned, zombie-like creatures with talismans pasted on their faces and chases after Meng-jiao by hopping. Incidentally, they're clad in the black traditional Manchurian-era robes, despite the events of Lady Whitesnake taking place at least one century before the Qing Dynasty.
- Continuity Nod: Sometimes the game will reference events from the novel, for instance an early NPC bringing up Minister Wang's death from the book, and Siu-Ching the Green Snake quoting some of Monk Fahai's lines directly.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: Earth demons (those green-skinned, bald behemoths wearing iron shoulder pads) can somehow explode after being slain, and they're the only enemy in-game that does so. Naturally, their explosion radius can hurt Meng-jiao and Xue-er.
- Distant Finale: The final cutscene takes place sixty years later, where a white-haired, elderly Xu Meng-jiao reminiscences over his past. And then he sees his mother, Bai Suzhen, still as young as before, descending from the heavens inviting him to join her, at which point Meng-jiao's soul departs for the skies - depicted as his young self in gameplay proper - and the game ends.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Leifeng Pagoda is depicted as such in the opening FMV, a dark, gloomy tower as the camera pans upwards.
- The Great Serpent: The Elemental Serpent trio, consisting of the King Serpent, Ice Serpent and Fire Serpent, three giant snakes sticking from the ground. They're stationary bosses uncapable of moving from their holes however.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Meng-jiao relies on using his jian, while Xue-er, a demon huntress who took over Meng-jiao as playable character in several levels, spams bladed discs which she has an unlimited supply off, and can even hurl these in four directions.
- Homing Projectile: Xue-er's discs can be fixed to home in on a target, by clicking on said target twice from a safe distance away.
- Hunter of Monsters: This version of Meng-jiao is a monster slayer instead of a scholar, somehow. Same goes for his ally, Xue-er, a Canon Foreigner whom the player controls in a few levels Meng-jiao is unavailable.
- It's All Upstairs From Here: Meng-jiao begins his quest from the titular pagoda's basement, and kills his way to the top in order to reach his mother.
- Living Statue: It's a game set in China, so yes, there are animated terracotta statues looking like the real deal serving as enemies. Who crumbles into tiny shards upon defeat. In later stages there's a Mounted Mook variety, terracotta knights on terracotta horses who's faster and more durable.
- The Maze: Basically every single floor of the Leifeng Pagoda, a slitering maze either made of walls, vegetation, platforms or whatever environmental elements the level is themed after, with only one exit and filled with swarms of enemies.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Shura Kings are demons with four arms, each holding a hatchet for attacking, and are considerably more dangerous than the basic ghost-soldiers. The first one killed by Meng-jiao raises his level from 1 to 2, and then more shows up.
- Playing with Fire: The Fire Demons, naturally. Who can summon pillars of flames capable of dealing severe damage to the player's health.
- Snake People: One of the many recurring enemy types, snake-people whose torso is human, but with a serpentine head and lower body who slithers around trying to stab at Meng-jiao. There's also a weird snake-man monster with a single, giant foot in place of a tail which it uses for hopping around... called "One Foot".
