Flyer depicting all the heroes.
The Gladiator, also known internationally as The Gladiator: Road of the Sword (Japanese: 闘幻狂 ; Chinese: 神剑伏魔录, "神剑风云") is a 2003 wuxia-themed Beat 'em Up arcade game developed by IGS, specifically its Taiwanese office.
In the Song Dynasty of Imperial China, a war in the clans over honor and glory results in a power vacuum that could rip China apart. When the noble ruling family, the Shang-guan sect, is massacred by an evil cult headed by the ruthless Ru Lai and his minions, who had enslaved most of the other sects, the followers of the Shang-Guan clan sets out to avenge them, with the clan's adopted son, Chu Xing-han, and Chu's mentor and master, Wu-Ping, seeking the Shang-guan's last heirs, the twin sisters, Shang-Guan Jin and Shang-Guan Xue, both whom are the clan's last hopes to restore peace. But the members of the evil cult are everywhere, and harmony could only be achieved through much bloodshed. So much bloodshed.
The game gains a novelization released the following year, which spun off into a short series on it's own.
The Saviors of China:
From L - R: Shang-Guan Jin, Wu-Ping, Ko Tien-Lei a.k.a Oleg, Huang-He, Shing Qian-Qian and Chu Xing-Han
The game allows up to four players at a time, with six heroes selectable, each with their own motives for opposing Ru Lai:
- Chu Xing-han, The Hero and protagonist of the story who's seeking to overthrow Ru Lai and his followers. He holds special contempt towards Tang Kai-Yang for killing his father in the past.
- Special Move: Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs - Chu releases entire waves of rapid punches and jabs with both his fists as he's propelled forward into his foes. A devastating attack especially useful on bosses.
- Huang-He, a Master Swordswoman who was raised by Ru Lai's evil cult as an illegitimate child, but have since defected after witnessing the cult's murders and atrocities. She now seeks to rid the Song Dynasty of evil, and is an expert in Dual Wielding her twin jians.
- Special Move: Sword Beam - by crossing both her swords and slashing out, Huang-He releases an "X-shaped" energy projectile from her blades that slices out enemies in a straight line right before her.
- Wu-Ping, an Old Master from the highest clans of the Wu-Lin, the oldest of the heroes who had seen plenty of wars and battles in his youth. He's also The Mentor to Chu in the backstory.
- Special Move: Spin Attack - a tornado emanating with blue psychic energy spawns from the spot where Wu-Ping launches his attack, sending enemies around him flying aside,
- Ko Tien-Lei, formerly named Oleg, is a Russian brute sent by Ivan II to China for a diplomatic mission, only to find himself involved in the war of the clans. He's The Big Guy of the playable characters who joined the battle to investigate his missing comrade.
- Special Move: Make Me Wanna Shout - Tien-Lei can let out a mighty roar that manifests as rings of energy, knocking over enemies right in front of him.
- Shing Qian-Qian, an immortal swordswoman who never ages, looking as young as she was ever since mastering immortality a few dynasties ago. She's a Fragile Speedster who specializes in quick moves and short weapons, as well as the ability to blast fireballs.
- Special Move: Playing with Fire - she can generate fireballs in an arc that burns through foes, like a protective circle, for a few seconds.
- Shang-Guan Jin, a Warrior Princess of an important, noble family and the Sole Survivor of her clan when the cult ordered a massacre to be carried out. Unbeknowst to her, her twin sister, Shang-guan Xue, was stolen by the cult and raised into one of their enforcers. Now a trained warrior by herself, Shang-guan Jin seeks to overthrow the cult.
- Special Move: Sacred Flames - unlike Qian-Qian, Shang-Guan Jin's fires are blue and tends to create explosions upon impact.
The Gladiator: Road Of The Sword contain examples of:
- Acrofatic: Shaolin Monk Yi-Pang, the boss of the Shaolin Temple stage, a massively overweight fighter capable of executing some really flashy moves. He hits like a dump truck, can spin around hitting everything around him, and execute a quick, hard-to-dodge Belly Flop Crushing that deals severe damage.
- All Monks Know Kung-Fu: The third stage is set in the Wudang Mountains leading to the Shaolin Temple, where plenty of fighting monks stood in the way of the heroes.
- Amazon Brigade: Several female enforcers of the sect are recurring mooks.
- Battle Amongst the Flames: The second stage has a battle in a burning courtyard, as you're surrounded by mooks while everything's on fire.
- Big Bad: Ru Lai, the leader of the evil cult and the game's Final Boss.
- Boss Banter: Expect plenty of bosses to taunt you during their fights. In Mandarin Chinese.Hsi-Men: You're gonna die, peasant! note [said everytime when he slaps you with his Snake Whip]
- Cape Wings: Kai-Yang, one of the bosses confronted at the game's peak, can unfurl his capes and fly with them, leaping upwards out of the frame before dropping above your character.
- Combat Hand Fan: Yi-Du, one of the bosses, uses a large folding fan as his weapon, and can throw it as a homing projectile before it returns to his hands.
- Combination Attack: In multiplayer mode, the players can combine their energies into unleashing devastating moves, the most powerful being having all three players releasing a powerful powerful and insanely thick energy beam covering the center of the screen or a powerful Shockwave Stomp blasting from the ground into the air.
- Construction Vehicle Rampage: This game has the ancient Chinese version of the trope, being a wrecking ball chariot (piloted by a mook or the stage's boss, with a Giant Mook pushing from behind). The driver can control the wrecking ball into smashing the players into a pulp. In the Song Dynasty.
- Continue Your Mission, Dammit!: Master Chu Yen-Ran will show up in the "Continue?" screen, should you run out of lives, asking if you're alright and telling you there's still hope to save China. But if you run out of continues or chose to stop playing, he'll admit maybe the mission's not meant to succeed in the first place.
- Dual Boss: Misha and Fei-da, depending on the routes taken, might re-appear a second time to attack the players together. Their attacks and stats are the same as their previous encounter, but this time there's two of them alongside having mooks surrounding them. If with the proper item, Huang-He can call the two bosses to assist her for a time.
- There is also a trio of White Lotus priests who utilize speed and are not above cheating when using guns.
- Evil Counterpart:
- Shang-guan Xue, the twin sister of the heroine Shang-Guan Jin, who's on the other side due to being raised by the villains as one of their fighters. During the boss battle she uses fighting moves lifted directly from her sister, with her sprite being recycled and reused.
- Misha, the partner of Tien-Lei / "Oleg", the two Russians in China having separated in the backstory. It turns out while Tien-Lei serves the heroes, Misha is now a minion of the evil cult and one of the bosses.
- Flunky Boss: Most of the bosses. Yi-Du, Misha, Shang-guan Xue, all of them can summon mooks to back them up.
- Fragile Flyer: The weakest enemies are the Kite Riding enemy archers, who can only be reached by jumping but otherwise go down between one to two hits even with your weakest weapons.
- The Goomba: The lowest-ranked bandit grunts in green and brown populates the early stages, and are a breeze to beat up compared to later opponents.
- Kite Riding: Female mooks flying on kites are an Airborne Mook enemy in the second stage. They're armed with arrows and tends to snipe your player from a distance.
- Ms. Fanservice: One of the game's secret bosses, Shenxing Gunniang appears provided you defeated her elderly form Lao-Lao quick enough. Lao-Lao transforms into her for this boss fight. She can use magic like her elderly form, uses energy swords from her hands, blow kissing hearts to stun players and a powerful flying attack.
- Never Mess with Granny: One of the game's bosses in the secret chapter, Shenxing Lao-Lao steals one of your character's items and you must defeat her to get it back. Use caution; She's unpredictable, can warp around and use powerful magics.
- Palette Swap: Some of the enemies are recoloured sprites, especially noticeable with the legions of goomba-like low-level bandit mooks populating the earlier stages.
- The Pen Is Mightier: Fei-da, the "Black Judge", is a sorceror armed with a huge Chinese brush, whose drawings can manifest into various attacks. His boss battle have him sketching painted symbols which then manifests as projectiles, including flames and energy bolts, and you'll need to shred his life down while dodging his painted attacks.
- Recurring Boss: Depending on the routes and characters, you might need to fight Misha and Fei-da again. Or nor.
- Snake Whip: Hsi-Men wields a whip made from a living blue snake, which can home in and bite the player when he's lashing out.
- Stationary Boss: Fa Ming, the evil Monk, doesn't move about during his battle, instead sitting in a Lotus Position and using an enchanted incantation to let loose projectiles on you. He does use a Doppelgänger Spin and divide himself into three, and you must find the correct Fa Ming (while avoiding his projectiles) and attack him. You know the right one to attack when his Life Meter starts reducing.
- Teleport Spam: Ye-Hsiang, one of the bosses. He's the guy in a red cape and he will port around trying to ambush you. Although if you get your hands on him and hit him quickly enough you can stomp him from disappearing.
- World of Action Girls: besides the three playable heroines Huang-He, Shing Qian-Qian and Shang-Guan Jin, there's also Shang-Guan Jin's sister Shang Guan-Xue, as well as legions of female mooks serving the villains who's a lot deadlier and stronger than their male counterparts.
- Wuxia: In video game form!
- You Killed My Father:
- The Shang-guan sisters lose their parents in the backstory's massacre. If playing as Shang-Guan Jin, she will bring this up multiple times during cutscenes.
- Tang Kai-Yang, one of the cult's enforcers, killed Chu Xing-han's father in the backstory. If playing as Chu Xing-han, during the boss confrontation cutscene Chu will name-drop this trope word-for-word.
