Burning Sword: Death Sun Preview – Overpowered Until It Isn’t

Normadic Games, you cheeky little developers, you – making me think Burning Sword: Death Sun was an easy game with an overpowered (aggressive) protagonist who shreds through soldiers like tissue paper, popping off their heads like a hedge bindweed flower, and igniting their sword in a way only George R. R. Martin can put into words. Oh… it’s the tutorial, you say…

That would explain the sudden fall from grace and ending up on the banks, decrepit and hungry for some Qi. The chap I fought prior to this descent was your classical Chinese fantasy elder: wispy facial hair and as hard as nails. He soon put me in my place. Up until that point, I was the dog’s bollocks.

Burning Sword: Death Sun is a mix of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Xuan-Yuan Sword, with a teeny bit of Sekiro thrown in, but far more aggressive and arcade-like. You play as Zhang Yixiang, the leader of Crimson Dust Demon Sect. When we join the game, we cut through soldiers like butter, only to be thwarted by some mask-wielding maniacs.

Mash Or Master 

As mentioned, you are incredibly overpowered against lesser enemies, and they’re mostly there for the kicks. While boss battles are much harder and they also are overpowered with their one-shots, the accessibility is way more forgiving than similar titles in the genre pool.

You can effectively button mash and look like a pro, as the movement is intense and like giving Sonic the Hedgehog a sabre and telling them to ‘do their thing’. As Yoda-like as Zhang Yixiang is, maintaining control of him is pretty decent, and it’s just the camera angles that are more rogue.

Despite being able to lock on to an enemy, the camera doesn’t follow them and with all the dancing going on, it’s very easy to be hit from behind or not know where you’re being hit from. This is particularly irritating against the bosses, as up against the lesser soldiers, you can press a two-button combo to unleash a flurry of attacks, and light up with flames on your sword.

The Camera Is The Real Boss

What I really like about Burning Sword: Death Sun is the ability to play defensively with parrying or evading attacks, or mixing them up. Both options are highly accessible, and I found myself switching them up a lot. Actually, Zhang Yixiang moves with such grace that they give Ninja Gaiden a run for their money.

Wall running is a real highlight and so effortless to perform; wall jumping makes Mario look like a pleb, and by default, you can glide when you jump. Granted, you can’t ascend or pretend that you’re in complete control and visit the locals down below, but it’s a nice touch. Anyone who has seen their fair share of films like Once Upon A Time In China, The House of Flying Daggers, or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Sausage will love it.

Alas, the cinematics do, in fact, let Burning Sword: Death Sun down. Yes, they look great, but there were frequent stutters and pauses at key moments; textures would drop, and several frames would be exiled to the past. This didn’t happen in gameplay, but the jitters interfered with the storytelling.

Additionally, take the hit and play it in the original language. The English dub is dreadful (unless you like generic anime/Hong Kong dubbing), and repeated lines of “Watch out!” from soldiers justified their beheadings. But do remember, Burning Sword: Death Sun is in Early Access, and what I played was pretty good.

The demo is currently available, but will launch in Early Access on the 17th November 2026.