In 2016， after dedicating two days to finally defeat the formidable Iudex Gundyr in Dark Souls III， I believed I had mastered the essence of the Souls-like genre， standing at the apex of the gaming world. I never imagined any game could present me with such a brutal challenge again.
Fast forward to 2025， and I found myself experiencing a “boomerang” from nine years prior.
To my shame， what cured my overconfidence wasn’t a typical genre like Souls-like， action， or shooter， but a live-action palace survival interactive visual novel titled “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” (盛世天下)， which completely reshaped my perception of the interactive visual novel genre.
The development team behind this work is none other than New One Studio. While the name might not ring an immediate bell， you undoubtedly remember their previous hit， “The Guardians of the Night” (隐形守护者).
In recent years， live-action interactive visual novels have become quite commonplace. Many of you might be familiar with characters like Hao Hao’s mother from “I’m So Sorry!” (完蛋！我被美女包围了).
“Sheng Shi Tian Xia” falls into this category， with a unique twist: the player controls a female protagonist， specifically a portrayal of Wu Zetian.
My apologies， that was the wrong image. Here’s the correct one.
However， my friend， what awaits you is not a dramatic scene of a female emperor ascending the throne， but a promotion journey from a mere talented lady-in-waiting upon entering the palace.
The developers subtly advertised it not as a mindless power fantasy， but as a “dramatic tale of ancient workplace survival.”
Years ago， when palace intrigue dramas like “Empresses in the Palace” (甄嬛传) captivated audiences， netizens often joked， “If it were me， I wouldn’t last an episode in the palace.”
Honestly， I used to scoff at this. It wasn’t that I disdained palace dramas; rather， I was an active male author on Jinjiang Literature City， an unusual position， and had authored countless palace intrigue plots.
Yet， in “Sheng Shi Tian Xia，” I didn’t even make it past the first chapter.
Upon entering the palace， an old acquaintance wanted to gift the protagonist a peony hair ornament. Suddenly， Consort Wei arrived， and the ornament fell to the ground. When a maid asked whose it was， I， in an attempt to protect my friend， claimed it belonged to the protagonist. Consequently， I was dragged away for punishment， becoming a target for the establishment.
Later， when the protagonist accidentally committed a mistake and was banished from the imperial palace， you might expect a new beginning elsewhere. However， upon returning home， her own family， deeming that she had brought shame upon the Wu family， immediately executed her on the spot instead.
Throughout my subsequent playthroughs， dying and reviving became the norm. It was then I truly understood the feeling of walking on thin ice.
However， the negative feedback from these deaths wasn’t overly harsh. Even if I made the wrong choice， I could simply restart and try a different option.
Instead， through persistent trial and error， I discovered the “multiple faces” of many characters while playing.
Someone who was all smiles one moment might turn hostile the next; those who begged for your help could later plot your downfall.
Is it that the protagonist only encounters wicked individuals? The extensive dialogue reveals that every NPC， from the very beginning， lives within the framework of imperial power， adhering to a silently operating set of rules.
Kindness certainly exists， but it comes at a price. When you choose to be kind at an inappropriate time， fate will demand its due.
Reality is precisely this; it’s not all blooming flowers; beneath the surface lies the harsh truth of “devouring” others.
To avoid spoilers， I won’t delve into a detailed analysis of the plot. Those familiar with Tang Dynasty history or who frequently read historical web novels might be able to guess the main story arc fairly accurately.
It reminds me of the TV show “The Little Whirlwind and Hua Wuque” (小鱼儿与花无缺) I watched as a child. Initially， I thought it was a straightforward dual-male-protagonist adventure， but it evolved into “The Legend of Jiang Yuyan” (江玉燕传奇)， where the female antagonist wreaked havoc.
Considering Wu Zetian’s actual life， describing her actions as “wreaking havoc” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Sheng Shi Tian Xia” isn’t entirely somber; it also includes some heartwarming and amusing scenes.
For instance， the interactions between the female lead and the princes， where she skillfully manipulates them into being infatuated.
Furthermore， as a content product， “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” has embedded numerous memes to enhance its virality.
I’m truly impressed by the development team’s ingenuity in coming up with lines like “This truly makes me open my dragon eyes” (真是让朕开了个龙眼)， which actually made me hungry for more.
Now that we’ve discussed the game， let’s move on to a critical review.
Currently， after a period of booming popularity， players have a fairly established set of criteria for evaluating interactive visual novels.
The quality of costumes， props， and makeup can， to a certain extent， reflect the overall quality of an interactive visual novel. Audiences can visually discern whether a production team is willing to invest in quality.
“Sheng Shi Tian Xia，” while set in a fictional world， draws inspiration from the Tang Dynasty， thus many elements are designed to align with that era.
Indeed， its presentation in terms of costumes， props， and makeup is captivating， much like the aforementioned Consort Wei， who could leave any emperor utterly charmed and unwilling to attend morning court.
However， if one were to be overly critical and nitpick， there are still minor technical glitches that can be identified.
For example， a netizen on Zhihu pointed out that the protagonist’s skirt appeared to be worn inside out.
During a livestream， streamer War Pigeon also offered a critique of a scene involving a chess game， concluding that while the actors’ hand gestures for the pieces were professional， their understanding of Go was lacking.
In terms of camera work， it undeniably surpasses many of its peers. With New One Studio’s past experience from “The Guardians of the Night，” it’s no surprise that the quality is high.
Compared to traditional film productions， “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” offers a visual experience akin to a large-scale investment， though it still has some distance to go to reach top-tier quality. However， its value proposition is significantly stronger than many comparable products that are priced comparably or even higher.
The actors’ performances do not detract from the costumes， makeup， and cinematography. Many of them have prior acting experience in television， making the transition to interactive visual novels seamless.
Guan Hong was one of the male leads in the 2017 production of “Meteor Garden.” Huang Yi， a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy， has appeared in works such as “The Love of Hypnotizing Rose.” Several other main actors have notable works to their credit. Perhaps most surprisingly， Liu Min， who plays Consort Yang， is the same actress who portrayed Sai Diaodiao in “My Own Swordsman” (武林外传).
Currently， the game only features the “Mei Niang Chapter” (媚娘篇)， with the story concluding at Wu Yuan Zhao’s arrival at Gan Ye Temple. The remaining content will be released in the “Empress Chapter” (女帝篇)， which is still in development and is expected to be sold as a complete version.
On one hand， some players find it frustrating that the story ends at such a crucial juncture， leaving them in suspense. On the other hand， there are concerns about the development team， as a prolonged development cycle might cause players to forget about the game.
These issues were foreseeable even before the game’s release， as the original work of “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” was divided into two parts: the “Mei Niang Chapter” and the “Empress Chapter.”
Finally， player discussions often revolve around minor bugs and lingering character plotlines.
However， ultimately， a game’s success is best measured by its performance.
According to public information， “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” sold over 1 million copies within just 12 days of its launch. This is an achievement that would surely garner envy from its peers and bring pride to the domestic single-player game market.
Whether it can replicate the success of “The Guardians of the Night” remains to be seen， as I believe its future performance will be crucial.
After all， for a palace survival-themed product like “Sheng Shi Tian Xia，” its target audience extends beyond the traditional gaming community with established consumption habits to a broader and more diverse general audience.
Regardless of the ultimate success of “Sheng Shi Tian Xia，” I sincerely admire the New One Studio team for having the courage to “take the first step.”
In recent years， you may have heard the notion that interactive visual novels are dead.
Prior to this， besides a few exceptional titles like “The Guardians of the Night，” there seemed to be a lack of high-quality works in this genre.
Many teams that transitioned into this field seemed more interested in capitalizing on stock market gains by announcing interactive visual novel projects， paying little attention to game quality， resulting in disastrous sales and leaving a mess for the industry.
In this context， “Sheng Shi Tian Xia” and its developer， New One Studio， represent the dedicated smaller studios that are genuinely committed to developing games， showcasing a determination to grow the market rather than pursuing short-term profits at the expense of industry professionals.
This is their response to the pressing question of whether “the era of interactive visual novels is over.”
