Legend of the Seven Paladins

About

Legend of the Seven Paladins is a shooter that ran on the Build engine back in 1994. Players take control of a modern day person who gets sent to medieval China to save the Shaolin Temple from a plot against the ruling dynasty. This title was originally meant for release by Accend but never got official licensing. It leaked onto BBSs and later saw a Korean developer finish an early version into a full game. A fan translation finally made the English text available in 2019 for everyone to play on DOS systems. The setting stands out because it swaps the usual sci-fi or gothic themes of that era for ancient China. You move through levels as a hero trying to stop a massive conspiracy while shooting enemies. The fact that this game existed at all is pretty wild since it was cancelled before launch. Most people only know about it now because of those old pirate sites and the recent translation work. It offers a solid single player experience if you want to see what might have been from Accend.