Think Dragon Age with Kung-Fu and an ancient China motif. Sounds great right? Well that was what Jade Empire was all about. Bioware's western RPG was one of the company's first original properties for consoles. Coming off of the first Knights of the Old Republic games, Bioware had laid down it's style and was looking for a game to call its own.
Jade Empire featured all of the moral choices and RPG elements that have made Bioware what it was today. Players could choose to be good or evil, create their character, and form romantic relationships with their companions. It had all of the hallmarks of a Dragon Age or Mass Effect but with ninjas.
Set in a magical ancient Chinese empire the game is unlike any other fantasy game ever released. Instead of the traditional Tolkien-esque environments of traditional fantasy games, Jade Empire offers gamers a mythical Asian empire full of kung-fu, magic, and flying machines.
Built on a gaming engine that was more beat-em up than turn-based. The game offered fun, if simple, gameplay mechanics that fit perfectly with the button mashing styles of the console gaming generation. Using a variety of different fighting techniques and magic players could take to real-time combat that was ahead of its time for RPGs.
Pitching a Sequel
The game was all about choice so it's unlikely that the game could get a direct sequel. However, a Dragon Age 2 type situation could work out. The world of Jade Empire is full of great scope. Seeing a brand new lead character take on an adventure in the Empire could offer a lot of material to take on.
Taking a journey through the land full of new fighting styles and familiar faces could make for a great game. Imagine begin able to partner up with Kang the Mad or a grown up Chai Ka/Wild Flower. The first game also opened up the idea that there is a Western European world with visitors coming to visit the foreign Empire. Placing parts of sequel or a whole game in that other far off land would offer an amazing amount of depth for the world.
Likelihood of it Happening
Bioware executives have said they haven't closed the door on the franchise but too much has changed since the games original launch. It's been almost eight years since Jade Empire was originally released. During that time Bioware's founders left the company and the firm was bought by EA. So any chance of a sequel seems unlikely.
The game was misplaced after Bioware began developing the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games. Both series went on to become massive successes but left Bioware with very little time for other projects. While Jade Empire has its fans, it never quite gained the mass appeal of those other titles. It looks as though the original game will forever be a one off title while Bioware churns out games from its other franchises.
