The Gladiator: Road of the Sword
About
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 it's 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.