Magic Sword (1990)

Beat on Normal. I had archer girl for quite a while until she died against a boss. Then I had the giant. I appreciated his high damage but his range was not as good as the archer. I accidentally replaced him with the cleric and kept that cleric to the end. The cleric was very handy. Homing attacks that can hit enemies at awkward angles, preventing me from taking damage if I did not mind waiting. The shots also one shotted 3 undead at a time, which are among the more annoying and numerous enemies. The homing shots were also good for hitting bosses while I was running away. His shield spell was very useful. It protects him from damage, destroys projectiles and does damage. I liked hurting bosses with the shield and found it a great way to shield myself from damage, especially the homing attacks of the final boss. It also worked extremely well against the chimera boss that summons the circle of skulls. My cleric was level 8 at the end. I did not unlock doors to free allies and thus did not try any of the other companions.

I found the game a bit too easy and could see playing again on Hard. I had no idea what items did and did not see the descriptions in the auto play until after beating the game. Fun game, if a bit simple. Most of the bosses feel a bit samey to me and the levels don't really feel thematic. Like for example if levels 1 to 10 were castle themed, 11 to 20 water themed, 21 to 30 fire themed etc. Instead the aesthetic of the levels feels random.

7.3/10

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” -Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

I’ve evidently spent a lot of time in coin wash laundromats because they frequently pop up in memory as places where the air was always arid, the floor was covered in purplish lint, and the video games were plentiful. I introduced myself to many a cabinet and pinball machine at these places, cementing my love for the arcades. One such machine was the game in question today, a title which I could vividly recall the graphics and gameplay for but a title which I forgot about for years. I always had that thought in the back of my mind: “What’s the name of that game?”

It wasn’t until I purchased an awesome Capcom Humble Bundle that I discovered Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy again. It’s a game which has been ported numerous times and on the PS3 it was included alongside Final Fight in the Double Impact mini-collection. You can also find it on PS2, PSP, Xbox Live Arcade, and the good ol’ Super Nintendo. If you can, avoid playing it on the SNES since that version dropped one of the best features of the game: it’s two-player co-op.

Magic Sword, as its generic name suggests, is a stereotypical “swords and sorcery” adventure. In the age of legend, the dark lord Drokmar controls the Black Orb, an artifact so powerful it would allow the evil ruler to rule the world. Only the Brave One and his unnamed associate (Brave Two?) can stop the dark lord by ascending his mystical tower.

This is easier said than done but this is where some of Magic Sword’s unique features step in. Drokmar is sitting pretty on top of his tower, fifty floors up. Each floor is stuffed with armies of the undead, hordes of orcs and monsters, and rogue wizards, as well as chimeras, drakes, and hydras. That’s a lot of hacking and slashing. There are multiple doors and secret passageways, besides, so the ascent up the tower can often lead you down routes you might’ve never seen before.

Brave One and… well I guess we’re just calling his co-op partner Brave Two… they both have a few skills to aid them along the way. I’m referring primarily to their weapons, which upgrade upon defeating bosses to the next “magic sword”. It’s easy to get a sore thumb from playing too much of this game. The journey is long and there are tons of monsters everywhere. You’ll probably find yourself button-mashing your way through virtually every floor of the accursed tower.

Click here for the full review... https://thewellredmage.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/magic-sword-heroic-fantasy/