Topic: Swords & Darkness

Swords & Darkness is a 2D action adventure RPG apparently releasing on the eShop next week for $6.99.

It features a western medieval setting, while you're a knight hacking and slashing your way through baddies to save the kingdom, it looks like.

It's page can be found by going to the advanced search, and searching with no particular parameters set.

Oh hey, I looked up some images, and it doesn't look like utter tripe. I'll keep an eye on it, I guess.

Yeah, I remember when I first saw this on Nintendo's Japanese page over a year ago, and it piquet my interest, so I'm glad to see they're giving it a go over here.

Looking up videos for this on YouTube, and as it happens Nintendo Life themselves have a Japanese gameplay video up (interestingly enough, the opening cinematic has an English voice over, though everything else is in Japanese):

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yiiQ3ep4tmU

Hey, I found another (Japanese) video of the game on YouTube for anyone interested!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TZgZI7upiVI

I take it back, this looks worse in motion...

Yeah, the animation looks a bit stiff, and the combat repetitive (though it looked like the player was just trying to speed through the demo, at least in the NL video), but maybe you'll be able to unlock enough skills & moves to freshen things up as it goes on.

Due to the low price, it still looks like it might be at least worth a whirl, IMO.

I've been hoarding 15.00 bucks in the Eshop for the Last Month and half waiting for this game and Gotcha Racing from Natsume. Gotcha Racing runs about 4.50usd in the Japanese Eshop I hope we get that price in North America. anyway their both almost here and I won't have to hoard that 15 bucks anymore lol. I may wait on some reviews for Swords and Darkness after watching the videos but I usually like games like that.

Just played through the demo, and whoo boy there is quite a bit to this.

The Good:

• This is one of those games that looks much better in person on the 3DS itself (everything is much more crisp than on those YouTube videos).
• When you level up, you can spend your experience points on whatever attributes you want (whether that be strength, vitality, dexterity, agility, etc). Your max level is 10 in the demo.
• Sure enough, you can buy new special sword techniques from merchants (I believe these will take up MP, as you have a magic meter). Also, you can buy better equipment (though you can buy the stronger equipment, in the demo you can't equip them). Also, herbs & whatnot.
• Save data can be transferred to the full game, and you can play through the demo multiple times to max yourself out if you so wish.

The Neutral:

• The story is generic evil has conquered the kingdom, go save it. Make of that what you will.
• Gameplay is completely functional & smooth, but repetitive (though the special attacks may spice things up when you get them). Y is weak attack, X strong attack, R block, L quick menu.
• Though they only attack you two at a time, there are always 6 to 8 enemies in a room, they can take a LOT of damage before they go down, and usually carry a healing herb of their own (and they will almost always use it). Whether that's good or bad is up to you. They also respawn every time you re-enter a room (annoying, but good in case of need to grind).

The Bad:

• seeing as how they attack you two at a time, enemies tend to come at you from both sides at once, which is annoying. It's best to run to the other side of the room and catch them both in your combo, that way one doesn't get you while you're in the middle of attacking the other.

After playing the Demo I will definitely wait for a sale to pick this up. I just felt the Demo played very sluggish. The game seems like it can be fun. but I'm going to wait for my best deal on this what seems to be a button masher. yesterday I was deciding between Swords and Darkness or Japanese Railway Simulator. well I bought the Japanese Railway Sim and I'm glad I did. I'm having so much fun driving that train lol

It's not a button masher at all, you need to plan ahead, strategize, and mix up your attacks appropriate to the situation if you want to succeed in the game.

@accc, just out of curiosity, do you have the demo, or the full game? If you have the full game, could you give your impressions so far?

I have the full game. I only played an hour or so past where the demo ends (EDIT: Actually it was close to two hours at the time this post was made), but it gets quite a bit harder almost immediately. There was a fairly difficult boss battle against three knight brothers who were significantly tougher than the standard enemies, and a few screens later you had to fight a pair of griffins who I haven't managed to defeat yet. I've also come across some areas that I can't access yet (gaps in the floor too long to traverse), so it's safe to assume the game features a Metroidvania component as well. The standard enemies are rather repetitive and it does require a fair amount of grinding, so if you really don't like the combat the game might not be for you, but if you enjoy gaining new moves and incorporating them into your combat strategy, you should give the full game a shot.

Yep I was right, defeating the Griffons gave me a double jump ring which (after defeating yet another mini boss to rescue the princess) allowed me to go back to a previous area and jump over the gap, which led to yet another boss fight. A Metroidvania it is!

I also figured out that running away from enemies like a coward and attacking them from afar with your magic spell is a pretty effective (albeit cheap) tactic.

well my wife came home from work last night and tossed me a 10 dollar Eshop card and I picked Swords and Darkness. after playing it more this morning and transferring my demo save file over. I realise the game is not a button masher as I thought after playing the demo. it actually has a neat and fluid Combo system with nice magics you buy in the shop. Once I figured that out things came to light. I ran up to level 14 and really just camped a few rooms trying the new skills. much better than I originally posted.

Now its time to get serious! The game actually doesn't remind of anything which is kind of refreshing. I guess the closest thing I have played to it might be the Ys Legacy game on Nintendo DS. but this game feels like something new. its really not a platformed, it does feel like an RPG from a different perspective

^What I got from the demo, it seems like they might have been going for a budget, 2D Dark Souls like feel? (I haven't played any of those games, so I could be very much wrong, though).

The game has a somewhat darker pallet, even small enemies come to put up a fight (to the point that their strength and abilities are pretty much on par with with yourself, the only separating factor being your skill as a player), and bosses really fight to kill.