Game:

Sword Master (1990)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 31:14

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Hello everyone and welcome to the first NES game of my month of November NES showcase.

As I previously mentioned I will be playing through a selection of NES games that I’ve never played before. As a kid, I never owned an NES or played any, so here is the perfect chance to try some out, especially rare and obscure ones. First off, is the 1992 side scrolling action/fantasy/swords n sorcery game, developed by Athena and published by Activision; Sword Master.

Gameplay, sees the player take control of a gold armoured sword and shield wielding knight. A button is used to attack with the sword and B button is used to jump. Select lets the player change to another character, the wizard (which you gain after stage 2) who attacks with magic spells. Start pauses the game as the knight, while for the wizard, start lets him select different magic spells like fireballs and lightning to use. The knight is more powerful and can block attacks with his shield while the wizard has higher magic defence and casts strong magic.

There are seven stages in total. Each having the characters move in a left to right screen direction (typical of most side scrolling games for its time) and each have their own enemies (like bats, wolves, skeletons soldiers for instance) and challenges (level four platforming is such a pain. I die at this part a lot). At the end of each stage, there is a boss fight, with later stages having more than one boss fight.

Sword Master is the typical save the damsel in distress affair. A young princess is kidnapped by an evil mage and is going to be used as a sacrifice to resurrect the evil serpent demon god Vishok whose spirit is imprisoned in an enchanted mirror. So, in enter our knight hero to take on the evil army of monsters and rescue the princess. Along the way, the knight will gain a new ally and together they will combine their skills and power to defeat Vishok. Here, I do a full playthrough (expect some deaths, but it’s my first time playing this).

Overall, I say this game is great and I could see myself enjoying this as a kid. The action is fun, constantly having to fight off monsters and be aware of whats going on, so there is never any pause. The music in this game is great too. The final boss music is great. Cons are that some of the platforming in certain stages can get frustrating. Pros, the artwork is good for its time, the music is neat and overall just a fun game to play. A must try for any NES action platforming gaming fan or fans of obscure and rare games in general.

(All rights to game developers Athena and game publishers Activision, 1992)