Developed/Published by: Capcom
Released: July, 1990
Completed: 31st May, 2015
Completion: Finished the game by slogging from level 1 to 50, using continues.
Trophies / Achievements: 100/100

I must have played this back in the day in the arcades. I remember it really well; the way the attract mode looked amazing, with all these heroes on screen and all this lovely chaos. It’s possible I did but just died so quickly that it never made an impression? Whelp, I’ve beaten it now.

I like Magic Sword. That doesn’t mean it’s good, but I’m going to get that out of the way. It’s one of those slightly odd “lots of ideas, vaguely implemented” arcade games from the period; you’re a strapping, Conan-esque hero, on his way to kill Drokmar and destroy the Black Orb. You do this by climbing 50 levels of a dungeon, which are all of varying lengths and have secret exits and so on that can bump you forwards and backwards, and while you’re doing this you level up your weapon, and get keys that you can use to unlock other heroes to help you (sadly, only one at a time.) Oh, and each time you rescue a hero they level up too.

Oh! And your weapon is interesting in that you can’t button mash, you have to hit it carefully once your weapon has “charged” otherwise it’s not full power, which is pretty difficult because the screen is swarming all the time, pretty much.

I’ll be honest: Magic Sword is your basic coin muncher. While there is some skill (in fighting bosses, for example) you’re mostly just trying to survive, and games where there are points where you just can’t avoid taking a hit aren’t really to be encouraged, eh? But it’s charming, perhaps because of the nostalgia I (and I guess many people?) feel for this arcade era; big chunky and attractive Capcom art, great sound effects and music, and a responsive play-style that makes you want to hit continue.

At this point, I’m just making justifications for liking this, really.

Will I ever play it again? Shamefully, yeah. It’s quick and I’d enjoy playing through it with another player.

Final Thought: A quick discussion of the port: I played this in its Final Fight: Double Impact incarnation, and it’s great. All kinds of display options! There’s also (apparently) a ton of archival art and stuff but, annoyingly, you’ve got to unlock it all by playing the game in lots of particular ways and I just can’t be arsed. Ah well. Here’s an awesome bit of Magic Sword art that’s really stuck with me, though.