Saint Sword
Stay out of the waterGenre: action - hack n slash
Publisher: Taito
Year: 1991
System: Genesis
Gameplay Score: 3
Gameplay Notes:
Stiff movement but it's pretty fast compared to stuff like Shinobi or Cadash. Reminds me of the action sequences from Actraiser. Main attack is a sword stroke with a long and wide arc. Has a weird hitbox since you attack as the sword is being raised and while it's being lowered. Most enemies die in a single hit. Collect powerups which let you transform in a centaur, give you wings, and maybe there are others. I only encountered those two. Choosing one requires going to the Pause menu despite the A button being unused. Tons of health. I never was at risk of dying. The oppressive time limit is the real boss of this game. Has the worst swimming mechanic of all time. You sink like a rock, which makes sense since you're a big guy in full metal body armor, but still. Swimming back to the surface requires rapid and continuous button mashing. Seriously. It takes maybe 10 seconds of mashing to get up even a single screen of real estate. So tiring! Truly horrible mechanic.
Level Design Score: 2
Level Design Notes:
Each level is a maze with no markers, no arrows, no indicators of any sort helping you find your way. You have to collect something which will open the exit and then an arrow appears pointing to the exit. The levels themselves are fine - pretty standard platforms and whatnot, but the mazelike structure combined with the time limit is just stupid.
Theme Score: 3
Theme Notes:
Maybe it's the music, but I'm digging it. I want to lie this game more than it probably deserves. The story is presented via a super long text crawl, so don't expect much there. The rest of the presentation is minimal at best.
Art Style Score: 3
Art Style Notes:
Probably the most stiff looking character of all time. He's got impressively perfect posture, no matter what. That said, the graphics aren't bad. The character models are pretty standard monsters. There's virtually no animation. Backgrounds are static but have some nice detail.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
Love the music. Has a nice, spooky ambiance. The sound quality isn't great but it's very well composed stuff. Sound effects are only ok.
Overall Score: 57
Review ID: 1216
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