Strength of the Sword ULTIMATE Review
Played on PC
Developed by Ivent Games
Released 23rd August 2019
Acting as a re-release for its 2013 counterpart, Strength of the Sword ULTIMATE is originally a hack'n'slash developed by an indie Bulgarian team. I believe this hidden gem is a required experience for all as it sits at a measly 80 pence on Steam.
Story
While there is a campaign present in the game, it uses that word very loosely and disguises itself as a solution to having a couple of pre-built levels, enemies, and bosses. Essentially, these levels boil down to being combo sandboxes rather than cohesive forms of narrative. Therefore, I am going to not only avoid rating the story on this game but also talk about its shallow world-building.
Gameplay
The gameplay is a blast of fun. This hour-long joyride surprisingly has a lot of depth and versatility in gameplay despite consisting of only 11 stages. During each level, you'll be able to hack, slash, swing, and crash your weapon into every enemy. During this period, you'll receive points for how offensive, defensive, and tactical your play style is, which will allow you to modify your robot with upgrades. There is a vast assortment of upgrades and I love every one of them. Each adheres to a different stat that can benefit or minimise your attack. For example, some armour will greatly slow you down in return for allowing you to pummel enemies through their attacks. The upgrades stretch out to 'tools', which act as the magic/ abilities of this game: being able to flame your foes or zap in an AOE was incredibly satisfying. The cream of the crop though is the weapons. Every single one has its own combo that the player can utilise, and while I wasn't able to use them all during my playthrough, each one I used granted me immense entertainment. I could use a whip sword to lacerate the enemies in a rapid, stylish fashion or use the Berserk-inspired greatsword and annihilate the grander adversaries. Great fun. Initially, I thought that the repetitive waves of enemies per level would bring down the experience, but this is where the short playtime helps out as I didn't experience the monotony enough for it to hinder my experience. However, I must say that the enemies throughout felt uninspiring and forgettable. There was a big enemy, a fast one, and more of the standard criteria you would expect in a hack'n'slash.
Bossfights
The boss fights are crippled by their presentation. Every boss in this game from the Dark Knight to the Mechanist were epic adrenaline-filled fights. Each fight consisted of intriguing moves such as Clanker's missile flurry or Silverback Guard's ground pound. The problem was that not only did they lack a variety of attacks (constantly alternating between 2-3) but their designs weren’t special enough to be locked away as a fond memory of the game. This poor visual choice harms the game more than anything as its peak is the final boss, but even then the Mechanist seamlessly blends away into the background. The soundtrack does not help either as it hides away and occasionally makes a lacklustre peep onto the scene.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixed bag. One on hand, this game has a strong sense of style in the form of an almost-cartoony, comic book aesthetic. While the individual designs of enemies and bosses are disappointing, the game as a whole is pretty successful in delivering this optical pleasure. Additionally, the use of black bars can feel redundant at first but combined with the shaky camera and the constant panning in and out, a cinematic viewing is achieved and it's done so without impairing the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. But despite everything being great, there are still downfalls. This mainly falls responsible for the soundtrack. The game isn't audibly half bad, as the sound effects of your boost, sword slash, and attacks are fantastically visceral. But the soundtrack is below sub-par. Its unoriginal, heroic theme is seriously mediocre and it doesn't help that it's mostly unheard as it cowers behind all the action going on, removing its presence completely. On the technical spectrum, I did not encounter any problems, but others on Steam do experience some crashes so be wary of that.
Gameplay - 7.5/10
Bossfights - 5/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
Mediocre
A short and fun time that is worth experiencing, in return for ignoring its uninspiring flaws.
