Sword Master -Famicom- 8

November 28, 2023

I just beat Sword Master on the Japanese Famicom right now, which is identical to the American Nes version, as far as I know. This is one of those late release hidden gems for the system, and it’s tough as nails. But I love nes-hard games, so this was right up my alley! I heard about Sword master a couple years ago, and finally attained this beautiful cib for a great deal a couple months back. (Both the American and Japanese versions are quite rare.)

I really liked the game. This is another brutal, gothic action title for the Nes that feels like it inspired the Soulsbourne titles years later. Dragon Fighter, Castlevania, and Ghost ‘n Goblins also come to mind. Games like this are unapologetic about continuously beating you to a pulp until you hone your skills. No matter how much you die, you still come back for more. But only the strong will survive.

Sword Master has you playing as a knight, battling monsters and mythic creatures, as you travel through medieval forests, towns, and castles to reach the end. There is a bit of depth to the combat in that you have to react to how the enemy moves or attacks. You can either jump, block high or low, or attack straight, low, or overhead. It takes quick reflexes and constant pressure to win each fight. And most of the encounters are one on one. There is a little bit of tricky platforming sprinkled here and there. But the focus is on the fighting. You can also switch to playing as a wizard, but the knight plays much better.

Sword Master also has rpg elements in that you get experience points and level up as you play, so it’s important to keep killing everything you see. Every level you gain, your health and strength increase. The great thing is that if you lose all your continues and start over, or if you push reset on the console, you still keep all your experience points (until you power off the console). This curbs the difficulty significantly, so you can make it through with enough perseverance. The game is short, but you will have to keep starting over from the beginning until your character levels up more.

Sword Master is a very good action title for the classic console. The graphics are incredible, and almost look 16bit. And the music sets the tone really well. This game just looks, sounds, and feels powerful for an Nes/famicom title. It really showed what the system was still capable of at the end of its life cycle. The combat demands thought and quick reflexes, and the rpg elements add another layer of depth. I’m giving Sword Master an 8 out of ten.