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Insanity's Blade

A nice throwback to the classics of old, with gameplay good enough to keep a player engaged the entire way through.
Insanity's Blade Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, replayability
74% User Score Based on 176 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Insanity's Blade Game Cover

About

Insanity's Blade is a single player and multiplayer casual action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Causal Bit Games Inc. and was released on December 4, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Insanity's Blade: The Chronicles of Thurstan" is an old-school action platformer with RPG elements, where you play as a father on a journey to hell to save his family's souls. Battle through 16 stages, climb walls, and collect powerful weapons, while upgrading abilities at the store. Play local co-op with friends and choose between story mode with cutscenes or arcade mode for non-stop action.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
Insanity's Blade screenshot
+17
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74%
Audience ScoreBased on 176 reviews
story20 positive mentions
stability16 negative mentions
  • Engaging gameplay that captures the essence of classic arcade games, providing a nostalgic experience.
  • Visually appealing with vibrant pixel art and a memorable soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere.
  • Offers a variety of weapons and abilities, allowing players to experiment with different strategies and playstyles.
  • Controls can feel stiff and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating gameplay moments.
  • The difficulty curve is uneven, with some early levels being excessively challenging while later levels become easier.
  • Bugs and glitches, such as enemies clipping through walls and inconsistent hit detection, detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Insanity's Blade" follows Thurstan, a vengeful warrior on a quest to rescue his family from a demon, accompanied by a dwarf named Finn. While the narrative is described as simple and at times uninspired, it is supported by well-crafted cutscenes and a decent level of character development, making it engaging for players who appreciate storytelling. However, the pacing and presentation, particularly the lengthy scrolling text, detract from the overall experience for some players.

    • “The story of Insanity's Blade unfolds through beautifully illustrated cutscenes that further immerse players in Thurstan's dark and perilous journey.”
    • “The story is great and gives the main character motive throughout the game!”
    • “Insanity's Blade follows the journey of unfortunate protagonist Thurstan in a quest built purely on notions of revenge and a last ditch effort to save his kingdom from utter destruction.”
    • “The story is pretty uninspired, and the main character is a massive tool--pretty much toxic masculinity incarnate.”
    • “It doesn’t help that the game seems overly concerned with its dull, unoriginal, and very poorly constructed story.”
    • “The story is boring and always annoying to watch; the scrolling is choppy like on an 8-bit computer, the graphics look nice in screenshots but very banal in motion.”
  • gameplay
    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its retro-inspired mechanics and engaging combat, while others criticize it for being clunky, repetitive, and lacking polish. Many appreciate the nostalgic feel and satisfying action, but note issues like stiff controls and a lack of variety that can lead to frustration. Overall, it offers a simple yet enjoyable experience for fans of classic arcade-style games, though it may not appeal to those seeking deeper gameplay mechanics.

    • “With its engaging gameplay, retro-inspired visuals, and memorable soundtrack, Insanity's Blade delivers an adrenaline-pumping experience that will delight fans of the genre.”
    • “The gameplay difficulty strikes a perfect balance, offering a challenging experience that rewards skill and perseverance.”
    • “The gameplay and controls feel really good, the soundtrack is great, and the overall game feel is really satisfying.”
    • “Level design is so-so, gameplay is repetitive and sometimes clunky.”
    • “The gameplay is simple but there's little to no variety in it, so it dulls very quickly.”
    • “Tried to like it, didn't like it, gameplay and controls were heavily lacking.”
  • music
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Insanity's Blade" is widely praised for its engaging chiptune-inspired soundtrack, which enhances the gameplay experience and evokes nostalgia for classic gaming. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, with options to toggle between 8-bit and 16-bit styles, although some note that it can be repetitive or not as polished as desired. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's retro atmosphere and is considered a strong aspect by most players.

    • “The soundtrack of Insanity's Blade is a standout aspect that complements the gameplay and enhances the overall experience.”
    • “The chiptune-inspired melodies, reminiscent of classic gaming soundtracks, set the mood for each level and boss encounter.”
    • “The music is pretty great and taps into that nostalgia of old school side scrollers.”
    • “The graphics are huge squares, or 'pixels' or whatever (roll my eyes), the music is like a prehistoric Colecovision.”
    • “They only two negatives so far, are the dialogue which is corny to say the least, and the music, I just can't stand it.”
    • “The music is also a bit too repetitious, lacking any real energy or charm, in my opinion.”
  • graphics
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are a blend of retro-inspired 8-bit and 16-bit aesthetics, evoking nostalgia while showcasing detailed sprite work and atmospheric designs. While many players appreciate the vibrant art style and its homage to classic gaming, some critiques mention issues like choppy scrolling and occasional graphical bugs. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received, with a strong emphasis on style that resonates with fans of retro gaming.

    • “The art style pays homage to the golden age of 8-bit and 16-bit gaming, evoking a sense of nostalgia for players who grew up with these iconic visuals.”
    • “The chunky retro style graphics are nicely drawn and authentically animated, the gratuitous violence of the grapple moves is entertaining, and the music adds nicely to the grim atmosphere.”
    • “Love the horror-inspired bit artwork put into this game; it's a real feast for the eyes if you're into that style of art.”
    • “The graphics are huge squares, or 'pixels' or whatever (roll my eyes), the music is like a prehistoric Colecovision.”
    • “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “Numerous instances, especially in the monastery, where graphics overlapped and just looked buggy.”
  • stability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly in co-op mode. While single-player experiences are somewhat stable, the overall gameplay is marred by frustrating technical problems, including hit registration errors and unresponsive controls. Despite its retro charm, the lack of polish and persistent glitches detract significantly from the enjoyment.

    • “This one is buggy, has bad hit registration, and bizarre key mappings that you can't change (developers like this make me wonder if they think customers are the enemy).”
    • “The game has a lot of glitches, some amusing and others annoying; for example, I, as player one, died but player two was still alive.”
    • “Unfortunately, the performance is just such an annoyance and I really don't feel like troubleshooting yet another game that doesn't work well for no conceivable reason.”
  • atmosphere
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its dark gothic fantasy aesthetic, enhanced by chunky retro graphics, well-crafted sprite work, and a fittingly grim soundtrack. The combination of exaggerated violence, relentless action, and nostalgic design elements creates a captivating and immersive experience reminiscent of classic titles like "Ghosts 'n' Goblins" and "Altered Beast." Overall, players find the atmosphere to be spectacular and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The sprite-work and music is wonderfully crafted into this darkly atmospheric action sidescroller (homage to the arcade and SNES games of yore).”
    • “The chunky retro style graphics are nicely drawn and authentically animated, the gratuitous violence of the grapple moves is entertaining, and the music adds nicely to the grim atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere ranges somewhere in the ballpark of 'Ghosts 'n' Goblins' while the animations oddly remind me of 'Altered Beast.'”
    • “The atmosphere is pure dark gothic fantasy.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by its clumsy yet amusing text crawls that connect levels, featuring unintentionally funny references reminiscent of 'Poochy.' Additionally, it incorporates juvenile, tongue-in-cheek humor that resonates with players, enhancing the overall comedic experience in the 2D side-scrolling platformer.

    • “Each level begins and ends with a lengthy text crawl, the only purpose of which is to clumsily link the different themes of each stage, with unintentionally hilarious references to the player 2 character that bring to mind 'Poochy' and the unceremonious return to his home planet.”
    • “The game is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with hack and slash combat, quests, upgradable weapons, an inventory, unlockable abilities, and at least one instance of juvenile tongue-in-cheek humor.”
    • “You can track your progression and location through a menu-based world map, which I still find hilarious.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Insanity's Blade features solid replayability with multiple difficulty levels, hidden secrets, and unlockable extras, appealing particularly to fans of classic arcade games. While it offers enough content for enjoyable repeated playthroughs, it may not sustain long-term engagement for all players.

    • “Insanity's Blade also offers replayability through multiple difficulty levels, hidden secrets, and unlockable extras.”
    • “The replayability is definitely there, but this isn't a title that you can look forward to sinking hundreds of hours into... I don't know though, perhaps someone will.”
    • “With local co-op and multiple difficulties, aside from just being easy to pick up and play, I could see a decent amount of replay value here for people really into those old arcade games.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unpolished, with some feeling that the necessity of grinding detracts from the overall experience, especially at its full price. While the sprite work is appreciated, the lack of refinement makes the grinding feel more like a chore than an engaging mechanic.

    • “Tedious and sloppy.”
    • “It's okay for when it goes on sale, but $6 seems a little much for an arcade game where money isn't in abundance and grinding is kind of necessary.”
    • “The problem, however, is that while the sprite work is good, the game is woefully unpolished and... a bit tedious, honestly.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been criticized for poor performance, leading to frustration among players who feel compelled to troubleshoot issues that seem unjustified. While it captures the essence of a retro pixel side-scrolling beat 'em up, the performance troubles detract from the overall experience.

    • “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it accessible for a wider audience.”
    • “The game runs flawlessly, showcasing excellent optimization that enhances the overall experience.”
    • “Unfortunately, the performance is just such an annoyance, and I really don't feel like troubleshooting yet another game that doesn't work well for no conceivable reason.”
    • “If you dig the retro pixel side-scrolling beat 'em up, this seems to have it, but apparently may have some performance troubles.”
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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
5-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Insanity's Blade is a casual action adventure game with horror theme.

Insanity's Blade is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Insanity's Blade.

Insanity's Blade was released on December 4, 2014.

Insanity's Blade was developed by Causal Bit Games Inc..

Insanity's Blade has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Insanity's Blade is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Abathor, Evil West, Slain: Back from Hell, Castle In The Darkness, Volgarr the Viking and others.