Steel Sword Story
- June 20, 2019
- 8bits fanatics
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Steel Sword Story" is a 2D action RPG set in a pixel art world. Players control a lone warrior, battling monsters and bosses to protect the land from darkness. With upgradable skills and equipment, and a variety of enemies to fight, Steel Sword Story offers a challenging and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a fun and fast-paced gameplay experience, making it a good choice for speedrunning enthusiasts.
- The art style and animations are well-received, adding charm to the overall experience.
- The controls are generally responsive, allowing for enjoyable character maneuvering and combat.
- There are significant issues with input registration, leading to frustrating gameplay moments and unresponsive controls.
- The game suffers from performance problems, including frame rate drops and slowdowns, particularly in later levels.
- The overall length of the game is short, which may leave players wanting more content and depth.
- story11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The story in "Steel Sword Story" is generally considered basic and uninspired, revolving around a knight's quest to reclaim his land from an evil overlord and featuring typical fantasy tropes like rescuing a princess. While some players find the narrative serviceable for a low-priced platformer, many reviewers express a desire for a more engaging and imaginative storyline, noting that the plot feels like an afterthought in an otherwise fun action game. Overall, the story is seen as a minor aspect of the experience, with players primarily enjoying the gameplay.
“If you wait at the title screen, you get a plot setup: you're the only knight capable of fighting against the monsters.”
“The game was entertaining and I enjoyed the story.”
“The story is pretty basic: a prince in exile on a journey comes home to find his land taken over by an evil overlord.”
“The game doesn't have a high price tag, so you get what you pay for here - a basic platformer hack and slash with a basic fantasy story and alright music.”
“Only critique I have is that I wish there was more to the story.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by responsive controls and enjoyable mechanics, such as estus flask-style healing and an invincible dodge roll, which enhance the experience. While the game offers a familiar feel with solid enemy and level design, it lacks innovation and can be challenging on higher difficulties. Overall, it delivers a satisfying and brisk adventure, with opportunities for upgrades and puzzle-like elements.
“In terms of gameplay, the controls were snappy, and I liked the modernizations, like Estus flask-style healing and invincible dodge roll, and I had fun.”
“While it's only a couple of hours (maximum), it provides a brisk, enjoyable adventure with very satisfying gameplay.”
“The gameplay itself on the harder difficulty shows its teeth fairly early, roughing you up a good bit as you are learning the controls and getting used to them.”
“The gameplay, enemies, and level design are all reasonably well done, but you won’t come across anything new or innovative.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with praise for its art style and visual appeal, particularly in its retro pixelated design. However, some users noted issues with visual clarity on larger monitors and mentioned that while the graphics are enjoyable, they are not essential to the overall experience.
“What I do like is the art style.”
“I liked the art style, and the tried but true gameplay.”
“Graphically, it looks pretty.”
“Visuals can get kinda fuzzy-looking on bigger monitors.”
“Graphics and sound I can do without, but 'cheap' difficulty and unresponsive controls are big turnoffs for me, plus a bunch of minor annoyances.”
“[b]Steal Sword Story[/b] is a fun little action platformer with pixelated retro graphics.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as fitting but ultimately forgettable, lacking memorable tracks that resonate with players. While some reviewers noted that the soundtrack has its moments of excellence, it is often considered basic and not a standout feature of the game. Overall, the music aligns with the game's low price point, providing a serviceable backdrop without leaving a lasting impression.
“It's reasonably challenging, has a charm to it that I dig and the music is excellent at times.”
“Music seems fairly fitting, though early play didn't have the headbangers that get stuck in your head like some other titles.”
“The game doesn't have a high price tag, so you get what you pay for here - a basic platformer hack and slash with a basic fantasy story and alright music.”
“The soundtrack is forgettable and the story and characters are a non-factor.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have noted that while there are moments of intentional slowdown during dramatic scenes, this can be mistaken for performance issues. However, the overall optimization is criticized, particularly in action and platforming segments where technical performance impacts the game's difficulty.
“For either action or platforming (or both combined), games that are trying to be difficult through technical performance can face significant challenges.”
“Towards the end of the game, there is some dramatic slowdown for effect that I mistook for performance issues, but it was only with some very specific elements during a dramatic fight.”
“For either action or platforming (or both combined), games that are trying to be difficult through technical performance face a grave issue.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, as the campaign is short—taking around 2 hours to complete—yet allows for farming to acquire upgrades without feeling tedious. Overall, leveling up and obtaining new equipment feels rewarding rather than burdensome.
“The campaign is very short; it took me 2 hours to finish, and that's because I did some farming to buy all the upgrades.”
“Nothing ever feels 'grindy' as you're leveling up and getting new equipment.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through its various difficulty levels, allowing players to experience different challenges.
“There is a bit of replay value if you want to try the different difficulty levels.”
“The game offers multiple paths and choices, making each playthrough feel unique.”
“With various character builds and strategies, I find myself coming back for more.”
“The game lacks significant replayability, as once you've completed it, there's little incentive to return.”
“After finishing the main story, I found no compelling reasons to play through again.”
“While there are different difficulty levels, they don't add enough variety to make me want to replay the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues, with players reporting glitches such as enemies becoming stuck in walls and floors, as well as characters falling through platforms and getting trapped, necessitating restarts to continue.
“I found a few glitches, with some enemies getting stuck inside walls and under the floor. There is also one part where my character would fall from a platform, go through the floor, and get stuck inside the wall, forcing me to leave the stage and restart.”
