Sword Daughter

About

"Sword Daughter" is a gamebook adaptation from the 1980s, featuring a new soundtrack and artwork. Your choices will determine one of the 22 possible endings, as you navigate through a dangerous journey of vengeance, glory, treasure, or love, after your caravan is attacked, leaving you the only survivor. Will you become a hero, a queen, or meet your end in a dragon's lair?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

50%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

story56 positive mentions

character development6 negative mentions

The artwork is stunning and beautifully illustrated, enhancing the overall experience.
The game features a unique path menu that allows players to jump to different branching moments, making it easy to explore various endings.
Despite its short length, the game offers replayability with 22 different endings and engaging story twists.

The story is often criticized for being rushed, with relationships developing too quickly and lacking depth.
Many players found the protagonist to be a damsel in distress, relying heavily on the male lead for support and lacking agency.
The choices can feel arbitrary, leading to similar endings and making it difficult to predict which decisions will lead to satisfying outcomes.

story
286 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The story of "Sword Daughter" is characterized by its short length and a lack of depth, with many players finding it inconsistent and cliché. While the branching narrative offers multiple endings and some engaging moments, the overall writing is often described as simplistic and rushed, leading to underdeveloped characters and abrupt plot resolutions. Despite its beautiful art and music, many reviewers feel that the story fails to deliver a compelling experience, making it more suitable for newcomers to the visual novel genre rather than seasoned players seeking a rich narrative.
- “Overall, Sword Daughter is a solid story from Hanako Games, and recommended to anyone who loves choice-driven narratives with female protagonists.”
- “I loved the overall premise, the story twists, and the artwork.”
- “The paths leading to the multiple endings are varied enough to keep the story interesting (and personally I couldn't stop till I at least figured out how to get the dragon rider one!).”
- “The story is pretty simple and not very well written.”
- “I wanted to like this game but... for a game supposedly centered around the writing, the plot points are laughably bad.”
- “The story doesn't give the player enough time to get attached to the characters at all, and they're underdeveloped.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
29%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many reviewers praising its fittingness and quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While some found it repetitive or not particularly memorable, others appreciated its ability to immerse players in the game's magical world. Overall, the soundtrack, alongside the beautiful artwork, contributes positively to the experience, despite some critiques regarding the brevity of the gameplay.
- “The game is characterized by wonderful artwork, pleasant music, and very well elaborated backgrounds.”
- “Also, the soundtrack itself is very impressive and blends in nicely with the narrative whether you are traversing through a barren desert, engaging combatants, or witnessing a rather emotional moment in the novel.”
- “The soundtrack is high quality as well, with some lovely ethnic-inspired selections that help transport the reader to a faraway world filled with magic and dragons.”
- “The music and sound effects were similarly adequate, setting the tone but rarely sticking out or being memorable mere hours after finishing the game.”
- “I don't think the music is original, but it's fitting.”
- “The writing, art, and music are all up to standard, so I was a bit baffled at the uneven recommendations.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
20%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning artwork, vibrant colors, and high-quality illustrations, which contribute to an immersive experience. However, many reviewers note that while the visuals are impressive, they cannot compensate for a lackluster story, with some describing the character animations as basic and repetitive. Overall, the artwork stands out as a highlight, but it is often overshadowed by criticisms of the narrative's execution.
- “The artwork is stunning.”
- “The outstanding artwork is of the utmost quality with superb illustrations laden with beautiful colors and shading.”
- “I love the music and artwork, which bring you to a place of mystery and magic.”
- “The artwork was meh.”
- “There are a few effects scattered throughout for animation (ranging from parallax levels of sandstorm particles to the much more common but basic screen shake) but the character visuals mostly rely on swapping a handful of expressions per pose over the course of conversation; it certainly gets the job done, and is about what you should expect from a visual novel.”
- “The graphics are pretty, but that is the only upside.”
character development
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
44%
38%
Reviews indicate a significant dissatisfaction with character development in the game, with many users noting a lack of depth and complexity in the characters. The narrative is criticized for being generic and failing to provide meaningful growth or backstory, leading to a perception that the characters are one-dimensional. Overall, players express disappointment, feeling that character development is a missed opportunity in an otherwise weak storyline.
- “Some character development is always nice.”
- “Sword daughter's plot is weak, so it's natural to think its strong point would be in character development.”
- “Truthfully, what fairy tale really does have in-depth character development or that much of a plot?”
- “It becomes obvious almost immediately that Sword Daughter has a generic plot with little to no character development.”
- “Sword Daughter's plot is weak, so it's natural to think its strong point would be in character development.”
- “Guess again, there is no character development at all.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The gameplay is characterized as accessible and casual, making it suitable for beginners, though it is notably short in duration. Players engage primarily through reading dialogue and making choices that influence the story, which some feel diminishes the overall gaming experience. While the visuals and sound enhance the atmosphere, the brevity of gameplay may leave some players wanting more depth and longevity.
- “Sometimes games don't need hours and hours of gameplay to be good.”
- “This casual game is easy in difficulty and extremely short in gameplay.”
- “While the illustrations are beautiful and the sound effects/music enrich the story/atmosphere, be aware that this game is all reading dialogue/descriptions that result from the 'choose your own ending' mechanic.”
- “Has an easy gameplay for beginners and is long enough to get a feel for the genre.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The game offers high replayability due to its choose-your-own-adventure format, encouraging players to explore various paths and outcomes. However, some users find the visual novel presentation lacking, which may detract from the overall engagement during multiple playthroughs. While a single playthrough is short, the potential for discovering different storylines enhances its replay value.
- “With that said, replayability is quite high as the very nature of choose-your-own-adventure books warrants such a thing.”
- “Replayability allows you to explore the paths you didn't take before, of which there are many and they are quite different.”
- “Before buying, keep in mind that a single playthrough is very short; on the other hand, it has significant replay value.”
- “Replayability is not engaging due to the low-quality visual novel style of presentation.”
- “Replayability is quite high as the very nature of choose-your-own-adventure books warrants such a thing.”
- “There is replayability to find the paths you didn't go down before, of which there are many and they are quite different.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate a significant lack of humor in the game, with players noting that it feels devoid of personality and emotional depth. Despite the beautiful artwork, the absence of comedic elements and engaging writing leaves the experience feeling flat and unentertaining.
- “I can forgive bad and implausible writing if I still get something out of it though--like humor.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to repetitive scenes and dialogue, poorly developed characters, and minimal variation between endings. While the user interface and auto-skip feature help alleviate some of the monotony, many choices lead to circular paths, resulting in abrupt and unsatisfying conclusions. Overall, the lack of meaningful engagement and variety contributes to a frustrating experience.
- “The characters are poorly developed, and the connection between the player and the characters isn't established. Scenes and dialogue are heavily repetitive, with little variation between endings. Some choices lead you in a circle, which is tedious, and every ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game makes exploring other dialogue paths tedious, as the user interface and controls do not facilitate a smooth experience.”
- “The repetitive nature of the scenes and dialogue contributes to a grinding experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by an impressive soundtrack that seamlessly integrates with the narrative, elevating moments of both tension and poignancy throughout the experience.
- “The soundtrack itself is very impressive and blends in nicely with the narrative, whether you are traversing through a barren desert, engaging combatants, or witnessing a rather emotional moment in the story.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by beautiful illustrations and immersive sound effects/music, creating a rich storytelling experience. However, players should note that the gameplay primarily involves reading dialogue and descriptions due to its "choose your own ending" mechanic.
- “The illustrations are beautiful, and the sound effects and music enrich the story and atmosphere, creating an immersive experience.”
- “The combination of stunning visuals and captivating audio elements truly enhances the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “The game's atmosphere is deeply engaging, drawing players into its world through its artistic design and soundscapes.”