Sword of the Necromancer

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 122 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Sword of the Necromancer Game Cover
Although Sword of the Necromancer has some exciting ideas, they never fully pay off. Be sure to check out some gameplay footage first to get a feel of what this roguelike has to offer.
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In "Sword of the Necromancer," players explore dungeons, battle enemies, and gather loot as a rogue-like dungeon crawler. The titular sword grants the ability to raise defeated foes as companions, adding a strategic layer to combat. With permanent death and procedurally generated levels, each playthrough offers a unique challenge.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews
story27 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique monster resurrection mechanic that adds a fresh twist to the dungeon-crawling experience.
  • The story is engaging and emotionally resonant, particularly highlighting a lesbian relationship, which is a refreshing representation in gaming.
  • The art style and soundtrack are well-crafted, contributing to an overall enjoyable atmosphere.
  • The combat feels clunky and slow, with limited options and a lack of fluidity that detracts from the gameplay experience.
  • Inventory management is frustratingly restrictive, with only a few slots available for items and summons, making it difficult to strategize effectively.
  • The AI for summoned monsters is poor, often leading them to die quickly in battles, which undermines the core mechanic of the game.
  • story68 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it touching and engaging, while others criticize it as clichéd and poorly executed. Many appreciate the emotional depth and character development, particularly in the context of a visual novel style, but feel that the gameplay detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the narrative has potential and charm, but its execution often leaves players wanting more, leading to a divide in recommendations based on story versus gameplay quality.

    • “A great little dungeon crawler with a nice story presented in a visual novel style!”
    • “The story is really interesting, but at the end of the day, I'm here for the gameplay.”
    • “Sword of the Necromancer manages to bring something new to the flooded rogue-like genre while providing a heartwarming story.”
    • “The story is also very basic.”
    • “The story is very corny.”
    • “The story is what you expect in a generic rogue.”
  • gameplay47 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it clunky and lacking in variety, particularly criticizing the ineffective summoning mechanics and limited enemy types. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and the potential of the game's unique features, the overall execution feels shallow and repetitive, leading to a frustrating experience for many. Despite a few positive notes on smooth performance and enjoyable mechanics reminiscent of classic games, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the gameplay's depth and engagement.

    • “Surprisingly decent game, simple yet enjoyable, it's got a decent difficulty level to it and a spin on the summon mechanic.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty good; reminds me a lot of the 2D Zelda games, with some RPG elements mixed in.”
    • “It’s breadth of mechanics allows for tons of experimentation that will keep you coming back until you finally get the true ending.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely clunky, visuals are very low tier pixel art, sounds are buggy, for some reason monster familiars take up weapon spaces.”
    • “The core gameplay isn't fun or fluid enough.”
    • “The entirety of the gameplay is far too slow and the 'tactics' are very basic and rudimentary.”
  • music14 mentions

    Overall, the music in the game receives mixed reviews; while many players appreciate the engaging soundtrack and memorable final song, some find it repetitive and lacking in quality for a game with repeated levels. The chiptune-inspired tracks and sound design effectively enhance the gameplay experience, but there are criticisms regarding the music's ability to maintain interest over time.

    • “The story, art, and soundtrack are really, really good.”
    • “The story, the music, and unusual gameplay created an experience that was well worth the cost of the game.”
    • “Music and sound design really set the mood while playing the game.”
    • “The soundtrack also wears on you.”
    • “The soundtrack is adequate, with the final song being quite memorable.”
    • “The soundtrack is solid enough.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the art style and visuals while others criticize them as low-tier pixel art reminiscent of a rushed game jam project. While the art style is often highlighted as a positive aspect, many users feel that the overall visual presentation lacks polish and depth, detracting from the gameplay experience. Additionally, technical issues such as poor scaling and clunky animations further diminish the graphical appeal.

    • “Love the game's art style and combat. I would recommend this to others; it's so much fun making overpowered builds and one-shotting every enemy.”
    • “It's a lot of fun; I love the art style, and the music and sound effects are really cool.”
    • “And if you like a great story with voice acting and stunning artwork, this is for you.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely clunky, visuals are very low tier pixel art, sounds are buggy, for some reason monster familiars take up weapon spaces.”
    • “[enemy spell/ability hit boxes are larger than the graphics for them, heavy reliance on genre memes and tropes leaves the story feeling unoriginal, full screen mode does not scale well beyond 1080p, main gameplay mechanics feel stifled by a poor item management system]”
    • “[attacks feel stiff, bland visuals and music, writing isn’t particularly great]”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Sword of the Necromancer" is highlighted by its touching narrative featuring two lesbian leads, which stands out in the rogue-like genre. Despite the challenges of conveying depth in a short format, the game successfully delivers a heartwarming story complemented by a cool soundtrack and innovative mechanics. Overall, players find the emotional storytelling to be a significant strength of the game.

    • “Sword of the Necromancer is an action game with rogue-like elements, most of which can be disabled, and an emotional and touching story.”
    • “The story is great and touching, with two lesbian leads.”
    • “Sword of the Necromancer manages to bring something new to the flooded rogue-like genre while providing a heartwarming story.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, citing issues with combat controls and enemy attack telegraphs that lead to frustrating encounters. The linear structure and inability to skip bosses contribute to a sense of repetitiveness, making runs feel more like a grind for future progress rather than an engaging experience. Overall, the current design elements detract from the enjoyment and flow of gameplay.

    • “Leads to picking up gear and stuff to just make some runs feel like grinding for later runs.”
    • “- The enemies often don't have great telegraphs for attacks, which, combined with the stiff combat controls, leads to taking a lot of hits unless you play so safe that the game ends up feeling kind of slow and tedious.”
    • “Since you cannot skip the bosses, and this is a very linear game (at least so far), the bosses, even after an hour and a bit of play, have already become stale and tedious.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including clunky gameplay, low-quality visuals, and frequent sound bugs, such as inconsistent volume levels and audio glitches. Additionally, the design flaw of monster familiars occupying weapon slots further detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The gameplay is extremely clunky, visuals are very low-tier pixel art, sounds are buggy, and for some reason, monster familiars take up weapon spaces.”
    • “The sound effects are also buggy, sometimes being ridiculously loud despite having the volume set low.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on all modern PCs, which contributes to a comfortable and user-friendly gameplay experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly on every modern PC, making the gameplay very comfortable and easy to handle.”
    • “The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless performance even on lower-end systems.”
    • “I appreciate how well the game is optimized; it maintains a steady frame rate and responsive controls throughout.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

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Play time

8hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
3-18hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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