Swords and Sandals 2 Redux

About

"Swords and Sandals 2 Redux" is a single-player Role Playing game with good graphics and mechanics, offering an intriguing story and intense gladiator combat. However, the game is very grinding with numerous bugs and can be bothersome with excessive advertisements. Despite its flaws, it promises to unleash hell as the world's favorite gladiator game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,807 reviews

graphics13 positive mentions

monetization102 negative mentions

The game brings back a lot of nostalgia for players who enjoyed the original version.
The graphics and style are well-received, making the game visually appealing.
The gameplay is fun and addictive, with a good balance of challenge and strategy.

The game has numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as characters not appearing or attacks missing.
Players are required to pay to continue after the second tournament, which many find frustrating.
Difficulty scaling is inconsistent, with some enemies being disproportionately stronger than the player.

monetization
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
6%
91%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, who report an overwhelming number of ads, including mandatory ads after every battle, even for those who have purchased the full version. Many players feel that the game is a cash grab, as it limits gameplay to just a few levels before requiring payment to continue, while others suggest that the game should be free with optional ads instead. Overall, the combination of frequent ads and a paywall has led to a negative perception of the game's monetization approach.
- “Sure, a relabel (full version via in-app purchase), but at least it's a demo.”
- “Instead of forcing players to buy the in-app purchase, put more ads but let them play the game 1-20 with more gameplay time. I'm pretty sure everyone would play the game over and over again if it was free to play.”
- “Man, this game rocked when I was a kid. No ads, nothing. Now it is annoying me with all the ads. Please find another way to make money; sell it directly, don't just fill it up with ads.”
- “The game is good, but as many people have said, it's bad because you have to pay to play more. Why do they have ads in it and not state until installed that you'll need to pay money? I'd suggest going to play this on a computer for free once you find a free version!”
- “The sheer number of ads is simply greedy; there's no need for an ad after every fight.”
- “It's a clear and obvious cash grab taking advantage of what used to be a fun game.”
stability
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
6%
93%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of game-breaking glitches, freezing issues, and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly after certain chapters or tournaments. While some players express nostalgia and enjoyment despite these problems, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is currently too buggy to be considered fully functional or enjoyable. Many users recommend avoiding the game until significant stability improvements are made.
- “The exact same game I remember, no hiccups, no glitches, no problems, just pure nostalgia.”
- “I've had multiple game-breaking glitches happen which made me delete some gladiators.”
- “It's a fun game but my biggest issue is after having the app running for a few hours straight it just freezes and won't come back unless you relaunch it.”
- “The game is good, but after the second chapter the game glitches out and doesn't let me advance; I've restarted and redownloaded the game 2 times and it still hasn't been fixed.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
52%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players praising the updated visuals and overall aesthetic, while others express disappointment with the new art style, feeling it detracts from the game's original vibe. Many appreciate the nostalgic elements of the classic graphics, although some note issues with cropping and bugs that affect gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are generally seen as improved, there are calls for a balance between the new and classic styles to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Love the sas3 style graphics and style; if anything, it makes the game more enjoyable.”
- “And the updated graphics look great.”
- “I loved every bit of it, great storyline, graphics, leveling system, etc. Yes, there are a few bugs like champions turning insanely big with 10,000 armor points, but that's nothing in comparison to how good the game is!”
- “First of all, the new graphics are bad and unnecessary.”
- “The redux graphics are bad (note you can change the graphics into the classic style in the option if you pay for the game).”
- “The graphics are mediocre; I enjoy where the story is going.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
47%
13%
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with many players appreciating the nostalgic elements and charm, but expressing frustration over unbalanced mechanics, paywalls, and short playtime. While some find the turn-based combat engaging and addictive, others criticize the repetitive nature and technical issues that hinder the experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as enjoyable but marred by limitations and inconsistencies compared to earlier versions.
- “Great gameplay and graphics.”
- “The gameplay, the humorous music, sound effects, etc., made the game not only addicting, but super charming as well.”
- “Very amazing, unique game with great stories, adventures, and gameplay.”
- “The game mechanics suck compared to the old flash version.”
- “It's a good game but I wish you could do more in it because there's not really enough gameplay-wise.”
- “The gameplay flow is choppy and laggy and you can only play 4 levels of the game.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
33%
10%
The game's story is generally well-received, with players appreciating its engaging narrative and the various paths available for character customization. However, some users express a desire for a longer storyline and criticize the repetitive nature of gameplay towards the end. Additionally, there are complaints about the need to purchase additional content to access the full story, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game is very good with a nice story and lots of different paths and customizations for your gladiator to go on.”
- “Love it - brings back so many memories, and it brings a ton of awesome new features and a surprisingly enthralling new story.”
- “Very amazing, unique game with great stories, adventures, and gameplay.”
- “And after I won again the second tournament, the story repeats.”
- “I find it annoying not to know parts of the story.”
- “Just one thing though, you should add more story to it.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the high difficulty of opponents and the significant penalties for dying, which can lead to a loss of gold and progress. While the game features a good story and appealing graphics, many reviewers feel that the grind becomes monotonous and unfair, especially as they reach higher levels and face uneven enemy scaling. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Facing opponents that can one-hit crit you and fully heal themselves becomes tedious.”
- “Not impressed that after hitting level 3 I get level locked until I beat the tournament, which means heavy grinding for the second set of armor, after which enemies in the tournament still have more HP, armor, and in most cases damage.”
- “You're restricted from leveling up; if you die, you lose so much gold, or straight up fall behind. The enemy difficulty scale is uneven, the dice rolling makes zero sense, and every attack takes mana anyway. This game is horribly unfair to the player and refuses to let you experiment, making it a grindy, pay-to-win single-player game.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying the comedic moments that arise from glitches, such as enemies celebrating after losing or getting stuck in the air. The combination of humorous sound effects and engaging gameplay adds to its charm, making it both funny and exciting, despite some instances where bugs can be frustrating. Overall, players find the game to be hilariously entertaining.
- “Hilarious and fun.”
- “The gameplay, the humorous music, sound effects, etc., made the game not only addicting, but super charming as well.”
- “It's a very funny and exciting game! 😆😆”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game elicits mixed reactions from players; while some find it charming and nostalgic, others describe it as annoying or cringe-worthy. Despite these differing opinions, many agree that the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's addictive and humorous atmosphere. However, technical issues, such as audio loss during calls, have been noted as drawbacks.
- “The gameplay, the humorous music, sound effects, etc., made the game not only addicting, but super charming as well.”
- “Although, if the music (which is amazing by the way), sound effects, and even gameplay don't have nostalgic values to you, you might not enjoy this game as much as I do.”
- “I really do enjoy this game; now personally I think the music is pretty cringe, but for some reason it is stuck in my head.”
- “I keep restarting the game, but it puts me right after I beat a tournament with the song playing, and I'm just stuck there with an annoying song.”
- “I really do enjoy this game; now personally, I think the music is pretty cringe, but for some reason, it is stuck in my head.”
- “Edit: There's a bug; if I'm on Skype or a call, the game loses audio. I love the game, but it's missing the song 'Gladiator'!”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting its ability to evoke tears and nostalgia for the franchise. However, they also report technical issues, such as crashes during skill upgrades and unresponsive combat mechanics, which detract from the overall experience.
- “It made me cry.”
- “Thanks for making this game franchise alive again; it's truly heartwarming.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to poor performance and a subpar experience for players.
- “And at that, it's horribly optimized too.”
- “The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Optimization seems to have been an afterthought, resulting in frequent lag and crashes.”