Swords and Soldiers HD

About

"Swords and Soldiers HD" is a side-scrolling strategy game where players control the Vikings, Aztecs, or Chinese in their quest to win the favor of the Gods. With hours of single-player campaign gameplay, players can build their army, wield magical abilities, and demolish enemy castles to lead their troops to victory. The sequel, "Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon," introduces hero units, a custom army builder, and a new 10-hour campaign.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 222 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

replayability2 negative mentions

The game features charming graphics and a humorous storyline, making it enjoyable for players of all ages.
It offers a unique tug-of-war style gameplay with three distinct factions (Vikings, Aztecs, and Chinese), each with their own units and spells, providing variety and strategic depth.
The game is easy to pick up and play, making it a great casual experience for short gaming sessions.

The gameplay can feel overly simplistic and repetitive, lacking the depth and complexity found in more traditional RTS games.
Multiplayer is largely dead, making it difficult to find online matches, which limits the game's replayability.
Some players have noted issues with balance between factions, particularly feeling that one faction may dominate the others.

gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, making it fun and engaging, though often lacking in depth and strategic complexity. Players appreciate the colorful art style and humorous elements, which enhance the overall experience, while the fast-paced nature keeps it entertaining. However, some reviews note that the gameplay can feel shallow, particularly in multiplayer modes, and may benefit from additional mechanics or keybindings.
- “The push-and-pull, ebb-and-flow of a good RTS match is perfectly captured in the tug-of-war level design here, with just enough silly story justification and interesting mechanics to make things fresh for the duration of the campaign.”
- “This one is all about the gameplay, but it's different enough from most games to stand out on its own and be memorable in a good way.”
- “The gameplay is surprisingly addictive.”
- “Using a cartoonish look helps mask the generally simple gameplay offerings, but even with that strength, the single-lane structure doesn't provide a great amount of depth.”
- “The gameplay is a bit shallow, which betrays its mobile roots.”
- “I struggle to find any real strategy to this game, not even simple rock-paper-scissors mechanics.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its lighthearted and quirky nature, featuring funny dialogues, bizarre character audio, and a juvenile, cartoonish aesthetic that appeals to all ages. Players appreciate the simple yet entertaining jokes woven throughout the campaigns, making it a delightful and casual experience. Overall, the game's humor is considered a significant strength, contributing to its charm and accessibility.
- “Colorful cartoony graphics, a juvenile goofy sense of humor, and simple concepts make this easily accessible for all ages and--quite frankly--a delight for something casual to waste time on.”
- “The game’s aesthetic, especially the humor, is its greatest boon.”
- “Very funny 2D strategy, recommended if you want a casual good time.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
21%
16%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful, and charming art style, which holds up well over time and enhances the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the cute and charismatic character designs, along with the engaging and humorous aesthetic that makes the game accessible and enjoyable for all ages. While some minor glitches are noted, the overall visual presentation is considered a strong point, contributing to the game's fun and casual appeal.
- “I found the graphics to look really good; the art style holds up really well to this day, and the gameplay was just as fun as I remember.”
- “An impressive 2D RTS game with colorful visuals and even more colorful characters.”
- “The art style is awesome; I really liked the sharp and cute graphics.”
- “S&S is a sidescrolling real-time 1vs1 strategy game with an emphasis on its goofy art style.”
- “Colorful cartoony graphics, a juvenile goofy sense of humor, and simple concepts make this easily accessible for all ages and, quite frankly, a delight for something casual to waste time on.”
- “The graphics are cute.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The game's story, while not deeply complex, is described as entertaining and lighthearted, featuring three factions with their own campaigns that include humor and engaging mechanics. Players appreciate the short mission lengths, though some find the gameplay repetitive and the narrative directionless at times. Overall, the story adds a fun element to the experience, making it enjoyable despite some balance issues.
- “The push-and-pull, ebb-and-flow of a good RTS match is perfectly captured in the tug-of-war level design here, with just enough silly story justification and interesting mechanics to make things fresh for the duration of the campaign.”
- “The story mode is entertaining because it works against the shallow gameplay.”
- “A cute story also adds to the entertainment factor.”
- “Because of the game's tendency to use time and/or random acts to trigger events to further a mission, sometimes you have no idea what you're doing wrong because your strategy has worked in similar levels before.”
- “The balance is really off, and the story is... well... pointlessly silly and directionless.”
- “There are 3 playable factions with one campaign each; the 3 campaigns feel like extensive training sections to each faction with some twists thrown in the middle. Story-wise, there are some jokes here and there but nothing complex; it is somehow entertaining with its light humor.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is well-received, featuring an engaging and catchy soundtrack that complements the humorous and bizarre character audio. Players appreciate the orchestral elements and find the tunes enjoyable rather than repetitive, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
- “Music is good and character audio is funny and bizarre, but in a good way!”
- “The music is very interesting, with an engaging soundtrack.”
- “A rousing orchestral soundtrack and light, comical voice acting.”
- “The music isn’t annoying—an important consideration when you must listen to the same set of tunes all game—and even catchy at times.”
- “The soundtrack lacks variety and quickly becomes repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the music tries to set the mood, it often feels out of place and fails to enhance the overall experience.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is fun, easy to learn, and visually appealing, many users feel that its low replay value does not justify the full price, making it less enticing for repeated playthroughs.
- “It's not an expensive game, but the full price may not justify the low replay value.”
- “It's fun, it's easy to learn, and it's bright and colorful, but there is not much replayability.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game is primarily optimized for PC, providing a better experience on that platform, but users have noted some unappealing design choices in the menus that detract from the overall presentation.
- “While the game is available for phones, it is optimized for PC, though there are some design choices in the menus that could be improved.”
- “The optimization for different platforms is impressive, allowing for a smooth experience whether you're on a high-end PC or a mobile device.”
- “I appreciate how the game runs efficiently on lower-end hardware without sacrificing too much in terms of graphics and performance.”
- “While the game is available for phones, it is optimized for PC, though there are some ugly design choices in the menus that remain.”
- “The performance on lower-end devices is disappointing, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “Even on high-end systems, the game struggles with frame drops and long loading times, which detracts from the overall experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
While the game features vibrant graphics and colors, players have reported occasional glitches that affect overall stability.
- “The game has some enjoyable graphics and vibrant colors, but there are frequent glitches that disrupt the experience.”
- “I encountered numerous crashes while playing, which made it frustrating to progress.”
- “The stability issues are a major drawback; the game often freezes and requires a restart.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the achievements in the game are creatively designed and challenging to unlock, avoiding the typical grind associated with completing the game on various difficulty levels.
- “Achievements are creative and not easy to unlock; there are no basic grinding tasks or 'complete the game on difficulty mode i' for i from 1 to 5.”