Swords and Serpents

Did You Know?

• Paul O'Connor, lead designer for Dragon Wars, originally designed the game but left the project after two weeks.
• Bruce Schlickbernd revised the game design but did not feel it was appropriate to be listed as the sole designer, so no game designer is listed in the documentation.
• HonestGamers reviewed the game in 2005 and gave it 8 out of 10, calling it one of the best dungeon crawlers on the NES.

Gameplay

Swords and Serpents supports one, two, or four players using the NES Satellite or another four-player adapter. Control of the four characters is divided evenly among players, but one player must be chosen as party leader to handle navigation. At the start, the player creates a party of four adventurers, selecting from three classes: warrior, thief, or magician. Warriors possess high strength and can wear heavy armor for greater defense. Thieves have moderate strength and defense but higher speed and agility, and can land a critical hit that kills any single enemy regardless of remaining health. Wizards have the lowest strength and defense but can cast spells to heal the party, damage enemies, or aid dungeon traversal. Character statistics can be generated randomly, or the player may choose a prefabricated party containing one of each class plus an additional magician. To continue a game, the player must record and later input five passwords: one for each character and a fifth for overall progress. The dungeon is presented in split-screen format, showing a first-person perspective alongside a simple map of the current level. Monster encounters occur randomly or at specific locations, replacing the map with health gauges for the creatures. Combat is turn-based, with the player controlling actions such as attacking, casting spells, or fleeing. Pressing A launches a general physical attack, while holding a direction on the D-Pad and pressing A targets a specific part of the enemy's body for potentially greater damage. The entire game takes place in an underground dungeon of 16 levels, with the serpent at the end.