Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy

Did You Know?

• The hardest part of development was enemy placement in each stage.
• The SNES version was announced at the 1992 Winter CES.

Plot

The game is set in an unnamed world threatened by the dark lord Drokmar, who controls the Black Orb. The hero, known as the Brave One, must scale the 50-floor Dragon Keep to defeat Drokmar. After victory, the player can choose to destroy the Black Orb or seize it and become the new dark lord.

Gameplay

Magic Sword shares many gameplay elements with Black Tiger, featuring side-scrolling fighting with platforming elements. The player controls only the main character, while a computer-controlled ally follows and attacks or jumps when the player does. Ally classes include Amazon, Big Man, Knight, Lizardman, Ninja, Priest, Thief, and Wizard. The player can carry one item that assists either the player or the ally. A magic meter fills when not attacking and empties on attack; if the meter is empty or blue, only a melee attack is possible, and magical allies like Priest and Wizard will not attack. When the meter is red but not full, the player and any magical ally perform a weak ranged magical attack alongside the melee attack; when full, a strong ranged magical attack is performed. Non-magical allies attack regardless of the meter. Player health is shown as five HP bars plus a number for additional sets beyond five; the ally has a separate meter maxing at four bars. Full-screen attacks can be performed instantly by collecting a magical book or on demand at the cost of one full HP bar. The game has about 50 levels, with 51 floors total; eight floors have boss characters, including Drokmar on the 50th floor. Seven secret doors allow level skipping with specific maneuvers.

Ports

A Super NES port of Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy, limited to single-player, arrived in 1992, with a mobile phone version following in 2008. Though previewed, the Capcom Power System Changer edition never saw release. The original arcade game appears in Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2, and Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium. It also came paired with Final Fight in the 2010 bundle Final Fight: Double Impact for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Magic Sword as the second most-popular arcade game in its September 1, 1990 issue. Micom BASIC Magazine ranked it tenth in October 1990. In North America, Play Meter ranked it twelfth in November 1990. Computer and Video Games' Julian Rignall called it well executed. Your Sinclair's David Wilson found it unoriginal but highly playable. Gamest gave it multiple awards, including 9th in Grand Prize and 2nd in Best Action Award. The Super NES version sold 6,637 copies in Japan. Super Play's Jonathan Davies criticized its animations, sound effects, and slowdown.