Die by the Sword

Did You Know?

• Project lead Peter Akemann cited The Bilestoad as a major inspiration for Die by the Sword.
• The game's animations were built with a physics engine that Akemann created over five years of post-graduate and doctoral work, avoiding motion capture.
• The expansion Limb from Limb introduced new playable characters such as the Minotaur.

Gameplay

The game eliminates pre-recorded animations and statistical combat by using a physically correct model for each avatar and weapon, calculating movement and damage through forces. Players control the sword arm via joystick, numeric keypad, or mouse. With the keyboard, a slashing attack is performed by pressing the '4' and '6' keys in succession to move the weapon from left to right, while '8'-'2' produces a top-down strike. Blocking is achieved by positioning the weapon to intercept an enemy's blow, rather than using a separate key or state; shields function similarly, though the off-hand is generally not directly controllable. Mouse or joystick control offers more fluid movement in any direction, but characters with a weapon in each arm are best handled with the keypad or predefined moves. An arcade mode uses Y, U, and I to block low, medium, and high, and H, J, and K for chopping and slashing. Turning, jumping, and acrobatics can add velocity to the weapon, increasing damage. Players can target specific body parts: a well-placed swing can behead an opponent, and strong blows can sever limbs, reducing mobility or the ability to inflict damage. The expansion Limb from Limb lets players choose to play the original quest as an Orc, Skeleton, Mantis, or other monsters.

Reception

Critics gave Die by the Sword mildly favorable reviews, while its expansion Limb from Limb drew mixed reactions. Next Generation called it a must-play for fans of polished fantasy action and recommended it. Commercially, the game flopped, selling only 28,603 copies in the U.S. by April 1999. Interplay's Alan Pavlish blamed the poor sales on the awkward control scheme and a nine-month delay that killed its momentum. Despite this, Die by the Sword was a finalist for PC Action Game of the Year at the first Interactive Achievement Awards, though Quake II took home the prize.