"Difficult, but nice..."

Well...Magic Sword obviously is a CapCom arcade game: it's a 2d scroller-type game (not false 3d like Final Fight or others, totally in 2d). It features many levels and sub-bosses (even if they almost always look the same...only the colours change)...

There is a 2P option. You command your player with the stick, you make him hit with a button and you make him jump with another button, you can jump diagonally, of course. Your goal is to collect a key to reach every level. You can collect many keys in one level but you can also use them for chests and doors (doors can have allies but also enemies inside). You can have a CPU controlled ally.

There are many enemies and they requires a determined amount of hits in order to being destroyed. Even if for some enemies only the colours change...they can be stronger or weaker. The first enemies leave good coins.

Like every arcade game, there is the score counter: it rises every time you kill, take something and other good actions. It resets to 0 every time you lose every life (and so appears the Continue screen).

You have a good life bar, but be careful: even if it seems big, it decreases fast, VERY fast. Try not to be hit by enemies and their shots. You can recharge your life bar by picking up food and other good things...since there aren't mani life charger in the game, always be careful.

Enemies get stronger and harder to kill but don't worry: after almost every boss (e.g.: every enemy with a life bar like yours, but red) you'll gain a new, stronger weapon. If you're the 1P, you'll gain stronger swords and if you are the 2P you'll gain axes and so on.

Graphics? Not as good as Final Fight's ones or Three Wonders' ones but still nice because of the effects. There are flashes, explosions and magic lights all over the area. Even single hits seem to be coloured. It's really great if compared to Final Fight which wasn't however a magic game but let's take Knights of the Round: it hasn't the same effects, Magic Sword has BETTER ones!

Sounds...mm...nice shouts and nice growls but it's only that. Yes, obviously there is music but noting to get too excited for... so don't simply expect a great soundtrack.
Well, sound effects are good, slashes and explosions are simply too well made!

You can have an ally from the beginning, he/she has his/her own life bar and he/she CAN die. You can gain allies (or switch them) by freeing them from the doors using the proper key. The ally has his own attacks: if he's a magician, he'll shots magic blows and if he's a fighter, obviously it'll fight. There are many kinds of allies...it all resembles the job system of some games.

Sooo...for concluding...I don't think you'll ever find it in arcades again...you can always try it by emulator at your own risk...however it's really worth the try. Trust me.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/03