Sword of Vermilion

"An early great for a great system"

When I started playing video games in 1990, one of the games my dad had was Sword of Vermilion. It was quite the game to play, for the time. It didn't have best of any aspects of a game, but it is a good game nonetheless.

Storyline: 7/10. The intro gives some insight into the game's beginnings; an evil king by the name of Tsarkon invades a country and completely destroys it. Before that could happen, though, the king of this country, Erik, trusts his mystical Ring of Wisdom and his infant son to his most faithful servant, Blade. Blade manages to escape the burning castle and flees as far as he can from Tsarkon's hordes. When he reaches the distant village of Wyclif, he settles down and raises Erik's son as his own, never revealing anything about his true identity. The story begins with Blade on his deathbed, revealing the secret of the young princes identity. 18 years had passed since those events, and the infant is now a man, ready to carve his destiny.

Gameplay: 4/10. The menu is a bit complex at first, and travel around town is quite slow. The redeeming features of this aspect is the first-person world map/dungeon mode and the real-time random encounters. For a game released in 1990, real-time was relatively new for an RPG. Most RPGs used a turn-based system until the advent of real time and the active time battle system so commonly seen in the Final Fantasy games. Quite an innovation.

Graphics: 7/10. Not nearly the best by far, but better than some games I've seen. The enemies are done in pretty good detail, and the bosses are well done as well. Towns & villages may seem huge, but the size seems amplified because of how slow you move. Regardless, the towns are done pretty well.

Sound/Music: 4/10. Not a lot of variation, but since the game was created so early on, there wasn't a lot of room for too many tracks. Sound effects are ok at best, but there's nothing that's really bad about the sound.

Fun Factor: 5/10. A classic; for those who don't like all that much glam, or who want an insight into the roots of RPGs, this game is for you. Even by 16-bit standards, though, this game is not known far & wide for anything in particular.

Overall: 27/50 = 6/10. If you find this game at a clearance sale or a yard sale, pick it up if its at a good enough price. It's fun if you enjoy playing RPGs, but it requires patience on your part. Give it a chance, and there's little likelihood you'll be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/06