Saint Sword

"A really good action game"

Saint Sword is an action/platform game in the lines of games like Metroid. In such a game, you control a character that basically goes through a big ''area'' to reach a goal (which usually is defeating an area boss).

The story of the game is typical. An evil being is causing trouble for the inhabitants of the world, and a lone hero is chosen to go and defeat this foe.

In Saint Sword, you control the Titan known as Macress, who has the ability to metamorph into different forms. These forms give Macress new abilities which aid him in going through the stages.

The rundown:

Graphics: These are good considering the system the game is on. They could be sharper, but they get the job done. The backgrounds have excellent detail, although almost all the stages have a basically ''rocky'' environment, so the backgrounds are mostly different colored rocky surfaces. The castle stage has good detail too. One should not be disappointed here.

Story: Cliche and mentioned above. Well, one should not expect anything to out of the ordinary with these types of games.

Control: Excellent. No problems here. Macress follows directions precisely as needed.

Gameplay: Good. There is quite a bit of action going on, so one should never get bored. The use of the special items seems pretty few and far between, as you can really make through the game with just your sword. Other than that, one should have a fun time.

As mentioned, the stages of Saint Sword are ''areas.'' You don't go from the left side of the screen to the right side and that's it. You'll wind up going all over the place trying to get the key to get to the exit. This make sthe game more open and not so cramped.

Saint Sword offers quite an array of options to aid Macress in his quest, plus make the game more interesting. First of all is his ability to metamorph. This is the game's main punch. Macress can morph into three different forms, all of which have various advantages and disadvantages. This definitely makes the game interesting. However, the forms seem to have limited areas of usage. Macress can become a flying version of himself, a fish version, and a centaur. Really only the winged version and the fish are useful. The centaur makes Macress too large a target.

The other interesting feature of the game is the various items you get for defeating area bosses. Although there are no flashy effects when the items are used (this would have been a definite plus for the game), having them can really help you in many cases.

Another interesting element is the kind of RPG element that is thrown into the game. Macress gains levels as he kills enemies. At each level he gets stronger and a new color on his armor. Maxing out gives you some better swordplay. This isn't much, but it does give something to the game.

The last thing which is a punch is that the game actually has to be played through twice in order to get the ending. The first time you play, you fight the first form of the final boss, then you have to go through again to fight the final form. What changes occur the second time through? Well, stages are darker, plus you don't get the helpful arrows telling you the way to the exit. Enemies are mostly the same though. I expected them to be more difficult, but that does not seem to be the case.

All in all, Saint Sword is a decent action/platform game. The ability to change form adds a new twist to an otherwise cliche game, so it should be fun for a first run or so. Good game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/02, Updated 06/20/02