The swapping of allies really makes what would be an otherwise standard sidescroller into a fresh experience that’s constantly changing. Your allies will inevitably fall before you do, but this tower is lousy with heroes. Your allies can range from Amazons that shoot multiple arrows when you swing your sword, thieves that detect secret chests and toss bombs, and even wizards that shoot homing missiles. Opening a cell will release a randomly selected ally that will follow faithfully. Through out the tower, you will find jail cells that can be opened using keys found in chests. Unlike some of the more popular brawlers from the ’90s, Magic Sword is a strictly 2 dimensional affair ala Mario, but the game introduces an ally system that is the real crux of what makes Magic Sword so interesting. (Or your health runs out.) A few blasé boss fights will punctuate your ascent. It’s your job to walk to the right while slaughtering hordes of enemies and jumping over hazards until you get to the end of each level. How exactly this will come about we can’t be sure, but we do know that there are 50 levels of badguys to chop through! The controls are simple: you have a joystick for movement, a button to swing your sword, a button to jump, and if you press both buttons together you can unleash a limited-use screen-clearing spell. Magic Sword is only as complicated as is necessary: the evil lord Drokkmar is chilling out a the top of a 50 story tower and unless you can pilot a shirtless hero to the top, Drokkmar will surely rule the world using his Black Orb. But there is no shortage of side scrolling arcade games from this era, what makes Magic Sword stand apart? Peerless Pointed Play
First in arcades in 1990, then ported to the Super Nintendo in 1992, and more recently available on XBLA and PSN platforms in 2010, it has aged well. I couldn’t be more pleased with it, it’s a 2d sidescrolling brawler with some very clever innovations and a polished presentation. The game that got me back into the arcade scene was Capcom’s Magic Sword, mostly thanks to the Game Grumps picking it up themselves. I know that I can’t be completely certain whether or not I’m wrapping myself in the warm blanket of nostalgia or if these games are actually holding up over time, but I’m finding the bright colors and quick action of arcade games a welcome diversion. As planning for my wedding ramps up and my work weeks become longer, I’ve been spending more and more time revisiting the simple joys of arcade games.
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