The biggest shortcoming of the game is the limitations on playable characters. With nine heroic adventurers in this quest one would assume that you would get your pick, but only two of the characters are actually playable, the Barbarian and Cleric. The rest of the warriors are NPCs who help you on your journey; but it doesn’t end there. In a single player game only the Barbarian can venture through Dragon Tower, the Cleric is just accessible in two-player mode. Capcom tried to work around this by having the characters pseudo playable, meaning that for the most part the NPCs follow directly behind you, jump when you jump, and fire when you fire, doubling your strength in battles and firepower.
Each character in the game possess special powers and abilities. These include…
- Barbarian – A He-Man type warrior who weilds a sword that can shoot bolts of energy when powered up.
- Cleric – A mystical warrior who throws balls of energy and fire.
Non-Playable Characters
- Big Man, a hulking ogre who welds strength, endurance and a boomerang axe.
- Amazon with her deadly crossbow.
- Thief who throws bomb packs and can seek out hidden treasures and traps.
- Knight, an upper level character who throws a mighty spear.
- Priest and Wizard - The two magic users.
- Lizardman who attacks you when called upon, but becomes your ally if you possess the mystical diamond ring.
- Ninja – The one character that doesn’t quite fit in the setting, but comes in handy as he throws stars at your enemies.
Playable Characters
The other drawback is mainly a complaint for us lefties. In single player mode you have to use your left hand for jumping and fighting, and your right hand for the joystick. The second player controls are far more conducive to left handed players, but you can’t use them without another player taking over the Barbarian.
Magic Sword takes the best parts of its predecessors Gauntlet and Golden Axe and improves their shortcomings, plus the coin-op arcade version beats the pants off the home console ports for the Super Nintendo and the more recent Capcom Classic Collection Volume 2 for Xbox and PlayStation 2. If you can find the original arcade game, it’s worth every quarter just to remind you what classic hack ‘n slash gaming is all about.
