I recently played the game Swordswinger "to completion", and might I just say, for a completely free game it was a great experience. I thought the game was so good in fact, I decided to make a review post about it.

		
			
ART-STYLE
		
	

The biggest praise I have for Swordswinger is its unique and inspired art style and colour palette. I absolutely love the green and black colour scheme used throughout the game, it is very reminiscent of GameBoy games, which is always nice.

The retro pixelated art style is simple but extremely effective. The art in Swordswinger is phenomenal, especially the background art, which really brings life to the world of the game. It would've been so easy to just have plain walls and skies throughout the entire game, so seeing all of the little details and props in the background were a joy to see throughout my playthrough. Well done!

		
			GAMEPLAY & MECHANINCS
		
	

Swordswinger wears its Castlevania inspiration on its shelves, including obtaining items by destroying background props. Just like the art style, the gameplay is simple but extremely effective.

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The movement, combat and items are all responsive and intuitive. I almost never felt like the game wasn't reading my inputs.

The level design is great. I really enjoyed the platforming and puzzles littered throughout the game.

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One of the best qualities of Swordswinger is its enemies. The enemy variety for this game is excellent. I swear there is a unique enemy for every level in the game and they all do different things, even if only slightly.

Some enemies even INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER OR ENVIRONMENTAL TRAPS!! So sick man! I wish more games did this.

No foe in Swordswinger feels like canon fodder, all of them are a threat whether it be because they themselves are hard to deal with or because of their placement in a level. Well done!

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And the bosses, OHHH LOOOOOORD THE BOSSES!!!!!!!!!!!!! The boss fights in Swordswinger are decent at worst, and A S T O N I S H I N G at best!

All of the bosses have great designs, are incredibly formidable, and have compelling attacks. I love how every boss is representative of an enemy/enemies in the game (with the only exception being The Forlorn King. I guess that's how he got his name huh?). It is one of my favourite tropes in video games and works really well if done right, which Swordswinger succeeds at.

All of them are difficult enough to where you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when you finally fell them, but not too cheap or frustrating where you just feel like rage quitting. Swordswinger hits the boss fight difficultly sweet spot nicely.

While I do have complaints about some of them, I wouldn't call a single boss fight in Swordswinger bad. Bravo in the boss department!!!

		
			SOUNDTRACK
		
	

Like I discussed with you in an earlier post, I wasn't able to listen to the game's OST while playing the game for whatever reason. However, I can still listen to some of the soundtrack thanks to the songs on the Game Jolt page. It sucks that I wasn't able to get the full and authentic experience, but it is what it is.

The soundtrack is pretty good, very standard and typical for games like this. Nothing really to go into about, just okay.

		
			FEEDBACK
		
	

Although I did thoroughly enjoy my time playing Swordswinger, I do have some player feedback that I think would vastly improve the game if implemented. Here's a list of my recommendations.

First off, I think the secret passage way to the "God of Pain" area should be more well hidden. With how it is now, I feel that it is a bit too obvious that there is a secret in the pit.

I think the first step to the secret area should be much lower, just slightly peaking above the bottom screen in the screenshot below. I also think that the steps should be on the opposite side of the wall, that way you can only see the first step by hugging the wall right after the checkpoint.

This would make the entrance to the secret area one of the few parts of the game where falling below the screen doesn't kill you.

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I wish we could keep the health and stamina bonuses we can get in levels and carry them on into other chapters. Dying would reset health and stamina back to normal and we can only keep bonuses from new levels that we clear.

It would be interesting to see just how many health and stamina points you could rack up if you played through the entire game without dying or getting hit.

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Enemies that fall into a pit and go off-screen should die, and we should receive points for their death. I've only had this happen to me a few times in-game and I wish it were much more consistent.

I say that only enemies who fall into a pit and go off-screen as a result rather than just all enemies who fall into a pit for reasons I'll go into later.

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Enemies should have unique death animations like the bosses and the player character. All of the enemies having a skull drop to the ground for their death animation is boring and a bit lazy (except for the skeletons of course, since that's apart of their gimmick).

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There should be an extra reward for having keys when you clear a chapter. There are certain parts of the game where you can circumvent doors without using a key, and thus you can finish the chapter with those keys still equipped.

It'd be such a cool easter egg if you get bonus points at the end of the chapter, or maybe even a secret that you can unlock in the overworld with the extra keys you have.

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Flipboards are a bit wonky in the game. When the stone part is facing up, the spikes on the bottom can't hurt you. When the spikes are facing up, the stone part no longer acts as a solid surface, meaning you can clip through the bottom and hurt yourself on the spikes above.

This should be changed to where the stone part is always a solid surface, meaning you can land on it when facing up, and hit your head on when facing down. The spikes should be able to hurt you wether they're facing up or down.

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The enemy pathfinding on stairs and slopes need to be improved. Enemies that pursue the player tend to stop following you once you go up or down a slope, even if you're right in front of them.

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The input buffering for vertical attacks should be increased. There were many times throughout my playthrough where my vertical attack inputs didn't go through just because I was a few frames off from the next input window.

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We should be able to use the invincibility cloak in mid-air, as long as we are falling down without moving sideways.

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The trajectory of great axes shouldn't change mid-air. I've noticed that whenever Great Axe Knights throw their axe, the trajectory of the axe can change in mid-air depending on where the player moves.

I don't know if this was intentional or not, but the result is that certain areas in the game are unnecessarily frustrating to pass through and makes an already difficult enemy even harder to deal with. The great axe's trajectory should be constant once it leaves the knight's hand, just like the regular axe knights.

Although, the trajectory of the great axe changing mid-air based on where the player moves would make for an interesting mechanic in the "God of Pain" mode.

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I felt like the Ghost Knight multi-boss was way too easy, even for being the third boss fight in the game. I think they should only be vulnerable while they are charging up and during their dash attack, incentivizing you to move around the arena and not just stand in front of them.

I also feel like their move-set and character design should be expanded upon, as they are a bit too similar to the normal Ghost Knights for my liking.

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The boss fight I have the most issue with is The Great Hammer Knights.

Number one, the second Hammer Knight is way too fast, and number two, I feel that being able to go under the knights during their jump attack kind of defeats the purpose of the vast arena.

I think it would be better if it were impossible to get behind the knights while they're active. Maybe an invisible wall could follow close behind them that restricts the player from getting behind, or maybe their footsteps cause the ground to rupture in their wake, creating sharp fragments on the ground that hurt to touch, like spikes.

Since the player can no longer get behind the knights, if the gap between the two statutes become too small, the active knight performs a special attack that crushes the player, instantly killing them.

The second Great Hammer Knight would need to be slowed down significantly if this change were to be implemented.

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I wish the statue in Ancient Walls had a hammer instead of a sword, making it unique from the rest of the statues in the game and serving as subtle foreshadowing for the Great Hammer Knights boss fight.

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There should be a death counter that you can see in-game or in the settings, detailing how many times you've died in total, in each individual chapter, and to which enemies, traps, or bosses.

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I wish these secret invisible platforms were used more throughout the game.

I've only encountered two of them throughout all of my time playing Swordswinger and I think they could've been utilized more for accessing secret areas (more on that later in the thread).

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The scroll that contains The Lord's message should automatically active once you walk up to it instead of there being an invisible wall.

The hidden wall passage at the bottom the bottom should be deactivated until the player has read the scroll.

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There should be an encyclopedia accessible in the main menu and/or overworld documenting everything you can find in game as you discover them; such as enemies, bosses, traps, items, attacks & abilities, and terrain.

The encyclopedia would also detail your statistics throughout the game; such as the amount of individual & total enemies you've killed, the amount of times you've defeated bosses, the amount of times you've collected, used, and killed with an item (or a different kind of stat depending on the item), the amount of damage you've dealt and with which attacks (standard or items), the total amount of points you've accumulated, and other miscellaneous statistics.

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When returning to the overworld from a chapter, you should be spawned at the chapter you returned from instead of the last chapter that you cleared.

There should also be a sign in the tutorial that tells you pressing 'R' restarts the level and holding 'R' returns you to the overworld, as nothing in-game ever tells you this outside of the settings menu.

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The "Destroyer" trophy for killing 500 enemies should be demoted to a silver trophy, and there should be a new gold trophy for killing 5,000 enemies - and maybe even a platinum trophy for killing 50,000 enemies (if that's even possible).

There should be Game Jolt trophies for completing the second quest of the game, completing the entire game on "God of Pain" mode, completing the entire second quest on "God of Pain mode", and completing the game without unlocking a single upgrade from a treasure chest.

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There is a game breaking bug that resets my game's save file whenever I reset my computer or close all of my tabs, both usually by accident or because my laptop was lagging.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this shouldn't be happening, as the token on Game Jolt should be saving my progress.

I really hope that this bug can be fixed, as I've had to restart the entire at least 4 times now in order to be able to start the second quest and having my save file reset without my input is extremely frustrating.

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And lastly, I wish Swordswinger had lore that was conveyed through environmental storytelling. Your profile picture as of writing this thread is from Berserk, so I'm going to assume you also like

Next, there are many abilities I've seen in-game that I think would make for interesting items.

The acid potion used by the plague doctors would be a great projectile item that could poison enemies it lands near or on directly.

The hammer attack used by the Hammer Knights could make for an interesting melee item that increases in power the more you rapidly press the 'C' button.

The sword beam attack from the Long Sword Knight would make for a really cool counterattack item. The sword beam attack would only activate if you successfully guard an attack from an enemy or boss.

The poison dagger attack from the stalkers could make for a neat melee alternative to the acid potion.

And lastly. the bear traps found in Gallow Woods would make for a very unique item that you could set up and trap enemies that walk into it.

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Finally, there are several dozens of areas in the game that I think would serve as great secret spots.

On my subsequent playthroughs of Swordswinger, I found many parts of the game that could've served as a secret spot to harbour an item, sometimes even breaking the game itself in order to access said area.

Here are my secret spot suggestions:

Fort Vergo

One of these walls beside the disappearing platform, preferable the one on the right.

Fort Trames

The wall by this pile of spikes, separated by a little gap.

The top of the ceiling wall that opens out into the second level that can be reached with the wings.

This wall by the spiked ball and Greatsword Knight.

This wall could be turned into a destructible wall that can be destroyed by the Bomb Guy on the other side and act as a shortcut.

Mines

The wall on the opposite side of this spike pit could be destructible, and destroyed with the bombs that fall down the ladder.

The top of the ledge at the beginning of the second level that can be reached by jumping off the Greatsword Knight and vertical attacking.

This gap in the wall by this small ladder.

This ledge that can be reached by jumping off the ladder to the left.

Fort Ultor

The wall on the left side of the middle part with the spikes on it.

The ledge on the left wall before the door to the end of the level.

The ledge on the left wall after entering the door.

Lair

The ledge on the right across the gap entering the Lair that can theoretically be reached, but is blocked off by an invisible wall.

This tiny gap between the wall and spikes that can be reached by jumping into it the right way.

This pile of rubble could be blown up by the burrowed Bomb Guy by jumping to the left of him.

This spiked passage way could lead into a secret level, a first of that kind in this game. You would need the wings item in order to get across the spikes.

Depths

This door in the first level that leads to nowhere. I have a feeling that there's something to this, but I can't find it

This wall below the trapdoor.

This wall by the ledge near the end of the second level.

Bastille of Webs

The top of this wall that can be reached with the wings.

These two bodies dangling over a pit.

Ruined Castle

This wall next to the first checkpoint could lead into the pit on the right.

This wall beside the bubble hovering over the spike pit.

This ledge above the ladders and arrow turrets.

This body dangling over the bottom section of the second level.

Lumen Bastille

There should be a way to open up this trapdoor with a lever and fall down into a secret level.

This ledge right next to the laser crystal.

Crystal Mines

This pocket of space in the cave wall.

This other pocket of space in the cave wall.

This OTHER pocket of space in the cave wall.

This passage way coated with spikes that can be reached using the wings.

Archives

There should be a secret at the end of these platforms in the arena.

This wall by the vertically moving platform.

The wall above the second laser crystal.

An absolutely insane easter egg I found while writing this review thread is that you can get over the door at the beginning of the chapter by jumping off of The Knight and vertical jumping.

But the secret doesn't end there. If you kill The Knight from the other side of the door and quickly dash onto the ladder, The Wizards will still fire at you, but they won't disappear. If you go up onto the platforms and kill them, ALL OF THE WIZARDS WILL DROP A KEY!!!!!!!!! After you do this, you will have 9 keys (I haven't been able to get the 10th key from The Knight without opening the door as of writing this).

It would be absolutely P H E N O M E N A L if there was a secret section near the end of the chapter locked behind nine (or maybe even ten) doors that require the nine keys you can acquire from the arena in order to get to.

It should be a big secret, more than just an item you can get in any other chapter. Maybe getting to this section would unlock the encyclopedia I mentioned earlier. All of your game statistics would be recorded once you start your journey, but you'd only be able to view them after getting this easter egg in The Archives.

Caverns

This space next to the ladder with the fireball thrower.

These gaps in the walls at the beginning of the second level.

You can actually vault over the right wall and skip the entire level by walking on the ceiling. It would be so cool if there was a secret in this out-of-bounds area.

The bottom of the pit in the secondary section of the second level.

Crumbling Palace

You can pass through the statue puzzle at the beginning of the chapter by only having one statue on a pressure plate. The other statue can be pushed down into the pit below and it'll fall and land right next to the checkpoint.

It would be interesting if there was a pressure plate on the left side of the checkpoint that you could push that statue onto and it'd open a secret spot later in the chapter, like the second statue in the second level.

Maybe it could open up this huge door in the second level that blocks you off from the palace's roof.

This space in the ceiling that can be reached by jumping off the Axe Knight and vertical jumping.

It would be a very unique and interesting secret for the candles below the door to be unlit and you had to use the fireballs from the Winged Bomb Guy to light it, and then you could go back and get an item from said candle.

The ledge on the bottom left. It looks like there should be something there, but if you go down there you become stuck and have to restart the level.

This part of the roof that can be reached by jumping off of the Hammer Knight could serve as a secret exit to the chapter. Clearing the chapter this way could unlock a secret in the overworld.

You can fall down this pit covered by the flamethrower by using the feather. It would be cool if falling down this pit lead to a secret level. You could remove the spikes on the ledge below and add more ledges so that we can traverse down the pit.

The staircase underneath The Moon Blade chase section can be reached by using the invincibility frames of the feather to phase through the flipboard. There could be a very rewarding secret down that pit for reaching this area that was never meant to be accessed.

Fungal Caverns

This platform where the Axe Knight is stationed.

This spike pit right before the end of the chapter.

Old Dungeon

This wall near where the skeletons and spiders are.

There could be a way to access these walled-off cells.

Ancient Walls

There could be a way to reach the outside areas of the walls.

The bottom Flamethrower can be reached by "being crushed" by the moving platform. There could be a secret here.

Petrified Library

This ledge at the very beginning of the chapter.

This ledge that can be reached by jumping off the Axe Knight.

This section below the pit can be reached without dying (I'm not telling you how I got here, it's a secret ;) ).

This ledge on the left of the Spear Knights platform.

This section behind the beginning of the second level. The door could be opened with

This statue at the bottom of the pit at the end of the level could serve to open the door, and you'd have to go back to the beginning of the level to get to the secret.

Sodden Mines

The wall by this ladder with the fireballs.

This wall in the moving platform shaft.

Fort Ignis

This wall by the moving fireballs.

This space in between the flamethrowers.

Swamp of Corpses

It would be interesting if we could enter the hut here.

This wall by the small ladder.

This wall by the spike ball.

This wall behind the ladder right before the end of the chapter.

Northern Mire

This ledge at the beginning of the chapter.

This gap in the wall behind the centipede.

This wall behind the spikes.

Forgotten Castle

There could be a secret in this spike pit you're supposed to jump over.

These candles in the isolated part of the level.

This section that you're supposed to fall down, but can access if you move fast enough.

Echoing Shaft

There could be a secret down this chasm, like in The Mines.

This wall ahead of the statue.

The wall behind the spike balls.

This wall beside the ladder, above the end of the chapter.

You can reach these gaps in the walls in the pit right under the end of the chapter. It would be neat if there was a secret here.

Fort Ortus

This wall in the platform shaft.

This spiked pit in the wall.

This wall ahead of the ladder.

Glowing Depths

This platform above the trapdoors.

This wall behind the Witch.

This area can be reached by jumping off the tiny ledge below. There could be a secret here.

This pocket at the end of the huge gap in the wall.

This hole right at the end of the chapter.

Castle Axis

This wall behind the spikes.

This wall behind where the Axe Knight is.

This platform where the mages is.

Crystal Tunnel

This wall behind the saw blade and ladder.

This wall by the laser crystal you can stand on.

Infested Keep

This wall behind the door.

This wall behind the Ghost Knight.

The rubble blocking the entrance of this door could be blown up with the bomb item.

In most chapters, there is a way to reach the bottom of some of the pits you'd usually die in, it would be awesome if there were secrets at the bottom of these pits. Maybe there could be doors to more corrupted levels like in Castle Axis.

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And lastly, in the very first tutorial of the game, one of the scrolls encourages you to attack the "Dummy" ahead and lure it into the spike trap in front of them.

However, if you jump over the Dummy and attack it from the other side, he'll walk in the other direction and won't die as long as you stop attacking him.

Because of the hidden wall beside the ladder, you can get the Dummy to walk all the way to the very end of the tutorial level.

When you play the tutorial at the beginning of the game, the end of the level takes you to the first world, but when you play the tutorial in the Ignited Capital, the level leads you into the arena where you fight The Lord and beat the game.

It would be absolutely insane if you could unlock a secret boss fight through this method. You lead the "Dummy" to the end of the tutorial level, then play through the entire game to 100% completions, and