Swords & Bones 3 – Review
Over the last few years, we have seen the new IP from SEEP grow up to be quite an interesting series. What all started with the first Swords & Bones in 2021 evolved into Swords & Bones 2 in 2022 and this year around the same time we had the chance to try out Sword & Bones 3. The story might have stayed the same, but the quality improves with every release.
Story
Every 500 years the Demon World finds it necessary to invade the Human world and wreak havoc on its inhabitants. First came the Wolf Demon and then the Scythe Demon, and this time the world is invaded by the Demon Undertaker who is a powerful necromancer. The story takes place in the prosperous Kingdom of Balgaesia which has now been turned into a graveyard where the Demon Undertaker is preparing his zombie army to exterminate all humans. All hope seems lost until the design of fate has chosen a new hero to rise. This hero happens to be a young imprisoned rogue named Timald who has survived the onslaught, and he must now fight for his freedom and his life against the Demon World and its minions.
Just like in the previous titles the story comes in bite-sized chunks. The small boss interactions might be nice at first but they get somewhat boring if you have to fight a boss multiple times.
Graphics
Swords & Bones has always been a series that utilizes the most out of 16-bit graphics, giving the series a great retro-inspired lick of paint. It’s clear that the developer went even further with his animations this time and made the combat and platforming look even smoother than before. The new locations look even more fleshed out and the various enemies are a pleasure to encounter and defeat. It is great that the series keeps its familiar designs from the previous installments and doesn’t stray away from its roots.
Sound
The soundtrack is as simple and catchy as you’d expect from a 16-bit title and it feels like a proper blast from the past. Just like the music, the sound effects play an equal part in making the experience work with simple yet effective sound effects used for combat, jumping, picking up items, etc.
Gameplay
Swords & Bones 3 is an action-adventure game that will challenge your skills like there is no tomorrow. Controlling your character is super easy, as you only need your movement buttons and two action buttons. This makes the game perfect for anyone to pick up, but don’t be fooled, as the game is very hard to master.
Finding as much loot as possible is good for your own sake, as in between levels you have the option to go to the shop and purchase upgrades. Initially, the game doesn’t feel that hard, but the difficulty ramps up quickly and it wasn’t until purchasing various upgrades that it felt manageable to defeat the first boss. This increase in difficulty shows that you’ll need to learn the old ways of reading enemies their patterns and practice your skills before thinking of flying through the different levels.
The game has plenty of content to go on with, as there are five chapters each with ten levels. There is also a boss fight at the end of each chapter. As mentioned before, you can exit the levels and go shopping in between. This makes the game ideal to be played in short bursts, as you can pretty much stop whenever you want. Luckily, the game is also very nice to be played for longer periods of time.
Conclusion
Swords & Bones 3 is a great entry in the Sword & Bones series with a few improvements here and there. Even though the retro-inspired soundtrack already took us on a nice trip down memory lane, we were rather impressed by the improved animations for this third installment. The game is ideal for those looking to play a level or two at a time but also for those who truly want to beat the game in a few sittings. With the game having 50 levels, you’ll have your work cut out for you. If you have played the previous entries in the series, then it’s a no-brainer to pick this one up. Even if you’re a newcomer to the series, but you enjoy retro-inspired titles such as this one, we can also easily recommend this one.
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