Strength of the Sword 3 is a recently-released PlayStation 3 exclusive sword fighting game from the two-man studio Ivent Games. If you are anything like me, you might be curious as to how you missed the release of Strength of the Sword 1 and Strength of the Sword 2. The reason you haven’t heard of the first two games is quite simple; they do not exist. The creators have jokingly said that they do not believe in creating sequels to their games, so they have jumped to the conclusion of the trilogy right away. The humor of the developer is apparent throughout this very challenging game. Keep reading to see what I thought about the marriage of challenge and humor in my complete review.

Strength of the Sword 3 has a very simple premise: The player takes control of a mechanical knight tasked with defeating monsters threatening the unnamed kingdom. This simple story is delivered through a few brief, but beautiful animations between levels. Each enemy in the game is unique and there is always a joke/pun displayed on-screen upon their introduction. While the story and humor is a nice addition, it is the gameplay where this game truly shines.

Except for one notable exception, each of the game’s 11 levels tasks the player with defeating either 3 waves of varying enemies or one boss. Initially, the combat system is relatively simple as the player is only armed with a simple sword and shield. As the game progresses, you will unlock limited use special items (grenades, health restores, etc.) to assist you in each fight. After the demise of each boss, you will also unlock new swords and shields (each with its own attributes) that you can switch to before each new level. Overall, success in combat relies on the player to manage four different ‘resources’: Health (depleted by taking hits, only replenishes with a special item), Stamina (depleted by dashing/dodging, replenishes with time), Mana (depleted when using special moves, replenishes with items/successfully connecting with consecutive attacks), and Ammunition/Shield Durability (depleted through using special items/taking hits while blocking with Shield). Upon the completion of each level, you will be given a score in Offense, Defense, and Speed with the goal of receiving enough points to receive a star in each.

Even with a basic understanding of all the information above, the difficulty can be brutal. Enemies will work together and even change tactics based upon the actions of the player. I died well over 40 times (the game proudly tells you your total deaths once you defeat the final boss) and I was constantly forced to change my strategy to overcome each new challenge. Even though I grew frustrated at times, I never felt that the game was unfair. Much like games from earlier generations, the difficulty actually forced me learn and use all of the game’s mechanics to be successful. I truly felt that every death was my own fault and I strove to improve my skills instead of feeling that the game was poorly designed.

I have few complaints with Strength of the Sword 3. While the controls work well for the most part, I did not like that the right analog stick was used to select the different special items. As someone who plays a lot of action games, I regularly tried to use the right stick to move the camera (which is fixed) out of sheer habit. Unfortunately, there is no way to reassign buttons so I had to quickly readjust my mental control scheme. Obviously this is a small complaint, but I think it is worth mentioning. My biggest complaint with the game is simply: there is not enough. The game only has 11 levels (which can be replayed to unlock all of the swords/shields and aim for higher scores) and it is possible to complete all of them in one sitting. There is the “Challenge Pit”  which put the player into an arena and tasks them to survive as many enemy waves as possible, but that is the full extent of the game. I truly hope that the developer releases more levels/bosses/items as DLC. 

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Strength of the Sword 3. Even though the game is relatively short, it is worth the purchase! It is a very challenging and rewarding game that I highly recommend. It is currently available on the PlayStation Network (PlayStation 3) for $4.99.

Note from Sohrab Osati
Editor-in-Cheif

One thing that I believe is worth taking away from our Strength of the Sword 3 review is what small, indie developers like Ivent Games can bring to the table. Equally important to this equation is that PlayStation has decided to embrace these fantastic visions across all of their platforms which include the PS3, PS4, and PS Vita. Gamers often complain about big budget games and the annual release cycle of certain franchises. Games like Strength of the Sword 3 prove to be anything but that and I think we owe it these small indie developers, if not ourselves to play these smaller, more unique games. We vote with our purchases and I believe if you’re looking for a challenging, yet simple in concept game, that Strength of the Sword 3 deserves your vote.

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Will you be purchasing Strength of the Sword 3?