Who doesn’t love new releases for classic gaming consoles? The Storied Sword by Orc Face Games is a 2D side scrolling action adventure, you would not be wrong in calling this a Metroidvania style release. To some that is a great comparison, for others it is not. There is a bit of Ninja Gaiden/Batman on NES here too with the wall jump, an interesting addition.

<h2>Bright, Colorful, Dark Story</h2>

The story for The Storied Sword has that classic adventure feel to it. An evil sorcerer named Vectre is doing what evil characters do; trying to take a powerful artifact, The Storied Sword, and you must take up arms to stop this.

Controlling either Candlemaster Cedric, a folk hero, or Orchid of Mourning your goal is the same – stop Vectre. Your quest is not going to be easy, would it be fun if it was? You must traverse several sprawling levels full of enemies with swords, slingshots, and even evil doer animals like dogs and crows (think flying heads in Castlevania as far as annoying).

If Vectre gets The Storied Sword, it will be death and decimation across the land. You cannot let this happen.
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<h2>Calling on the Classics</h2>

The Storied Sword pulls inspiration from Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden and Sunsoft’s Batman, both for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Levels are large and sprawling but seem to be linear, almost Metroidvania-lite in nature. They seem more complicated than they are but ultimately, you arrive at the intended goal. 

This is not a bad thing. It is a great introduction to large sprawling level titles.

<h2>How to Release a Retro Title</h2>

Getting a copy of The Storied Sword is quite easy, I must commend the publishers for their dedication to getting this game to gamers.

Head over to [Orc Face’s website]( https://orcface.com/the-storied-sword) and choose your version for the Sega Dreamcast. Prefer physical? No problem, less than $20 (plus shipping) as of this writing and you can have it. 

Can’t wait and want to play now? Grab the digital for Dreamcast, it comes with a PDF of the manual, a CDI image (please see the warnings on the website) for about $11, as of this writing.

Prefer the Nintendo Entertainment System version? Again, they got you covered. Head over to the [gauauu itch.io page]( https://gauauu.itch.io/the-storied-sword) and grab the demo or buy The Storied Sword for $10.99. You get two versions of the ROM, the manual, and the soundtrack.

I just want to thank the team behind The Storied Sword for going the extra mile for gamers. From a demo (used to capture footage in the above video) to the extras and just offering a digital edition at an affordable price.