Sword of Sodan

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Medieval times have always been harsh and dark and Sword Of Sodan confirms this theory pretty well! The game's story takes place in a fantasy world ruled by King Lordan. until peace and prosperity are threatened by an evil magician called Zoras. This "madman" wants to eliminate Lordan and take his throne, setting the whole world into darkness. Since his first attempt - which was stopped by a great warrior named Sodan- Zoras gained great power. Being stronger, he manages to create a barbaric and mean army of warriors and sends them to destroy the king's castle and kill Lordan himself. Lordan tries to save his most precious treasure -and we are not talking about jewels or coins but his own twin kids, his son Brodan and his daughter Shardan. The king is anxious to find his kids a shelter somewhere in the Cthol mountains, far away from the mainland and save them from the massacre. By the time Zoras and his army attack the castle and finally kill the king, Brodan and Shardan are already safe enough to grow up and learn how to survive and fight by a good old man they met in the mountains. This man is their tutor, a second father that shows them the way to learn the art of war, sharing his own great knowledge and experience. After a few years, the time has come for revenge. Lordan's kids are ready to avenge their father's death and put an end to Zoras' plans once and for all. The old man, after assuring that Brodan and Shardan are ready, reveals the big secret of the Sword of Sodan and now our two fighters can wave their weapons and terminate the hordes of evil. Besides, the way to Caggamoor castle is tough and swarmed by hostile soldiers, traps and other evil things. Can they make it? Only time will tell! Sword of Sodan is a left-to-right hack 'n slash action game, but it seems that its graphics overwhelm its actual gameplay. It is true that some "juicy", big and colorful visuals cannot make a fun game! The gameplay is far from being interesting as it's flat, the controls are jerky and the difficulty is frustratingly high! Gameplay flaws aside, Sword Of Sodan still remains as one of the most visually impressive games of its time! And that's it!

GRAPHICS / SOUND
Sword of Sodan is considered a game that shows what a 16bit computer could technically do back then. The Apple IIGS version shares the same visual details with the Amiga, though it uses less colors on screen (up to 32 for the IIGS while the Amiga can reach up to 64 colors). What differs this game from the rest 80s and 90s hack 'n slash games is its enormous sprites. Yes! The sprites are among the biggest we've ever seen on a game of this genre. Sword Of Sodan is a very colorful game with cool sprites and backgrounds. As for its sound, the Apple IIGS version includes all the original sampled sound FX (but no in-game music this time) which are well placed and add to the atmosphere.