is an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

TOSE () (also called Tose Software) is a Japanese video game development company based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch ports and remakes#Game & Watch Gallery series, ''Game & Watch Gallery'' series, various ''Drago ...

and published by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

in 1989 for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

Plot

The game starts out with an evil

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

ruling over the world and its inhabitants, who live in fear of it. However, a man named Victar, who comes from a small village, has a

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

that can destroy the demon. The blade had previously been split up into pieces, though, and Victar must travel through three worlds to get back the three broken pieces in order to restore the sword to defeat the demon.

Gameplay

The game contains three worlds, with two stages in each of them plus a final stage making 7 stages total. In order to regain the pieces of the shattered sword and advance in the game, the player must defeat a boss at the end of every stage. As more pieces of the sword are recovered, the sword itself grows in length and power. The player will also encounter enemies on the way to the boss, which must be defeated with a variety of weapons and

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

spells, such as the character's Demon Sword (which he begins the game with), arrow

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...

, and power beams. The player can also jump over enemies and change direction in midair, as well as land in and run on top of trees. However, the player must be careful when jumping, as there are various

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

s, such as holes, that the player can land in. Gameplay physics and action are overall similar to a previous Taito game, ''

The Legend of Kage is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash game developed and released by Taito as an arcade video game in 1985. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX, Sharp X1, and ZX Spectrum, Plot The player takes the ...

'' (1985).

Regional differences

*There are six more stages and several bosses in the Japanese version that are unavailable in the North American version. *The player in the North American version has a vitality gauge for each life remaining, while the player in the Japanese has only life count. *There are more items and magic spells available in the Japanese version. *The ending in the Japanese version has extra scenes and text cut from the North American version. *The cover used for the English release of Demon Sword features a muscular bare-chested bronzed man, whereas the sprite in the game appears to be a paler lithe man wearing a red kimono, the Japanese release features a character more similar to the in-game sprite.

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/demon-sword, name=''Demon Sword'' 1989 video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Platform games Taito games Tose (company) games Video games about demons Wuxia video games Buddhist video games Video games developed in Japan