Insanity's Blade

good ol retro goodness, simple but enjoyable. deff recommend for a quick gaming afternoon.

Insanity’s Blade is an unapologetically retro action platformer that channels the intensity, difficulty, and visual attitude of arcade and console games from the 1980s and 1990s. Developed by Causal Bit Games Inc. and published by Monster Bath Studios Inc., the game was released in December 2014 and builds its identity around fast combat, gruesome pixel-art violence, platforming, exploration, and light RPG mechanics. Rather than presenting retro graphics simply as a visual gimmick, the game attempts to recreate an entire style of older action gaming while expanding the formula with character progression, multiple modes, cooperative play, side quests, and modern configuration options. The adventure centers on Thurstan, a grieving father who journeys into hell to rescue the souls of his wife and child. His loss provides the foundation for a larger mythology surrounding a sword possessed by the overwhelming grief and hatred of a father. Insanity’s Blade serves as the beginning of this mythology and tells the story behind the weapon’s creation. The concept was adapted from the Insanity’s Blade graphic novel written by Chris Obritsch, giving the game a more defined narrative foundation…

This is a beat 'em up with half-baked platforming elements. There is no jump-attack (insane).

Fun platformer! Controls are a bit stiffer than they should be, and it would be nice to aim at least upwards, but it still plays well and is for the most part a fair challenge. Only serious complaint I'd make is that you can't play as Finn or the priestess in single player, only in co-op.

I recommend because I enjoyed the challenge and had fun playing it. However, this game is not perfect and it is not for everyone. The game starts rough. The initial levels are difficult, and it takes a while until you can get better weapons that greatly increase your offense. Afterwards, the game gets easier. The graphics are busy, a lot of stuff happening on the screen. The first level is the worst, with red enemies on top of the red background: it's really hard to see what hit you. The other levels have better contrast. The game feels like a 16-bit game. The palette reminds me of Sega Mega Drive, but the game has more effects than what was possible in that console. Still, it plays like a game from that era. It also means this game has an amount of "jank". The gameplay isn't super smooth, but overall it's enjoyable enough. In summary, it's not perfect, it's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it enough that I can recommend it. It's a weak recommendation, though.

Basically, it's an arcade game. It even has an "arcade mode." Yes, some more complex RPG type elements have been added. But if you have played "Black Tiger" or Rastan you sort of get the idea. The story... something to do with a knight and a less than awesome new king and a village and a wife and a demon. Alas, these devs have NOT learned that not everyone can read at THEIR speed so, as my vision is starting to fail and it is hard for me to read scrolling text already, I have little idea what the plot is. I started skipping it fairly early on. All things considered, it does not really seem to make any difference. If allowed I would give this a neutral review. Wait for a sale. I do not think I would have put 24 quarters into this back in "the day." So, you will have to take my failure to recommend this as more of a "meh." It has some good points. But there are to many fails for a recommend from someone as critical as I tend to be. Sorry devs.