Switchblade

Copyright : Gremlin Graphics | Reviewed by : Malc Jennings

Hiro, last of the Bladeknights, has just seen the slaughter of his own people and now must reassemble the 16 fragments of the shattered fireblade. Only then can he take on Havoc and avenge the death of his people.

Graphics

Graphically Hiro was a well drawn sprite and I believe the game benefited from its reduced palette of colours. Granted to outsiders looking in it seems like a spectrum port but the numerous little touches like the lights that switched on when Hiro walked which was a nice touch.

Sound

Sonically it features a good introduction and main theme tune which while a good listen can thankfully be replaced with sound effects (chosen at the games start).

Gameplay

Playing Hiro the last of the Blade knights your task was to rebuild the legendary fireblade, destroy evil and bring the dawn (morning) . Long before the days of pre-rendered overblown CGI intros here was a game that offered a stylised intro which explained the games premise well.
Just as today, what good is a nice intro? If the game itself doesn?t offer something that makes you want to play it? While the memory often makes games we have played in our youth seem better than what reality suggests in Switchblade there is still something about the game that I really enjoy. Granted things have moved on and the basic gameplay is just that, basic. But the notion of complexity meaning a better gaming experience is often a confused and an unwanted thing. Games can just be fun.
Switchblade is a flip screen 2D platform/action game with strong fighting elements be that by the 3 moves that Hiro initially possess or the various armourments Hiro can equip onto his arm. The 3 fighting moves consisted of a weak punch, a high kick and a powerful low sweep kick. The problem of only one fire button was solved by the use of a powerbar. Tap for punch and hold longer for the subsequent moves. This powerbar could be reinforced by power ups enabling the more powerful moves to be performed faster.
The basic explore, kill enemy, find Switchblade part while it sometimes verged on the monotonous was well paced with new enemies appearing or new areas to explore keeping the game fresh. The game remained more fun rather than a chore.
The game wasn?t without problems. The collision detection with enemies is much more suspect than what I remembered. Hiro if caught by an enemy could sometimes be dragged along causing repeated health loss. Some of the pixel perfect positioning required for jumping was not helped by Hiro?s lack of jumping ability.
For all of its small faults I stand by my original thoughts of the game, that its a CPC experience that I was happy to have. Recommended.