Developer: Innerprise Software Publisher: Electronic Arts Release: 1990 Genre: Action
Bad game reviews are some of the fastest to write. When a game is awful there is a lot to say and the words flow judiciously. The problem is you have to play these awful games to write about them first. There are the games that mean well but fail in the execution and you feel bad. Then there are the cheap licensed cash grabs that deserve every bit of vitriol. And then there is Sword of Sodan. You rarely see a game that fails on every single fundamental level like this and it is shocking it was released in this state. I thank god I only rented this one; if I had wasted $50 or $60 it would have made me hate video games, it is that bad.
Sword of Sodan is a port of the Amiga game of the same name. Electronic Arts flooded the Genesis with numerous PC ports early in its life of varying quality and this is easily the worst. On the Amiga Sword of Sodan caused quite a stir with its massive screen filling sprites and intricate fantasy artwork. As the Amiga had little presence in the US we had to make do with the Sega Genesis port. Sadly a host of changes ruin an already questionable title and make the game a complete mess.
At first glance the game looks promising. Sword of Sodan has the look of a side scrolling beat em up but is a pure action game like Rastan. Once you begin to move the problems are immediately noticeable. The game is sluggish and never feels right. You have a few different sword slashes at your disposal outside of the stab most feel useless. The first major change is that enemies now attack from both sides and it is disastrous. Your character already moves like a snail and turning around is a laborious process. This one change ruins the game completely as it was never designed for this. Regardless of which attack you employ you will almost always trade damage. The awful, awful hit detection does not help either. There is less enemy variety so once you learn which attack each is vulnerable to it helps but not much.
The one positive I will give the game is the potion system. The potion system now allows you to combine them for different effects. But you need a guide to make the most of it. It does not help the game in the slightest.
On the Amiga Sword of Sodan was a short game. Even though there are eleven levels they are brief and are more like one or two screen vignettes. The Genesis version reduces this to eight. However each level is longer in the worst way. Rather than coming up with interesting mechanics to deal with the designers increased the number of enemies per stage significantly to the point of madness. If they do not up the enemy count they make them more resilient. The zombies in the graveyard not only take more hits but also explode into hard to avoid fireballs. The Castle Foyer doubles down on the trap floors but also throws in a gang of the toughest enemies to boot. Normally this would be a decent challenge but here it is frustrating. I tapped out and used a cheat code to progress and my god it actually gets worse.
Stage 6 begins with a relentless onslaught of winged demons that lasts so long I thought the game was broken. This is the peak of the game’s lethargic combat and enough to make you quit. If you tolerate the platforming section at the end you will finally come face to face with the final bosses. Without shield potions it is impossible. Zoras, the final boss has an ungodly amount of health and is only vulnerable for a brief period, drawing this fight out beyond reason. If you somehow defeat him you fight his human form. This form attacks so aggressively chances are you will die in seconds. If you were lucky enough to stockpile shield potions it is doable. But it is so terrible I fucking refuse to believe anyone play tested the game to completion. You also have to do this with one life and limited continues. Yeah, no.
In Closing
Sword of Sodan is easily one of the worst games in the Genesis library. I will take it a step further: this is one of the worst games of all time. This is one for the history books. There are few games as bad as this one. Sword of Sodan fails on every level and it is an insult that it was sold in stores. Stay far away, do not play it out of curiosity, do not watch videos, forget it exists. This review is a warning to future generations.
