Sword of Honour (video game)
Encyclopedia
Sword of Honour is an action-adventure video game
developed by Dynafield Systems in 1992
for Amiga
, Commodore 64
and PC DOS
systems.
sent for a mission to recover the stolen family sword of the fictional Shogun
Yuichiro from a castle of his enemy, the evil Lord Toranaga. The ninja must retrieve the sword and punish Toranaga before Yuichiro will be forced to commit seppuku
.
with the side-scrolling perspective of the 1986 games Ninja (aka Ninja Mission) and Fist II: The Legend Continues, and the icon-based controls of the 1987 game Barbarian
. The player fights enemies (in unarmed combat and using a ninjatō
, kusarigama
, tekagi-shuko, shuriken
s and kunai
s), avoids traps, collects and uses items, and interacts with characters.
(calling it "an excellent combat title, but there is so much more in there that you would be a complete fool to miss it"), to 77% in The One
and 67% in Amiga Format
, to only 23% in Amiga Power
(which said the game "sets a low standard, and still fails to reach it").
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
developed by Dynafield Systems in 1992
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
for Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and PC DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
systems.
Story
The player takes a role of an elite ninjaNinja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
sent for a mission to recover the stolen family sword of the fictional Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Yuichiro from a castle of his enemy, the evil Lord Toranaga. The ninja must retrieve the sword and punish Toranaga before Yuichiro will be forced to commit seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
.
Gameplay
Sword of Honour combines the action-adventure oriented gameplay of the 1987 game The Last NinjaThe Last Ninja
The Last Ninja is an action-adventure game developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. As the first in the Last Ninja series, it set the standard for the unique look and feel for its sequels: Last Ninja 2 , Last Ninja Remix and Last Ninja 3...
with the side-scrolling perspective of the 1986 games Ninja (aka Ninja Mission) and Fist II: The Legend Continues, and the icon-based controls of the 1987 game Barbarian
Barbarian (Psygnosis)
Barbarian is a 1987 computer platform game by Psygnosis. It was first developed for the Atari ST, but eventually ported to other popular platforms of the home computer era...
. The player fights enemies (in unarmed combat and using a ninjatō
Ninjato
The , also known as or , is the most common name for the sword that the ninja are portrayed to have carried by ninja in television and movies. Historically, there is no physical evidence for the existance of this weapon. In reality, the katana was probably the ninja's weapon of choice...
, kusarigama
Kusarigama
The is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...
, tekagi-shuko, shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s and kunai
Kunai
A is a Japanese tool possibly derived from the masonry trowel. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon...
s), avoids traps, collects and uses items, and interacts with characters.
Reception
The game received mixed reviews and scores, from 86% in CU AmigaCommodore User
Commodore User, known to the readers as the abbreviated CU, was one of the oldest British Commodore magazines. A publishing history spanning over 15 years, mixing content with technical and games features...
(calling it "an excellent combat title, but there is so much more in there that you would be a complete fool to miss it"), to 77% in The One
The One (magazine)
The One was a video game magazine in the United Kingdom which covered 16-bit home gaming during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was first published by EMAP in October 1988 and initially covered computer games aimed at the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, and IBM PC markets.Like many similar magazines,...
and 67% in Amiga Format
Amiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
, to only 23% in Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
(which said the game "sets a low standard, and still fails to reach it").