Strength of the Sword 3 - The War Golem (PSN)

When I first saw the trailer to "Strength of the Sword 3" there's a couple of things that immediately popped up into my mind. One of those thoughts was "Where the heck are the first two games!?", and secondly "Why have I never heard of this game before!?". The game looked really impressive to be from an indie studio (Ivent), and definitely looked worthy of a review. The fact that the game was boasted about as being a truly hardcore experience that only skilled gamers would enjoy definitely caught my attention. I knew that if the hype were true that "Dark Souls", and "Demon's Souls" players would definitely be interested in knowing about it. Even though games with such a hard learning curve usually turn away a majority of gamers, there's actually a select group of truly hardcore gamers who love such a challenge.

Strength of the Sword 3 is a game with a simple plot. Demons have begun pillaging the world, and God has intervened by creating a mechanical war golem which will help rid the world of the threat. It is this golem that you will play as, and use to eliminate small collections of demonic foes in an enclosed 3D arena based area. At your disposal you'll find a variety of swords, and shields with which you can dish out a proper offense, and put up a proper defense. While only one type of sword, and shield are made available initially you will level up, and unlock more items of destruction as you kill off the demon army members. Along with the standard sword, and shield combo comes a variety of unlockable throwing weapons, and restoration items that can be used to your benefit in the more difficult battles.

After the cinematic intro plays out before each encounter you (the war golem) will be placed before a group of impish creatures, and bosses which you will have to kill off using your equipment, and evasive maneuvers. The game starts you off slowly by putting you up against the weaker yet not so weaker goblin scouts, and moves you up the ladder into the more difficult encounters with bosses that require specific tactics to defeat. With each successful kill (which can be done by striking the final blow with a sword, or by delivering a finishing blow via "God of War" style) you will come one step closer in completing the current level. While the effort does seem straightforward, and simple you have to keep a couple of things in mind. Health is a very limited commodity in this game, and can easily be depleted with a few strikes from your enemy. Secondly each creature you face might as well be considered a boss character themselves. The developer was not kidding when he said that this game takes skill. You will have to hone the perfect method of evasion (R2), attack (SQUARE), and defense (CIRCLE) in order to come out of the fray victorious.

On top of the standard evasion, attack, and defense methods you'll find that your war golem can also deliver special magic attacks that will help the process of killing the boss-like creatures a little easier. The magic attacks in the game require a certain amount of mana to activate. In order to build up mana (+1 bar at a time) you have to strategically hold down (UP + CIRCLE) for two seconds. This my friends is no easy task as the creatures you face are relentless with their assault, and will not stop for you to build up your mana meter. You have to dodge the incoming attacks until you have distanced yourself enough, and feel comfortable enough to build up your mana. Later on in the game after you've leveled up a bit you will gain access to a mana refill item that can be accessed like the other throwing/usable items.

Throwing items, and usable items are all assigned to the (Right Thumbstick) directional inputs, and are each upgradable to a certain point. By continuously playing through the 11 stages/levels that make up the game you will come across glowing golden icons after certain kills that will level up your war golem. Things like throwing knives, dragon's breath, and devastating grenades will be made available to you. Along with the leveling system also comes an unlock system that will unlock the latest swords, and shields for your golem. These weapon, and defense upgrades usually come into play after a true boss battle (a battle against a boss with two, or more health bars). Once you've met the requirements you can select to unlock the latest sword, or shield. Keep in mind though that each sword, and shield has certain abilities, and stats (Speed, Weight, Durability, Strength ...). It is these stats, and added abilities that will either help, or hinder your progress according to the combination you choose to apply.

Aside from a normal mode of play you will also have the option to play a special challenge mode later on in your playthrough. This challenge mode which becomes available in the game's main menu after a certain point will put your currently leveled up golem in an enclosed arena filled with waves of enemies. It is a score based mode that will award a skilled player for their playing style as well as their ability to kill off the variety of enemies that are placed before them. As you earn points from kills,  multi-kills, and finishing moves (TRIANGLE) you can use the earned points to buy items from a "START" menu shop. This shop carries single use health, and mana refills as well as time refills to extend your challenge mode playthrough. The challenge mode is a timed event, so making enough points to keep things going is an essential part of making it to the top of the game's leaderboard.

Speaking of leaderboards you'll find that "Strength of the Sword 3" keeps track of all of your scores. In each normal mode stage that you successfully complete you will be given a "Style" grade (Defender, Artist of Destruction ...) based on three deciding factors. The deciding factors weigh heavily on your offensive, defensive, and timed/speed efforts. Each factor has it's own gauge, and will fill up according to how well you utilized each aspect of gameplay. The better you play the more points will be awarded to you. In the "Challenge Pit", or challenge mode that I mentioned earlier scoring goes a little differently in the sense that you are fighting off waves of enemies while gaining a collective score. Should you use your points to purchase store items points will be deducted from your main score leaving you with less than you would have had otherwise. When time finally runs out in the "Challenge Pit" mode your final score will be tallied up, and applied to the game's global leaderboard. The leaderboard takes in account your PSN ID, your current place/standing as well as your highest score.

Now for the verdict ...

Strength of the Sword 3 is an exceptional indie game in many ways, but is also lacking in others. The core gameplay which can initially seem rather overbearing eases up once you get the hang of things. All the combos, finishing moves, and special attacks that you have to learn early on will help you deal with the more difficult bosses, and creatures in the game. While some of the tutorial material is not easy to learn on the spot you can always go back to the previous levels to level up, and unlock items, and equipment that will better suit the current battle/level that you are having difficulty with. In turn learning the new stuff will become an easier task.

The downside to the game involves the sometimes intrusive camera angles that will keep you from seeing what is going on onscreen. Should your golem get backed into a corner background renderings will block your view making it so that you have no idea what's going on. This can cost you a kill, and can cause you to have to restart the stage/level should you get killed in the process. The only real remedy to this situation is to mind your bearings in the arena, and stay away from cornering situations. While this can add to the already overbearing tasks at hand it is a manageable option.

As far as graphics go this game looks pretty darn sweet. I've heard people compare the main character to the "Medieval" Playstation game protagonist, and I can definitely see a resemblance. Not only does the golem look to be inspired by such a character, but the level layouts, and background also looks like it was inspired by the environments of the "Medieval" game. Aside from that the cell-shaded art style, and the creature name intros that appear before each new battle slightly reminded me of the "Borderlands" series. I have no doubt in my mind that Invent took inspiration for these game creations, as the resemblance is uncanny.

With everything considered, including the good and the bad I can honestly say that this is one of the more interesting, and fun indie releases that I've had the privilege to play on the PS3. For the most part it plays like it's suppose to, and definitely has that hardcore edge about it that so many other journalists boasted about. If you like games that require a proper beating instead of a mere finish then you should do yourself a favor, and check this game out. It is currently available on the Playstation Store for the low price of $4.99. Coming from a two man indie studio (Ivent) it's one hell of a deal, and one heck of a creation!!!