Goblin Sword

 Switch
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17

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  1. BudgetGamingNA
    Mar 7, 2020
    7
    Goblin Sword is a retro-inspired 16-bit action platformer with a simple two button scheme. After an evil wizard invades your hometown with monsters, you head out to slay them all while collecting loot in the process. Goblin Sword is worth the price of entry with plenty of content for completionists despite being repetitive and overall easy.

    I had a fun time with Goblin Sword, but about    Goblin Sword is a retro-inspired 16-bit action platformer with a simple two button scheme. After an evil wizard invades your hometown with monsters, you head out to slay them all while collecting loot in the process. Goblin Sword is worth the price of entry with plenty of content for completionists despite being repetitive and overall easy.

    I had a fun time with Goblin Sword, but about halfway through the 80+ levels I began to feel that the levels were just a grind to get to the much more fun boss battles. Each level is quite easy to speed run through, but you won’t want to as there are two chest and three gems to collect in each level which can grant more heart pieces, income, relics, and souvenirs. In-game currency can then be used to buy swords with different stats and special attacks, armor that is purely cosmetic, and relics that grant stat boosts or abilities. Although I understand the purpose of adding these light RPG mechanics to add life to the game, I found them to detract from the fun as the levels were all quite easy without the added buffs. The platforming in this game is also quite light with challenges only coming into play for those actively searching for every collectible. Combat is old-school with any time you get hit or simply touch an enemy causing the loss of a heart point. During the regular levels there can be some difficulty in later stages where the screen begins to get flooded with multiple monsters, but since most of them die from a single hit it never becomes unmanageable. There is also an energy mechanic that allows you to release a special attack unique to each sword type which is completely overpowered. I found that most levels I would have my energy meter constantly refilled allowing me to wipe multiple monsters at the same time with a single attack. With the mostly easy combat in the regular levels I began to only care about getting through them as quickly as possible to get to the more challenging and varied boss battles. Each boss has a unique design and unique attack patterns that made it fun to figure out how to beat them. Maybe because I never spent the time searching out heart pieces and went through all of Goblin Sword with the beginning three heart points; I found some of the boss battles to be really challenging raising my satisfaction when I would finally beat them after multiple attempts.

    Audio and visuals in Goblin Sword also face the same issue as the gameplay, repetition. There is only one background song per world that contains 15+ stages which only helps to further the view that the levels are a grind. Visually there is good variety of enemies in the levels, but as I progressed further, I realized most were just reskins of monsters in prior worlds to fit their current world. I can understand a low budget title like this one needing to use the same sprites, but I would have preferred fewer levels with more variety in audio, and visual design with much more challenging combat.

    Goblin Sword retails for $5, but I was able to get it on sale for $3. Despite what seems to be a negative review, I think this title is worth the price at full retail or sale. For lovers of retro games and this genre, Goblin Sword has a lot to offer in content and the boss battles alone make it worthwhile for me.    … Expand
  2. blackphoenix60
    Feb 29, 2020
    7
    It's not bad for what it's trying to be. The music is very repetitive and can be annoying. The sound effects seem a bit disjointed. The core gameplay is pretty fun though. Definitely worth the 3$ to check it out.
  3. Sobriquet
    May 18, 2020
    7
    A classic platforming game that is very reminiscent of a simpler time in gaming. For anyone who fondly remembers the platformers of the 8 and 16-bit days, Goblin Sword is an easy recommendation.
  4. JAG7
    Oct 6, 2022
    6
    It’s a good retro-platformer. Some aspects could have been done much better :
    Observations: 1. Jumps are not very precise, specially when dealing with a trampoline.
    2. Camera angles: the camera is fixed so you cannot see what is above or below you when you do certain jumps ,becoming fatal when landing on spikes. 3. Weapon variety: weapons are short range so you have to fight close to your    It’s a good retro-platformer. Some aspects could have been done much better :
    Observations: 1. Jumps are not very precise, specially when dealing with a trampoline.
    2. Camera angles: the camera is fixed so you cannot see what is above or below you when you do certain jumps ,becoming fatal when landing on spikes.
    3. Weapon variety: weapons are short range so you have to fight close to your enemies and if you get too close you die. 4. Life/hearts: not many. You have to be very careful.
    5. Crystals/xtras: some are tedious and almost impossible to get. Pros:
    There’s is variety on the levels, the music is adequate. For the price is a good game with lots of hours of fun. Overall I enjoyed it. My observations doesn’t mean it’s a bad game.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Switch Player
    Mar 9, 2020
    50
    Goblin Sword offers an ideal commute experience with its short levels and simplistic gameplay, but that also means anyone looking for a deep or diverse experience will sadly be disappointed. This is an arcade-style action-platformer that just falls a bit short of satisfying.
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  2. TheGamer
    Feb 19, 2020
    60
    Goblin Sword likely won’t blow players away, but it is a fun game that provides plenty of replayability, especially for completionists. The game is available on mobile devices, but it feels like a game that was made for the Switch. Plus, for the price - Goblin Sword is actually on sale for $2.99 on the Nintendo eShop at the time of this writing - you really can’t go wrong with the well-executed platforming adventure.
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  3. Video Chums
    Feb 6, 2020
    60
    Goblin Sword's developers are clearly talented so I look forward to their next game where they'll hopefully iron out a lot of wrinkles.
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