In fact, one orc is a challenge and I don’t remember fighting more than three enemies at any one time. On some levels there are only two or three monsters to kill at various points, but remember each battle is more evenly weighted … what I mean is you won’t go mowing through 10 or 20 orcs in five minutes and come out with most of your health left. The game definitely focuses on quality of battles not quantity.

I will say that the levels are very well-designed and fun to play as there are many clever traps and just plain fun stuff you get to do to move on. You fight your way through various levels to eventually save the day.

Sounds like a simple overused storyline … well, it is, but as I said DBTS focuses on the actual fighting. The single-player game revolves around a plot where your girlfriend has been captured and dragged away deep into a treacherous dungeon in the nearby woods. I also liked the fact that if you didn’t want to use the full VISM technology, you could use the gamepad or joystick and play in arcade mode where each button could be mapped to a specific swing or jump or something, but of course you lose that total VISM control. This feature greatly enhances multiplayer battles with your friends as you can regularly employ your new fab moves on their sorry gullets. It is really quite easy to use and you can create limitless body movements and motions unique to your character. You can also employ the move editor to create your own special attacks and parries. Did I mention that the swordplay in this game was detailed? Yes, you can actually employ the VISM technology to take full control of your sword with the mouse and swing however and wherever you want. Die By the Sword (DBTS) puts you in control of a bad to the bone warrior wielding one very long sword with the focus of the game on the actual sword fighting.

Die by the sword game