Game Info

Developer: Irem
Publisher: Irem
Year of Release: 1991

Game Review & Impressions

Also know as KenGo, Lightning Swords is a sidescrolling platformer by Irem, which evokes undertones of Ninja Spirit and Shinobi. You assume control of "Blue Dragon", a samuraistyle warrior possessed of superior sword skills and much agility, who embarks on a quest to seek revenge for the death of Princess Orchid, who is seen to be slain by a troupe of nefarious individuals in the game's intro.

Whereas most games of this type generally focus on ranged combat, the sword is your principle form of both offense and defence. Tapping the attack button unleashes an arcing slash with your blade, which hits anything in front of the hero, while holding down the attack button will start charging a more devastating wave attack, which unleashes as wave of energy capable of hitting enemies at range. You'll also enter a guard stance during the charge sequence, which can deflect enemy projectiles and attacks, and much of the game becomes one of timing to block and unleash attacks to overcome the majority of the game's perils.

It's possible to upgrade your weapon's power by collecting swords dropped by more powerful foes, and you'll want to be on the lookout for tokens which refill the timer at the bottom of the screen. The time limit is as aggressive as the actual foes you'll face, so you need to be pushing forward continually. It's also interesting to note that collecting any powerup or item you collect bestows a brief moment of invulnerability, which can be used to great advantage; this is a tactic which can really help in later stages of the game when you're trying to deal with environmental hazards and legions of foes, often simultaneously.

This wasn't a game I'd ever heard of before, but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite some slightly cludgy controls and jumping, this was an interesting take on the sidescroller genre. It looks and sounds great and, given some time and practice, worth persevering with.

Information & Trivia

KenGo (Japanese title)

Chapters

00:00 Attract mode
01:27 Stage 1
03:50 Stage 2
05:52 Stage 3
07:56 Stage 4
10:23 Stage 5
13:55 Ending