Besides sadistically chopping them up into tidbits after their demise, I would lop off their fighting hand, sheath my sword and pickup their hand while it still held the weapon and use it against them. Or I'd lop off a piece of their body, pick it up and fling it at them w/great insult!

To conquer the controls difficulty, I used a Gravis Joystick, the joystick itself was the fighting arm w/8+ directional movements for the swinging action and extra keys for my movements, strafing & turning. It was sweetness after that.

His enjoyable one liners that show a good sense of humor in this uncommon hack'n'slash game. Unfortunately, this game had a lot of potential with it's true freedom & control along with the ability to make your own custom moves and record them on a button. Mine was a kneeling Slice that always seemed to lop them off at the knees at the touch of my thumb trigger.

Times may have changed, graphics and hardware may have improved but this game is still one very under rated winner that never made it due to a it's overwhelming AI and the sheer freedom & complexitiy in it's control. Most people want to kill at the mash of a button, this game makes you work for every victory hard!

I still enjoy his rants at the games ending...truly inspiring!


Confusing as hell.   April 21, 2000
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Confusing manual. Nice storyboard. Not much of a scene to play in. Maybe it's because I'm disabled and have poor motorics in general but I found that this game was difficult and limited to control. I don't know: I think it is a prototype.


Lame plot, incredible technical genius   April 19, 2000
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This game won't win any prizes for original plot or dialogue, but its virtual swordfighting control is unparalleled. The VSIM engine is incredibly detailed in its tally of the effects of a sword blow; a small standing cut will usually have little effect, while a massive leaping, spinning slash can behead your opponent right off the bat. I also liked the way all injuries inflicted show up on the character and how it's possible to lop off limbs left and right (few things are more hilarious than an Orc with his axe arm gone at the shoulder vainly trying to bump you into the lava :). There were a few flaws, however. The VSIM controls are extremely bulky, and it's extremely difficult to effectively execute any type of attack more complex than a high, medium, or low horizontal slash. Also, I found the lack of weapon choice in the basic game very irritating. Other than that, the game is excellent, and I highly recommend it.


Technical Aspects of Die by the Sword   December 17, 1999
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

One of the many reasons that we love die by the sword are the technical aspects of the game, as collision detection, and unlimited freedom of movement. In all realism, the game is a VIRTUAL REALITY SWORD FIGHTING GAME, where you move the mouse barely to the left, the arm with the sword in it goes, barely to the left. Using the mouse, makes me feel as if I am holding the sword myself. and the climb, flips, strafing, and double hop in any direction, give you unlimited combinations to get your sword-fighter moving to the rythm of the blade. All this, plus the move editor can help pull off tricky homemade moves. In reality, the game's high point isn't the gore or bloody removal of limbs, but the sword fight that last clear to three minutes, when the swords clang and clang to hit their marks to no avail. In alot of ways it's like playing chess, you must outthink your opponent to survive, not just blindly slash about. You must use your manual block, and parries, and learn not to be trapped by your opponent's blade on your skin. To be honest, I play Die by the Sword more than any other game, because its realistic, fun, safe, and I REALLY control my character! The replay value is astonishing with the addon pak Limb from Limb, which gives you a chance to master different weapons, like hammers, and pole axe. The funny thing about Die by the Sword battles, is that they are different every single time! So anyone want to slap steel together?


Highly Recommended...   December 9, 1999
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Die by the Sword is a creative dungeon crawl with great graphics and an original interface. The player's left hand controls the character's movement while the right hand controls his sword arm.

Though players can perform intricate moves with the sword, you'll typically use a simple slashing movement while trying to coordinate it with swinging your body for extra power. Furthermore, you can damage individual parts of your opponent. Hit them in the legs and they move slower. Cut off their sword arm and their defenseless.

There are no weapon changes but, the game play, puzzles, and opportunity to graphicly dismember your opponents makes the game well worth the time and effort to play.