Good arcade-action that is a bit rough around the edges.

Follow our barbarian hero and his dwarven friend on a revenge saga through plaque-ridden, undead-infested lands slaying thousands of zombies, hideous monsters and terrifiying demons in classic sidescrolling jump & slay gameplay.

If I had to compare Insanity's Blade to older games I would say it feels like a late 80ies / early 90ies arcade action game, in fact the game makes it quite obvious that CAPCOMs "Black Tiger" was a huge inspiration. This means lots of fighting ever spawning enemies, some simplistic platforming and some very shallow puzzles (mostly fetch quests, really).

The Insanity's Blade deviates from it's inspiration by offering an overworld and a level-up system. Both feel kind of tacked on. The overworld rarely gives you any real choice in playing different stages (most of the time only one or two stages are available to you, not counting the "one room quest-textbox"-places.). And the level-up system just holds you back for no apparent reason and makes the first few stages unnecessarily slow - since you barely do any damage to enemies that can take a lot of punishment. This solves itself with extended playtime as you gain in power with each levelup and can easily destroy many a foe in 1-2 strikes.

Those moments, when you are destroying a whole bunch of enemies in a short peroid of time and you see tons of souls crying out in pain as blood splatters all over the screen are really amazing and pack that classic arcade-punch that games nowadays miss. These moments make Insanity's Blade worth it.

However, there are still quite a few glitches and oddities in the game and the general quality of the presentation is a bit of a mixed bag. Some examples include: randomly despawning enemies, despawning items that can still be picked up even when they are not visible anymore and some holes in the levelmaps and collision detection is a bit wonky at times, too. Visuals are either very beautiful (plaqued city or swamps) or kind of meh - same goes for the sprites, some quite good - others not so much. This somewhat wide margin in quality doesn't kill the fun, but it adds to an overall feeling of inconsistency that makes the game seem more amateurish than it needs to be (also: it needs a proper scanlines filter).

Overall it is a fun little game that tells a nice sword & sorcery-story, has a fair selection of difficulty modes so people of all skill-levels can get a challenge out of Insanity's Blade, offers local CO-OP and can provide a strong "feel good about myself"-quality as you murder dozens of nasties and the whole screen explodes in blood and coins. If you need to take a break from Volgarr the Viking and are okay with a game that doesn't offer such perfectly laid out maps and well designed learning curve / skill ceiling you will find something to like about Insanity's Blade. Good stuff!

If you make a game in which it is possible to tear off a monster's arm and then beat him with it until he explodes into red paste, you had better include the ability to kill skeletons with wrestling finishers. Luckily the developers adhered to this rule so the game is good.

It really captures an early 90's arcade feel, and if you are into that sort of thing, this is a splendid specimen.

Bonus points for the Black Tiger reference, right down to the breakable wall's position.

Really Felt like playing an old arcade machine. If you are into games with that old school arcade feel this is the game for you.

Here is a link to some no commentary gameplay if you are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLbX66Ig2IY&feature=youtu.be

This is the most authentic 16bit retro game I have ever played.

Not quite as good as Cave Story or Shovel Knight, but it's a hell of a lot more true to games from that era.

Lots of of 80s old Arcade and Nes action with a little secrets thrown in for good measure. Great, easy to get into but challenging gameplay with a sweet soundtrack. Part Castlevania, Part Blacktiger but not as execution heavy as Volgarr but almost as bloody (and fun)!!! Overall Ienjoy this game very much even despite the rather short stage timer, non-editable controls, and minor glitches. B+ game in my opinion worth the asking price!!!!!! I can't wait to get the other installments!!!!

It's a fun game, I really like that it has different difficulty levels and three save slots, as well as the option for older/NES style music or newer arcade style. It reminds me of the cool arcade machines that I used to play as a kid!

Insanity's Blade is an old school platformer that borrows elements from the best fantasy action platformers - Ghosts N' Goblins, Black Tiger and Rastan - and brings them together for a fantastic experience that fans won't forget. The game plays and feels great, my only complaint being the inability to customize controls (which I was told would be included in a future patch) and some slowdown, which may be my system. Otherwise, I would recommend this to all those who love the platformers of old. This is an underrated gem that needs to receive the attention it deserves.

Old school arcade action