On Steam, equip Half Sword into the scant armor of a warrior fighting his way to the top piece by piece.
As early as 2023, you were able to let off steam in the physics-based sword fighting simulation Half Sword Back then, you fought as a naked bare-knuckle boxer in a dark arena for chandeliers that you wanted to replace as quickly as possible with real weapons. If you died, you had to start from scratch.
A lot has happened since then. The early playtest has given way to a proper demothat offers more modes and equipment, but retains the unique controls.
Flicking around in Half Sword takes practice
The special thing about Half Sword is still the controls. Instead of simply pressing a button to command your fighter to attack, you have to use your mouse to control where your weapon zips. This means you always have to keep an eye on your opponents’ movements and identify gaps in their defenses.
This not only looks hilarious, but is also quite challenging, as you can see in the announcement trailer:
You also have to keep an eye on your own defense. So far, you’ve only been fighting AI opponents in the single-player game, but they’re not exactly predictable either.
In your skirmishes, you will have authentic medieval equipment at your disposal, which was borrowed from 15th-century Europe. So you will be swinging halberds and longswords and protecting yourself from enemy blows with targats and iron helmets.
The new demo also includes advanced game modes, which firmly interweave the “Abyss” from the previous playtest with the gameplay. The new Gauntlet Mode acts as a kind of roguelike mode. You earn points with your fights to unlock ranks and better equipment. Should you die, you will be sent to the Abyss, where you have to fight your way back up.
Should you lose your life here as well, your character from Gauntlet Mode is history. As part of the update, the Abyss has also been expanded. New physics, weapons and armor are available here.
In addition, you can test all ranks independently of each other in Free Mode. Decide whether you want to go all out as an unarmed beggar, an armored knight or an elegant baron. Here you fight on dusty battlefields against similarly equipped opponents and don’t have to worry about your demise. Perfect for learning a few moves.
Have you tried Half Sword yet? What do you think of the simulation? A breath of fresh air with perspective or just a fun gimmick? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
