Swords & Bones (Xbox One) Review with stream
Bite sized levels create approachable gameplay
Xbox version has Achievements and looks just tad better than the Switch release
Something about the simple and uncomplicated gameplay that feels right
Some silly and annoying glitches throughout but hopefully will be patched in the future
Sometimes replaying stages just to go back and collect that gold item feels artificial
Released earlier this year on Switch, Swords & Bones is a retro pixel platformer now available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles.
Check out my review of Swords & Bones on Switch here.
The Xbox version plays very similarly to the original Switch game with the biggest addition being the inclusion of Achievements. Unfortunately, the original Switch release was riddled with bugs and this Xbox version is no different. In fact, this Xbox version seems to have sprouted some new ones, like the crows that won’t stop cawing even after you kill them – check out the later portion of my stream embedded in this article to see (and hear) this annoying glitch for yourself.
Outside of these oddities though, Swords & Bones is still an enjoyable, simple action platformer. Enemy types repeat often but the tightly designed stages provide the player with a constant sense of satisfaction. Since it only takes about a minute or less to complete most stages, the pacing feels great. Each world is also capped with a boss battle, currency is collected and spent to unlock new abilities like a double jump or the capability to destroy certain blocks, and the game includes backtracking.
Each stage contains a gold chalice but sometimes the player will not be able to collect it until a power has been unlocked. So if you want to see everything this game has to offer, including the additional ending, you’ll need to replay some stages once new abilities are unlocked. Thankfully though, the map screen clearly displays the stages in which you did not 100% everything.
It is a bummer that this latest port didn’t take the time to squish some of those annoying bugs but that doesn’t mean a patch can’t be included at some point. Either way, I really appreciate the simple and straightforward approach of this retro pixel platformer and still recommend it even if it isn’t perfect on a technical or gameplay level.
Not As Good As: Tiny Barbarian DX
Also Try: Wife Quest
Not To Be Confused With: Horned Knight
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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