Swords and Sandals Classic Collection

Released in April of 2019, Sword and Sandals Classic Collection unites every the most popular Sword and Sandals titles of the franchise and bundles them up into a package. These originally Flash-built games, developed by WhiskeyBarrel Studios, and published by eGames.com, are the definition of nostalgia and deliver a turn-based experience from the early days of internet gaming.

Revisiting The Past

Sword and Sandals Classic Collection is an action RPG that revolves around turn-based combat and strategy to defeat enemies and progress through history. Here are included Sword and Sandals I: Gladiator, Sword and Sandals II: Emperor’s Reign, Sword and Sandals III: Gladiae Ultratus, Sword and Sandals IV: Tavern Quests, Sword and Sandals Crusader and the bonus titles Sword and Sandals Mini Fighters, and Gross Out: Battle for Sludge Valley.

Fans of the aforementioned game will be glad to know that nothing has changed, and everything that made the game fun and enticing in earlier days still remains here. This means it might not play and feels as impressive and compelling as it did years ago.

The stories and games are wildly different, but most revolve around a gladiator and his quest to surmount some sort of evil threat, win a tournament with fierce competition, or become the best gladiator ever. Each of them has its unique feeling, even if the gameplay is fairly similar, and much like before, there are some good games, bad games, and mediocre games in this collection.

A Coliseum of Fun and RNG

Swords and Sandals Classic Collection, and as a franchise was amazing for what it set out to deliver: quick, light, and unaltered fun. The game difficulty is highly dependent on how much you are familiar with strategy games, or the franchise. However, progression and exploration might be challenging for some players that either haven’t played these games before or aren’t familiar with this style of gaming. On top of that, there’s a lot of RNG involved in these games, and the odds don’t seem very favorable towards players.

Gameplay-wise, there isn’t really a lot to be said, Swords and Sandals is a turn-based RPG that rewards you experience and resources to progress your character, weapons, armor, and magic. The 2D graphics made using Flash look extremely outdated and the entirety of the game looks very simple and unpolished, something that was made using Microsoft Paint. And the fact that the collection doesn’t revamp, remaster or change the games in regards to visuals might detract younger gamers from enjoying the series. Finally, Swords and Sandals Classic Collection has its fair share of glitches and bugs, while the original games weren’t flawless by any means, the problems seem to be more common here.

Conclusion

This one is for the fans. The original games left a mark on various gamers of a different era of gaming, and for this, they hold a special place in the hearts of many.

PROS

• Nostalgia Factor
• Good Games
• Interesting Stories
• Fun Combat
• RPG Elements are Well Done

CONS

• Very Dated Graphics
• There Are Better Options Nowadays
• RNG Can Be Unfair At Times