Sword of the Necromancer

Nintendo Life: 4 / 10 by Stuart Gipp

With nothing to offer besides some pleasant storytelling, we cannot recommend Sword of the Necromancer on any meaningful level. It's not horrible, but it's bereft of both meaningful content and any manner of unique execution. A sequel or heavily-modified relaunch could salvage the game into something much stronger, as the core idea of resurrecting fallen monsters is a decent one, but its treatment here renders it irrelevant. What a shame. This could have been something special. It's not a complete and total disaster – occasionally, when the screen is a little busier, you might feel a flicker of engagement as you dash between combatants – but overall, we'll be leaving this one for dead.

Just Push Start: 2.5 / 5 by Grant E. Gaines

For the most part, Sword of the Necromancer is decent fun in a rather flawed package. I can't imagine anyone could have fun playing with decreased levels and losing gear since even without that stuff it isn't particularly amazing. Toss in lazy enemy names, kiddie pool level depth, and a generic story, and Sword of the Necromancer falls short of where you want to be. Especially when there are so many other games that handle rogue-like elements better. Maybe if it goes on a deep sale it might be worth it but at full price, it's a hard sell.

Completexbox: 60 / 100 by Dan Boise

While far from perfect, Sword of the Necromancer is a surprising gem that came out of nowhere. It has its charm and while not a fan of the genre, the Zelda mixed with rogue-like works; short levels make it work, and the fact that you can disable some of the rogue elements gives the game a chance to reach a broader audience beyond those who love the rogue genre. Sure combat isn’t perfect and there’s a bit of repetition, but if you’re looking for a classic Zelda clone on Xbox, albeit a bit shorter, you can’t go wrong here.