Before jumping into the juicy details, allow me a minute or two to set everything up. You are Larx, the lost son of King Erik, heir to the massive pile of rubble that was once Excalabria. The evil forces under Tsarkon are sweeping the realm in search of eight magical rings. With the few coins your foster father left behind in your pocket, you're about to embark on hundreds of hours of adventure gameplay. Let me just say right now that I'm glad this adventure takes 12 to 15 hours at most to complete. The traditional town > overworld > dungeon structure is already stretched to the barest thread. There's hardly enough enemy variety and combat depth to last the entire game. If I could summarize the story in as few words as possible, half of them would be synonyms of deceive. Yeah, imagine being a main character who gets tricked as much as Larx. From fraudulent kings to duplicitous little girls, everyone is out to cheat the hero out of his rings. He's just that gullible. I'd pity him if I didn't already hate him.
Sword of Vermilion is also impossible to discuss without mentioning its faults. The second the hero is placed under your care; you'll be treated to the dated UI. Having to bring up ye olde Dragon Warrior menu just to talk to someone is harsh. Set the message speed to fast and preserve that sanity, because you'll need every last ounce of it once you arrive at the overworld. The encounter rate is legendarily bad. Expect to be accosted every few steps, whenever you turn, or even get hit with what I like to call "the double-tap". That's two battles in a row! No moving or menuing allowing. That's just obscene. There is a spell that temporarily eliminates encounters, but it only works in the overworld, and you can't acquire it until late in the game. Also, as much as the story loves pranking its protagonist, an inventory with a mere eight slots has to be the biggest joke of them all. Almost half of it gets taken up with quest-necessary items.
At this point, the game would need some truly killer combat to get players to put up with its myriad issues. I mean, I was crowing about how good it is a minute or two ago, so it's got to be something special, right? Well... It's complicated. Upon playing the game for the first time eons ago, my initial thought when swinging the sword was "Wait. That's it!?" Back then, my frames of reference were The Legend of Zelda, Crystalis, and Hydlide. Seeing the hero of a shiny 16-bit game swing a sword so shamefully put me into a state of shock. For the first time, I understood what the developers behind Hydlide were trying to do. Yeah, having an attack with zero reach stinks, but at least I could easily comprehend what was expected from me. In Vermilion's realm, it took a lot of button-mashing and failure before I discovered that this method of combat has some real merit to it.
To better explain the effectiveness of this game's sword, I provided an image. This is what I'll refer to as an approximation of the sword's hitbox. Both giant eyeballs died the millisecond after this screenshot was taken. What happens is that every time Larx swings his sword, it produces a wall of pain, shielding him from evildoers for a handful of frames. Such a move would mean nothing if monsters didn't react to it. Thankfully, they'll rear back, retreat, and try again a second later. Without knowing the intricacies of combat, an ambush by eight fiends would be a death sentence, or at least a ton of frustration. This leads into what makes fighting in this game so rewarding. There is immense satisfaction in slashing out of the enemy's initial charge, ruining their ambush, and decimating them until nothing remains.
Yes, I know it never looks like much is going on, but the same could be said about the classic Ys games. The thrill is in the approach, not the spectacle. Note in the previous screenshot that Larx is standing in-between both enemies, yet he can slay them both in one strike. It's all part of the combat's understated brilliance. Each type of monster has their own style of movement and responds differently when struck by the sword. These eyeballs only attack when the hero is nearby, so it's easy to manipulate them into colliding with one another, taking out two eyes in one strike. The cyclops is normally a force to be reckoned with, but its ranks are easily broken if you can get them to retreat into each other. Once they're all bunched together, it's like a wealth of beef to hack apart. If you can't afford to commit to an attack, likely because you're under assault from a different direction, then a quick swipe is still enough to drive a fiend away for at least a second.
To keep you from getting too content, the game introduces wizards, toadstools, and other creatures that are capable of projectile attacks. Defeating them without taking damage yourself is quite a bit more complicated. Wizards are particularly aggressive in how they move and will fire a bolt the second you're in sight. Keep in mind that the instant you slay them, their bolt immediately dissipates. This is good, because you're not trading hits when facing a spellcaster head-on. Otherwise, the strategy often involves waiting and looking for openings. No doubt this is why a foe capable of spreading the most firepower only attacks in pairs or by their lonesome. No matter the situation, escaping is the easy part. There are exits on both sides, so if you're struggling or not in the mood to fight, you can just walk out. Provided you get at least a single kill, incomplete battles still award experience and cash.
Sword of Vermilion maintains a respectable challenge by introducing monsters that are faster and tougher than those you've encountered previously. I'm afraid there are a lot of recolors, which in fairness, isn't the worst thing in the world. You'll still have to adjust your tactics and react more quickly. Speedier creatures are more apt to create chaotic situations, and it doesn't take too much to get shoved into oblivion. The hero doesn't have i-frames, which gets tricky when dealing with the upcoming archmonsters. If you're ever feeling that a sword isn't enough, then take advantage of the magic spells available to you. Copperos, for example, fires a bolt that explodes into flames, destroying anything clustered together. My pick is Aerios, which functions a bit like Wind Blade from the 3D Ninja Gaiden games. It's an easy (and cheap) means of shredding the opposition before they get a chance to do anything. I'd call it unfair, if I hadn't already slaughtered thousands with sword alone due to the bonkers encounter rate.
The Archmonsters are the big bads that were often shown in this game's advertisements. They certainly look impressive, and the sideview perspective is very cool. The fights themselves often come down to patience and grit. Your first fight is against a dragon, which attacks by lunging at you if you're too close when its head has moved to either its highest or lowest point. A clunky introduction - likely made clunkier by my explanation - but you'll get used to it. Mainly, you have to look for an opportunity, and you don't have much to work with besides moving backwards, forwards, ducking, and swinging. Including the final boss, there are six Archmonsters in all, so expect a few refights.
Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of this game's idea for boss-fights. A well-timed swing is required to swat away the two-headed fiend's projectiles, yet every single one that connects does immense damage. This leads to classically frustrating scenarios where I have to trudge through a dungeon again just for another shot at a boss that'll kill me in seconds. Near the town of Swaffham, there are three flying demons that must be dealt with. If there's a strategy besides allowing them to corner me and hope that my HP will outlast theirs, then I'd probably like to hear about it. I say probably because I don't expect to replay this game anytime soon. Sword of Vermilion has found its way into my rotation several times over a staggering 35-year period. If there's one person deserving a break from this game, it's me.
Also, I'll gladly confess that I broke the final dungeon. Sword of Vermilion's most notable glitch involves the few pieces of cursed equipment found throughout its world. By repeatedly equipping and uncursing the Death Sword or Old Nick armor, players can drop their strength and armor-class until it falls below zero and loops around into absurdity. This glitch tries to "fix" itself when there's a level-up or change of equipment, but if your AC is 1500 or more, not even the final boss can do much besides scratch you for a single point of damage. I've found joy in this game's combat, but grinding to level 31 and/or repeating the comically long trek to face the final boss is not something I'd willingly endure.
Did I mention just how much walking there is in this game? It's clear Sega knew the encounter rate was terrible and took further measures to pile on the misery. The walk from the final town to the final dungeon is particularly outrageous. It's like climbing two mountains while a fight breaks out every few steps. Yes, I can use the encounter-eliminating spell here, except I've exhausted a huge chunk of my MP by the time I reach the actual dungeon. Agate jewels replenish MP, but I can't carry more than a couple because of all the damn keys. I'm not saying all this to justify my cheating in the finale, but would you blame me if I did? Maybe this insane finale was actually test of my honor and courage.
Shit. I guess I am evil.
With the review about to reach its end, I fear that I haven't talked about the combat enough. It's the main reason why I've put up with Sword of Vermilion for all these decades. There is an understated ruggedness to clashing with adversaries. Arenas are small and often crowded with danger, but the hero is given just enough agency to fight their way out. Turning an ambush into a slaughter without flinging a spell is exactly the sort of compelling entertainment I'd expect from an arcade giant like Sega. Still, this game's everything else is precisely why I have so much trouble recommending it. Even its most enduring quality can wear thin after hours upon hours of fighting.
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