Lord of the Sword is one of those old-school Sega Master System games that feels like a mix of action and light RPG elements—you play as Landau, this wandering warrior trying to claim the throne of Baljinya. It’s a side-scroller, but with a twist: you actually get to explore towns, talk to NPCs, and buy gear before diving into the hack-and-slash combat.

The first thing you’ll notice is how stiff the controls feel at first—Landau swings his sword in these slow, deliberate arcs, so timing matters way more than button mashing. And those towns? They’re weirdly charming, even if the dialogue is barebones. You’ll scrape together gold from enemies to buy better armor or magic, which actually makes a difference when you’re getting swarmed by skeletons or floating eyeballs later on.

It’s not the smoothest game out there, but there’s something satisfying about slowly powering up your guy and pushing further into the tougher areas. Just don’t expect a walk in the park—some of those later levels get brutal.