Swag and Sorcery

While there are plenty of games that fit squarely into a particular genre, there are always a few that are harder to define. Swag and Sorcery is one of those. The game is one part role-playing game (RPG) and one part city building sim, but neither feels like a complete experience. On the RPG side of things, you're responsible for making sure your party members are all healed up, in a good mood, and kitted out with the best equipment. But when it comes to the actual adventuring? Well, you're not really needed. Combat and resource gathering happens automatically on a linear path, with your only input being to cast the occasional spell or call for a retreat when the going gets a little too tough. On the city building side of things, while you need to collect the various resources required to build shops and craft materials, you never have much of a say in what goes where. In fact, building your village is as linear a process as the adventuring, though it at least has a bit more for you to do in the meantime.

Despite being a sort of hodgepodge of ideas crammed together into a disjointed mess that lacks any real depth, Swag and Sorcery still has a certain level of appeal. Its cartoonish and retro art style feels like a natural fit with the story, and the tongue-in-cheek self-referential humor is always good for a chuckle. And even though your adventurers have little more personality than a cardboard cutout, after investing time in their hero training, monitoring their moods, and customizing their looks, you can't help but get a little attached. It's almost like raising your own stable of virtual pets ... only these pets come armed with swords and crossbows and vanquish the forces of evil at the drop of a hat.