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Lightning Swords

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Lightning Swords
Japanese arcade poster
Developer(s)Nanao Corporation
Publisher(s)Irem
Platform(s)Arcade
Release1991
Genre(s)Hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Lightning Swords, known in Japan as Ken-Go (剣豪),[1] is a 1991 arcade video game developed by Nanao Corporation and published by Irem.

The game was an arcade-exclusive game until an emulated version was released in 2022 for the Evercade as part of Irem Arcade 1 cartridge.[2][3]

Gameplay

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Lightning Swords is a side-scrolling hack and slash game set in feudal Japan where the player controls a samurai named Blue Dragon. The game consists of five levels. The game has a single action button that controls the sword. By holding the button, the sword's power increases, and the longer the button remains pressed, the stronger the attack becomes once it's released (up to a maximum of five levels). The jumping is done by holding the joystick up.[4] The player can take four hits before losing a life.[5] The game includes a two-player co-op mode.[4]

Reception

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Contemporary

Your Sinclair compared the game to Strider (1989) and said it introduces nothing new to the genre. They complained that the boss enemies take too many hits to defeat.[6] Japanese trade press magazine Game Machine [jp] gave the game a rating of 5.53 out of 10.[7]

Retrospective

Hardcore Gaming 101 summarized the game as "a fun, short, no-nonsense game that aims to do its own thing and does pretty well at it."[5] Retro Gamer wrote: "This mediocre run-and-gun game starts off well, but quickly becomes a churn of recycled enemies, frustrating bosses and tedious and bland level design."[8] Sega-16 compared the game to The Revenge of Shinobi (1989) and said: "With colorful graphics, a varied soundtrack, and interesting bosses, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a pocketful of quarters."[4]

References

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  1. ^ "出展ビデオゲームリスト". Comptiq (in Japanese). No. 73. Kadokawa Shoten. December 1990. p. 250.
  2. ^ McFerran, Damien (21 November 2023). "Review - Irem Arcade 1 (Evercade) - Come For R-Type, Stay For Genuine Coin-Op History". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  3. ^ Lada, Jenni (31 May 2022). "Evercade EXP Handheld and Irem and Toaplan Carts Announced". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Horowitz, Ken (26 August 2023). "Lost in the Arcade: Irem Games". Sega-16. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b Provost, Hugo (17 December 2019). "Lightning Swords / Ken-Go". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Slots of Fun - Lightning Sword". Your Sinclair. No. 62. Future plc. February 1991. p. 76.
  7. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25". Game Machine [jp] (in Japanese). Amusement Press [jp]. 15 April 1991. p. 25.
  8. ^ "The Unconverted - Ken-Go". Retro Gamer. No. 112. Imagine Publishing. 2013. p. 53.
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