SVG Review: Sword & Fairy Together Forever

This is a transcript excerpt covering the score awarded on the So Videogames podcast, episode 297: Enter Sandman. For our in-depth thoughts and deeper discussion on Sword and Fairy: Together Forever, you can find it in episode 296: Bag Off.

REVIEW TRANSCRIPT

14:59

BRAD: Let’s do it. We’re gonna be starting with you this week, sir. Circling back. So we’re going to do something a little bit different this this week, this month is a month of change. I know the change is kind of difficult for people, but I think we’re gonna power through I think we got a good track now. So, in addition to the structure changes, I think we finally have got a good fixed structure. We’re going to be doing official reviews.

So we haven’t really done official reviews in the past, we’ve said the word “review” here and there. We’ve definitely given our thoughts and feelings, but we haven’t really like, given an official score, but I feel like that’s going to change now. I feel like we’re gonna do something different this week.

Carlos, you’re gonna have the honor of giving our first official, intentional, scored review. And I think I think we’re gonna start with Sword and Fairy. That wasn’t the full title. Sword Forever? Yeah, you really liked it a lot. We went into it in great detail last week, we’re not going to go into same detail now. Please go back and listen to that episode if you want all the deets. But we will come back because you’ve had more time to play it. And I assume… Did you finish it?

16:00

CARLOS: No, I didn’t. But I’m so close. I can easily… Yeah, say I know everything about the ins and outs about the game. So I think…

16:07

BRAD: That’s totally fair. We have the same policy at GameCritics where we realize you know, we’re not infinite vampires living in a basement, we don’t have all the time in the world. We have jobs, families, sometimes we just don’t have time to finish like a million-hour game. So as long as we get to a point where we feel like we have seen all the big ideas, we understand those ideas, and we can talk intelligently about them, I feel like that’s a pretty good place to talk about a review. I mean, of course finish if you can, but it’s not always possible. So in this particular case, you have played enough, you’re almost done. You feel like you’ve got a good handle on it. You’re ready to review. I say let’s do our very first official intentional So Videogames game review, complete with score. Carlos, please take it away.

16:44

CARLOS: Yeah. And to your point, this is our second scored game, because unintentionally, I said 10 out of 10 for Stray. And then someone heard that and said, really? And we’re like, I guess yeah, but then I was like, well, actually — I didn’t say I guess, I said 100%. I mean, I said 100 and we’re like, do we do that here? And so yeah, I’m glad that we are adding this to our repertoire. So it’s something we’re gonna do. It’s not every single episode maybe but it’s when we feel like we need to, to do it.

You know, like, when we kind of feel like we’ve got a handle on the game, either finished it or really close to finishing it. And yes, I stand by 10 out of 10 — frustrated because you know I loved it.

BRAD: You love that like nobody’s business, your perfect game.

CARLOS: Oh, shit. Yeah, it’s already done. Ouch, ouch. So this is my second one, sort of, Fairy Sword: Together Forever. A couple of little bits and bobs before I get into the number.

I think that, like I mentioned last time, there are some bugs in this. I know, they’ll get patched out at some point. Nothing’s like game breaking. But they’re just weird. And they do show up, you know? And then the biggest bug is the thing that I can’t change — my main character’s outfit right now.

BRAD: Is it still not fixed?

CARLOS: It’s still not fixed. It’s and they did like four patches since. I was like, every time I got a patch, I was like, this is the one. So I can’t believe it isn’t. I don’t know about it.

BRAD: Did you tell them?

CARLOS: No, I didn’t directly tell them, I probably should have after this score.

BRAD: Oh, no.

CARLOS: Okay, no, no, no, that doesn’t… That’s not…. But meaning like I gave, I’m giving him a good score. And I really would like that fix, but it doesn’t impact almost anything. You know, I mean, I’ve never been a cosmetic guy. Like, it doesn’t change the armor. We didn’t talk about this. But in this game, it’s like strictly cosmetic in what you look like. And it’s one of those things where like all the armor is just number values. Which sometimes can be a weird because you know you’re playing an RPG, you want to see your change.

BRAD: I definitely want to see the change.

CARLOS: It’s because this game has so many cutscenes. It’s very like a heavy duty storyline game, that they’re going to keep those characters in those outfits. I guess that’s maybe the reason? I don’t know. Anyways, that doesn’t bother me enough. And yeah, a couple of little bugs here and there. But the only other con i would say before I do the score is that it is super long. And in the beginning I loved it because I was doing every single side mission and just eating it up. And while I still love the game and look forward to it every night — and it’s like, you know, something I really really enjoy — it’s pretty long. Right now I think it’s a good 33 chapters. I’m in like chapter 25 or 26 or something.

BRAD: You feel like you’re good? Ready to wrap things up.

CARLOS: Yeah. That said, I liked it a lot. My main reason for the score is because not only is the combat so fun, like just as fun as Final Fantasy 15, if not better with the dodge moves. I think the dodge mechanic is one of the best ever used – it’s just like I said last episode, it’s like a dance mechanic. When you move out of the way you’re either, like, moving like a god, literally. Or you’re moving like an acrobatic, you know, dancer, and it’s just amazing.

And I love all the little side quests and I love learning about Chinese culture and mythology. Like that’s a huge reason. That’s great. I love it. Yeah, and I think that this game…it was an eye-opening experience, as well as just, I really, really fell into it and kind of like, let it wash over me. And the fact that like, here’s a bunch of history you don’t know about, here’s a lot of story where other people will be like, it’s too much cutscenes it’s too much story. I just liked the fact that I was getting all this info. And for some reason, I just, yeah, I absorbed it.

So…official score. And again, it would be a little higher without a couple of little bugs. And the fact that, you know, I think it’s a little long. That’s the only reason I think it’s a little less than that. But I’m saying 8.5 out of 10.

20:36

BRAD: I mean, that’s pretty good. That’s pretty good. We’re not GameCritics. So we, we go by a slightly different review scale here. But I mean, 8.5 out of 10, excuse me, no matter which way you slice, it is a great score. So I don’t think that’s anything for anybody to be ashamed of. That’s, I mean, that to me is a winner.

20:49

CARLOS: It was so close to almost nine, I kind of don’t go between, like 2.75. And that stuff, I kind of just do the half sometimes, right? And it’s because like the bugs, and you know, the fact that I’m almost done with the game, and I can’t change my outfit, that’s a little problem.

BRAD: So you played the entire time in an outfit you didn’t like.

CARLOS: Yeah, exactly. And so that’s kind of… and then also, just the fact that it’s pretty damn long. And you know, there’s times where I go, this is the most amazing combat ever, I’m really having a lot of fun. And then I have to wait for another 40 minutes to do it really, again. That’s a long time. That’s an exaggeration. But you know, like, sure,