Saint Sword is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash action game released for the Sega Genesis in 1991, developed by Cyclone System and published by Taito. Drawing on Greek mythology, it casts you as Macress, the last magic-wielding Titan, racing back through time to stop the demoness Gorgon from conquering the world again, as she nearly did a thousand years before. Rather than a straight run to the right, each of its seven stages is a sprawling, multi-directional maze â you’re free to explore rather than march in one direction, and that exploration is where the game earns its keep.
How to Play
Each stage hides a key, carried by one of its common enemies, that unlocks the door to that level’s boss. Find it, fight your way to the door, and beat the boss to move on â while also picking up animal-shaped icons dropped by fallen enemies that transform Macress into a centaur, merman, or angel, each suited to different terrain (faster movement and jumping, underwater swimming, or brief flight). Defeating enemies also builds up your score, which acts as experience and upgrades Macress’s armor from its base color through red to gold, making him hit harder as you go. No control scheme is documented for this ROM, so the browser emulator’s default Genesis mapping applies: arrow keys move and jump, Z, X, and C are the three action buttons, and Enter is Start.
Tips
- Keep an eye on your magic: defeated enemies drop magic balls that refill your MP, which powers the special ability you gain after each boss fight â stock up before a boss room rather than after.
- Match the transformation to the terrain: the centaur’s speed and jump, the merman’s swimming, and the angel’s flight are each temporary, so save them for the part of the maze they actually help with instead of triggering them on sight.
- Beating Gorgon isn’t the end: clearing all seven stages loops the game back to stage one at a harder difficulty for a second run before the real ending, so don’t be surprised when the credits don’t roll after the first fight.

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