Sword Hero demo wows with 'best combat outside FromSoftware,' PC Gamer says

PC Gamer’s reviewer spent nearly 10 hours with ForestWare’s updated Tournament demo for upcoming RPG Sword Hero, saying the combat is the standout feature. The demo focuses on 35 arena fights with set enemy tiers, randomized gear, and a roguelike-style progression through tournament levels.

The writer describes the melee as a hybrid of Jedi Academy/Outsider movement and FromSoftware’s weightiness, with a Sekiro-style perfect parry and four attacks tied to movement directions that have brief cooldowns, forcing deliberate combos rather than button-mashing. The demo leans heavily on emergent systems and environmental tricks: a backflip-dropkick mana ability, spiked walls that allow one-hit kills, open flames and explosive mines, instant-death pressure-plate spike traps, and a simulated dismemberment system where depleted torsos or heads are instant kills and limbs can be chopped off.

The author notes some concerns still remain: limited magic in the demo, archery that feels "plinky," and uncertainty about whether non-melee playstyles (rogue, mage) will be as satisfying. Despite that, they call Sword Hero’s combat a strong foundation for a larger systemic RPG. Sword Hero has nearly quadrupled its initial Kickstarter goal with 26 days left and a $400,000 stretch goal for an extra island.

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