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Video Game / The Sword of Hope

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The Sword of Hope (1989) and its sequel, The Sword of Hope II (1992), constitute a series of first-person role-playing games (named Selection in its native Japan) developed by Kemco for Nintendo's Game Boy. The interface is similar to the MacVenture NES ports which were published by Kemco as well. It is mostly remembered for its lacking localization and Nintendo Hard levels of difficulty, but contains a pretty elaborate plot and game world for its era. The second game has been re-released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, but the first has not for some reason.

In the land of Riccar, a good decade before the events of the game, the good king Hennesy was influenced by the power of an evil dragon that had been sealed away to prevent destruction of the land a long time ago. With promises of power and prosperity, the dragon successfully convinced him to release the seal; once freed, the dragon summoned the evil powers of Mammon to cover the land in darkness, and turn its people into trees. All hope seemed lost... until the birth of Theo, the king's heir.

The king, now completely under the dragon's control, saw on his son a birthmark that showed he was fated to bring hope back to the people, and attempted to have him killed. A knight under the king's employ, Pascal, rescued the prince and took him away with him into the forest. Three magicians then sealed Riccar castle underground, waiting for Theo to come of age and fulfill his destiny of retrieving the Sword of Hope and defeating the evil dragon. And so, your quest begins...


Tropes associated with The Sword of Hope:

  • Awesome, but Impractical: The Doll. Spending (more importantly, possibly wasting) a turn on using it is liable to grant you the sweet embrace of death.
  • "Blind Idiot" Translation: The game runs on it, which presents a recursive problem in the Swedish localization. For instance, the first boss enemy, Treant, is rendered as "Trädmyra" (literally, "tree ant"). And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
  • Broken Bridge: An almost literal case in the form of a broken overpass.
  • Character Name Limits: Which leads to some confusion regarding spell names and the like. And (as usual) this goes double for the Swedish translation!
  • Chest Monster: Freakin' Mimics! They are completely indistinguishable from the real thing, too.
  • Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: If you die, you respawn back at the old man's home. As simple as that.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Treant reforms upon defeat, and even tells you how his good deeds have earned him the love of his fellow trees.
  • Egg McGuffin: The three eggs required to get the titular sword.
  • Everything Trying to Kill You: Trees, moths, treasure chests, monkeys (okay, Apes), mushrooms, Shadows...
  • Fantastic Fruits and Vegetables: Myconid, which appears to be a humanoid mushroom (though no one will blame you if you mistake it for broccoli).
  • Forced Transformation: All the residents of Riccar have been turned into trees. Some talk (though some are inaudible), some don't.
  • Guide Dang It!: More than a few times, but exactly how was a guy supposed to figure out the Imp's only vulnerability the Ruby?
  • Honest John's Dealership: The game attempts to pass off the shady salesman in the tricky cave as this, but it doesn't really ring true. He's even the only provider of golden armor.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Certain spells have a chance of backfiring on their caster, and some attack all battle participants.
  • Inconsistent Dub: Especially regarding Polinyak's name. The spelling's different every time.
  • Interface Spoiler: Due to the way sprites are loaded, the hidden passage underneath the millstone is clearly visible whenever you enter the room.
  • Moon Logic Puzzle: Quite literally; you can use the moon fragment atop Camu's pagoda to restore the moon to its full potential. This causes Treant to bear healing fruit.
  • Orphan's Plot Trinket: Eh, sort of. Theo gets his mother's Charm from some divine force in the church, which is needed to convince Martel of his lineage.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: They can appear in full daylight, apparently.
  • Power-Up: The Doll, which has a chance to empower you. These effects can be dispelled by certain enemy spells, though.
  • Rule of Three: Three outlying domains ruled by three magicians, whose three bird familiars hold three eggs of power.
  • Sdrawkcab Name: The Shaman's magic words are "Akiesocmek". You figure it out.
  • Sword of Plot Advancement: The titular Sword of Hope, which is also the Infinity +1 Sword.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can attempt to Open or Hit random people and creatures...
  • Video Game Cruelty Punishment: ...but hitting the forest shop mistress will cause her to hit you back.
  • Weapon Title: The Sword of Hope is a sword the hero must retrieve to defeat the evil dragon.
  • When Trees Attack: Treant.

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