Sworn arrives with the hope of standing out in an oversaturated market and within a genre that often divides players. Unfortunately, it makes a monumental mistake that costs it everything: being an almost identical clone of Hades, without the spark or depth that made the original great. From the very first minutes, the game raises a red flag that makes you wonder why you aren’t just playing Hades instead.
Visually, Sworn tries to impress with a hand-drawn art style across its environments and characters. However, the animations are extremely limited with only three patterns making both enemies and heroes feel stiff and lifeless. The soundtrack doesn’t fare much better; it’s a generic loop that only slightly changes tempo when you reach a new biome, though it ultimately sounds nearly the same throughout.
Gameplay-wise, it sticks to the basics of the roguelike formula: you choose a character and battle through randomly generated rooms filled with enemies until facing a boss. Along the way, you collect abilities and coins abilities are lost upon death, but coins can be used to purchase permanent upgrades. To its credit, Sworn does a good job of showing exactly when you’ll unlock new features. Characters, weapons, and powers are locked at first, and the only way to earn them is by replaying the same rooms multiple times. You can also upgrade weapons or acquire cosmetics with different types of currency earned simply by playing.
The game features four playable classes, each with four weapon types and four magical abilities, though you can only equip one set at a time. One of Sworn’s better aspects is its cooperative mode, allowing up to four players to team up. While this makes boss fights easier, the game also scales enemy count based on the number of players, which can make some encounters overwhelming.
Despite its interesting concept and somewhat clearer progression system, Sworn never manages to surpass or even match its inspiration. Combat feels sluggish, with long animation locks that interrupt movement and break the rhythm of fights.
Its story, set in the age of Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, attempts to blend Arthurian legends with Celtic deities but ultimately goes nowhere. The characters add nothing to the plot, and the overall narrative feels empty. You play as a spirit taking physical form to help Merlin defeat his enemies and that’s about as deep as it gets.
In conclusion, Sworn is a mediocre clone that tries to replicate Hades’ success without understanding what made it special. Neither its mechanics, visuals, nor story manage to stand out, though its co-op mode adds a small touch of value to the experience.
Final Score: 2/5
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