Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II is an action platform video game developed by Zippo Games and published by Acclaim Entertainment for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North America in December 1989 and in Europe on 27 March 1991. It is the sequel to Rare's 1987 title Wizards & Warriors. In Ironsword, the player controls the knight warrior Kuros as he ventures in the land of Sindarin. He must defeat the evil wizard Malkil, who has assumed the elemental forms of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Kuros must collect the parts of and assemble the legendary 'IronSword' in order to defeat Malkil, who resides at the top of IceFire Mountain.  | | Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II (NES) |
The game was fairly well-received, selling 500,000 copies in North America and 50,000 copies in Europe. It received praise for its size, graphics and sound, detailed characters and bosses, and gameplay, with criticism for its lack of originality. Rare responded positively to the game, which led to Zippo Games being contracted to develop games for Rare such as Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship and Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power, eventually being folded into the company as Rare Manchester.
Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II is a platforming video game in which the player controls the renowned warrior Kuros as he explores the land of Sindarin to defeat the evil wizard Malkil. This time, Malkil has taken the form of the four 'Elementals', based on the classical Greek elements – Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water – to stop Kuros in his quest. The objective is to assemble the legendary 'IronSword' – the only weapon that can defeat Malkil – and defeat the evil wizard who lies at the peak of IceFire Mountain. In the game, players can move Kuros left or right, or make him crouch with the control pad; the buttons allow Kuros to jump, to use his sword or a magic spell to defeat enemies, to access the 'Magic Spell Screen', or to pause the game. Kuros has a life meter that decreases every time he sustains damage from an enemy or a dangerous projectile, or if he falls for too long a distance. Along the way, players can collect chicken and brew to replenish Kuros's life meter. Kuros loses a life when his life meter runs out, and the game ends when he loses all his lives. However, players may continue and restart the game where they left off up to two times. The continue feature would normally be disabled after the player had completed the earth domain, but due to an in-game bug, the player actually loses the continue function immediately upon merely setting foot in the domain.
Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II consists of four levels called 'domains,' each named after the four elementals. In each domain, Kuros must find a golden artifact that belongs to the domain's 'Animal King' and return it to him. Upon doing so, the path to the second part of the domain will appear. In the second part, Kuros must find the magic spell necessary to defeat the boss – the domain's Elemental. Without the spell, it is impossible to damage the boss, or even remain in the room with him. Once the elemental in each stage has been destroyed, Kuros obtains a piece of the IronSword, which is needed for the final battle on Icefire Mountain. Throughout the game, players must collect items, spells, and money to progress. Money helps buy magic spells, more powerful weapons, shields, helmets, keys to open locked treasure chests, and additional food. Treasure chests – located throughout the game – can contain one of the following items: Additional money, magic spells, or weapon and armor upgrades. In each domain, players can visit inns where they can buy food, keys, or items; they may also participate in a 'Bonus chance' game where they may gamble their money to see which cup a bouncing skull will fall into.
In the game, magic spells help against enemies and Elemental bosses; some are bought, while others must be found. Magic spells include 'The Familiar Spell,' which turns enemies into money and helps retrieve golden objects, the 'Dragon Tooth Spell,' which turns enemies into food, the 'Veil of Slumber Spell,' which slows down enemies, the 'Silver Fleece Spell,' which makes Kuros temporarily invincible, and the 'Water Spout Spell,' which creates an upward column of water that allows Kuros to reach high places. Each spell has a limited number of uses before it vanishes from the player's inventory. Other magic spells are necessary to defeat the Elemental bosses. These spells are found in each of the four domains, and include 'Windbane,' 'Blightwater,' 'Firesmite' and 'Earthscorch.' These spells can be used only in the corresponding levels in which they are obtained, and each consumes magic upon use. Players can obtain additional magic by collecting small, floating, gold bubbles that appear randomly or are triggered by the player's proximity to secret locations.
Players may also increase their score by defeating enemies or collecting items. Hidden along the way are the 'Relics of Sindarin,' which are worth many points when collected; these consist of a book, cross, gauntlet, and ring. At the end of the game, players with a high enough score can place their names in the 'IronSword Hall of Fame.' However, the list resets when the console is turned off. The game also includes a password feature in which players can obtain a password from the 'Magic Spell Screen' to use to continue the game at a later time, even after the console has been turned off. More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org. |
This version of IronSword: Wizards & Warriors II was designed for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was an eight-bit video game console manufactured by Nintendo in the years 1983 - 2003. In that time, it was the best-selling video game console for which more than 700 licensed games and a number of non-licensed games were created. Worldwide, approximately 62 million units of this console were sold at approximately price $ 100 per unit. More information about the NES console can be found 
