Official launch of The Sword of IANNA

Thanks PAC! And, of course, you can download the game from http://www.theswordofianna.es/

Hmm. Never ordered from the RetroWorks online shop before. Do you guys ship to the U.S.?

Really looking forward to playing this, so I hope you do! Looks to be a sweet package, and the game really does look excellent.

Also, I think I asked this before, but just to be sure: will the game be compatible with 60 Hz machines that only have 64 KB base RAM and 128 KB VRAM?

-Tom

Great, another large MSX2 game!! And I've never seen anything like it on the MSX2, or you should compare to Treasure of Uşas a bit... I had some problems getting used to the controls and the control of the player's movement though (I liked that better in Treasure of Uşas...) But overall the game looks really nice. The details are great. Getting onto platforms and the battles remind me of Prince of Persia. Actually, quite some things remind me of it, now that I think about it. I guess the game was actually inspired by PoP... and indeed such a game was never shown on MSX2 before! Congratulations!

Yes, it also reminds me of PoP, but with a barbarian style and more puzzles. The character even feels and moves like a heavy barbarian. Very good in that aspect too.

At least for me, it's a very addictive game. I'm really impressed.

A few minor things I would like to suggest would be to:

- Move the PAUSE key from "H" to the STOP key. It's really awkward to press "H" to pause a game
- Add joymega support, so you can pause and change the items from your sofa, without having to reach for the MSX

I'm REALLY looking forward to the cartridge release, since I can't load this game onto my megaflashrom -- I don't have the version of the megaflashrom that has an SD card slot, so I have to load games onto it via disk. Only problem is, this rom is so big that I can *only* fit the rom by itself onto a disk -- there's no room for opfx.com! And if I can't fit both onto a disk, I can't write the rom to the cartridge.

And I don't really care to emulate the game on my Windows PC, as that kind of spoils the fun of things.

So yeah... really chomping at the bit to buy this one physically! It looks SO GOOD, and I love the "cinematic platformer" genre.

Just hoping it'll play in 60 Hz without any issue! Has anyone tested that?

-Tom

Yes it runs fine on 60 Hz, i can run it with no problems on my MSX2+.

Put the ROM on a separate disk. Then start with MSX-DOS and start OPFX and use B:IANNA.ROM
The MSX will ask to switch disks for drive B: and voilà, off you go.

Really spectacular!

How to buy the cartridge version?
there is no link in the online shop

Thanx

The newsarticle mentions it will be available in the webshop next week

Wow, you can do hot-swapping like that with OPFX? That's interesting... I'll try that right now!

-Tom

XD
Manuel & Manuel

Worked like a charm -- thanks for the tip, guys!

The game is every bit as good as I was hoping. I'm actually surprised at how smoothly it controls, in fact, since I was expecting something much stiffer based on other games in the genre (Another World/Out of This World, Flashback, etc.). It all feels really good, though, and I'm not finding myself fighting the controls at all -- everything is very responsive, and the button layout on a gamepad is very logical. Combat, too, has a really nice flow to it.

My only question right now is, how do you get a password? Are they given at set points, or do you have to press a certain key or something to view one? I thought maybe I could see a password by quitting from the menu, but... nope, that just took me back to the title screen. I don't mind replaying what I've already played through, though, as I was really just giving the game a quick demo run anyway.

Super-impressive stuff, though, guys. This is a game very much unlike anything else on the MSX, and it feels very polished and professional all around. Really nice job! Looking forward to playing some more in the days to come, and to nabbing a boxed copy for posterity sometime next week.

-Tom

Ah ok, sorry!

I only read this

The downloadable version is only in Spanish ?
(i see screenshots with english texts...)

Enhorabuena Another great game from RetroWorks.

thx

Wonderful and exciting game!!
This is a very great work and a big advantage for all Msx World.
Many, many thanks RetroWorks for sharing this jewel!!

Hmm, if I had one piece of feedback, it would be to use a more standardized font for the game's passwords. Even the main system font of the MSX would do -- the issue is that the game font is so stylized, it makes it tough to distinguish between S and 5, or B and 8, since the difference is only a few measly pixels.

Wouldn't be too big an issue, except that this game's levels seem to be pretty enormous, so if you write down your password wrong and have to replay the stage as a result, that's going to really demotivate players!

-Tom

Great game...

Just one thing...

Why does one have to fart items away?

REALLY tough game. After several death, i have reached Stage 2...

Wow, first of all, thanks for your nice comments! We're overwhelmed by the game reception, it's way better than we expected .

About the online shop release, we only have a few copies left after RetroZaragoza, so I'm afraid we won't be able to cope with the demand. But don't worry, we're going to prepare a second batch asap.

You really did an amazing job with this game. I'm totally hooked. Stage 3 was awesome, and the combat and physics of the world have really clicked with me now. I died CONSTANTLY in stages one and two, but barely died at all in stage three -- though I was constantly in FEAR of dying, which is how you know the challenge level was just right.

This may be my favorite homebrew MSX game I've yet played. We'll see if it can maintain its current level of awesomeness, but I have a feeling it can and will -- you guys seemed to put a lot of thought and effort into this game. Simply superb showing.

-Tom

What a wonderful game, it's so nice to finally see a great MSX 2 release

Here are some tips to enhance your gaming pleasure even more:

• The game is using the system default 50Hz/60Hz video mode (the one specified in BIOS), so this can't be changed before launch when using ROM loaders. The fix is to replace all occurrences of 3A 2B 00 E6 80 in the ROM with 3A E8 FF E6 02. I've created an IPS patch for it here.
• As the developers used BIOS access to check the keyboard, the game can be patched to use JoyMega using SofaROM :) Just add this line in the JOYMEGA section of SROM.INI:
  

  ####################################################################
  [JOYMEGA]
  ####################################################################
  
  The Sword of Ianna=3S035;A046;.
  

  and select "The Sword of Ianna" in SofaRun JoyMega setting. [A] button is linked to "Jump", and [Start] button to "Inventory". Having "Jump" on a button really improves control.

I also checked why the game shows corrupted GFX when launched with Memory or turboR mappers with SofaROM. That's caused by the way it transfers the character's GFX from ROM to video RAM. An RLD instruction is used (to get data in 4 bits chunks), that works well on a real ROM device, but corrupts the game when used on a RAM area. There's no quick fix for that, just buy the game (or use a real ROM flash device).

Really cool game!!! I'm still in the early part of the game (have only played 20 mins or so). But starts looking very interesting! I used to be a huge fan of all the Silmarils games back in the Amiga years (which most had this Prince of Persia-style controls), and this one really reminds me or Targhan! Really cool!

finally i finished the game....amazing msx game 10/10 ,,,,,there is 5 statues puzzle ,,very hard

there something i prefer to fix it in the game:-

in the batte when you use the sword and your face left and the enemy in the right side,,,the problem the player didnt face the enemy automatic,,you have to remove the sword then you have to face the enemy then you can use your sword.

i prefer if the game same maze of galious (big world) not big stages

I would've personally liked to hear an FM soundtrack to this game, honestly, but the PSGs that are there are pretty spectacular nonetheless.

Though it's no surprise, since apparently the game was scored by Alberto Jose Gonzalez?! At least, according to the website. Still kind of in shock about that -- Gonzalez is one of the greatest chiptune musicians of all time, as far as I'm concerned. Case in point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5NZXMEtUoY&feature=youtu.be...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnzHTkRLcE4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-LNuyVHkA

Anyone who can make a freaking SMURFS song sound THAT GOOD deserves to be praised from here to the end of time. ;)

Has he done music for other Retroworks games too? I think the only other one I've played is Teodoro no Sabe Volar, but that game did have some pretty spectacular music as well.

-Tom

No, this is the first time he collaborates with us.

The music in Teodoro no Sabe Volar is from WYZ.

Well, here is a Joymega IPS patch for hardcore gamers very recommended if you wanna protect your MSX Keyboard. You can access the inventory pushing START button on MEGADRIVE PAD.

;-)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylCIPwrn3FvS2RzX1psQ1hfRVU

PS: It was successfully tested with MEGAFLASHROM SCC+ 8mbits and Sony MSX 2 HB-F1XDJ but still buggy if you wanna try it on Panasonic A1WX.

Just tried. B for RUN, C for SWORD, START for MENU...no buttons for JUMP?
It is possibile to use A (instead UP) for JUMP?

I'll try it!

Now this is odd... Did my memory just fail me or did this really happen?
Earlier today I reached stage 4 and I'm pretty sure I got the green key... After that I wandered around a bit, had some dinner, had some other activities, been away and hours had passed since I pressed pause button.
Now I just ended up in front of the door with the green key, but the green key is gone...
I tried to find a complete manual (but all I find is what's on the official site) and all I find is how to move the hero and which buttons to use. Is there a complete manual which might tell me that I lost my green key due to some reason (over consumption of other items perhaps)?

First keys to obtain are gold and green. I replay the stage now and got both keys without even searching. So I must've lost it somewhere.

Here it is the working Version for Panasonic A1WX and maybe other MSX computers.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylCIPwrn3Fva090ODJ2OEg5TE0

The problem was the AUDIO rutine update the PSG Reg#07 with bit 6 and bit 7 to ZERO making the Panasonic A1WX JoyPorts unable to use Joymega adapter or regular MSX Joypad correctly.

Enjoy!

Maybe the politest thing would have been to ask utopian the permission of hacking his work....

Can you also add JoySNES support?

This Version Fix Joymega START button and add Turbo Mode on Panasonic A1WX/WSX.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylCIPwrn3FvSUxXMGdZQ0tjM2M

PS: Utopian could you please update your Email contact on this site.

Contact details updated. Sorry for not being very responsive these days, I'm getting a ton of messages (+ the online shop orders + getting a cold) so I have some backlog. I'll try to get back to normal sometime next week.

@JohnHassink wrote: In the department "Quick and Dirty":

BRAVO MAESTRO!

;-)

The FM replayer of the TriloTracker should be almost ready... What about supporting the FM musics by John?

It features extremely nifty and intricate tricks to enrichen the sound. IMO some top-notch PSG use.

Booo!! I'll have to be ready to jump like a tiger next time you guys produce more copies. Heheh.

-Tom

I feel exactly the same way, but would like to add that I admire the fact that the game became immediately free to download upon release. That's a huge offering to the scene and it doesn't get more rock 'n' roll like that.

I much look forward to that. I love your TTFM work.

Wait'll you see stage 5.

-Tom

OMG....

Whew. Just beat stage 7, but it took me FOREVER because of that five-switch puzzle. I wound up getting past it solely through trial and error, as I simply never found a pattern to any of it. I drew a little map, noted the location of every gear in every room, every destructible block, every torch, and wrote down which combination of switches wound up removing the gears from each of the rooms... but even up to the very last one, I absolutely COULD NOT discern any sort of pattern whatsoever.

It's sort of a moot point now that I'm past that section, but I'd really like to know: is there a pattern that players are able to solve using critical thinking, or were the particular combinations of switches needed to remove the gears from each room chosen chaotically? Because if there's a pattern that I missed, I'd really like to know what it is, since I hate solving puzzles through brute force. And if there's not... can you guys maybe come up with one for a future rom? Because there's nothing more frustrating than a "puzzle" that's based purely around trial and error. And while I want to believe you guys DID include some means of solving that puzzle in the game somewhere... I mean, I'm usually pretty good with puzzles, yet I was completely stumped all the way through, and can't figure it out even now that I know all the answers!

It's really going to bug me until I know the solution, so if you wouldn't mind letting me know whether or not there is one, and maybe even PMing or emailing me with what it is, I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks!

-Tom

Received my cartridges today, what amazing boxes and manuals to go with an amazing game!

Whew! Just beat the game -- and also found the Nostalgium, but wisely chose not to go through the gate my first time through. So I actually went back and replayed the stage up to that point *after* I beat it, got the password, and beat the Nostalgium as well!

Really impressed with this game overall, and the inclusion of a secret level was a really nice touch -- especially considering the contents of that secret level! Really cool little bonus for players, and even though I don't have any memories of those games, I was still able to recognize about half of them just from YouTube videos.

Great job, guys! Looking forward to owning this on cartridge sometime in the future.

-Tom

There is indeed a logic to solve the puzzle, but it's interesting to see almost nobody notices. In the background, there is a special pattern you don't see anywhere else in the level: 5 rows with 5 squares and circles each. A square means a lever has to be kept on the left (0) and a circle means it has to be on the right (1). There are five areas to open, so you can guess each row gives you the clue to one of the areas.

You just need to figure out the right order for the levers, which is *not* what you'd expect (top-left, top-right, ...). The clue is in the alpha and omega signs you can see on the floor, they tell you where to start and where to finish, and you have to think of it clockwise.

So the right order is: middle-left, upper-left, upper-right, middle-right, lower-right. Combine that order with what the background pattern tells you, and you've got it.

Por dios sigo esperando que me llegue un correo diciendo ya esta tu copia...pagalaaaaa

Any news on a new batch? Really want to get a physical release but it sold out almost immediately. Bummer!

We're working on the second batch, but it takes time to get everything ready . I don't expect news until mid-November.

Yeah, I've added your online shop to my bookmark bar so I can check it several times daily, just in case the game goes up for order unannounced.

-Tom

Any news about the second batch?

It will take a while, unfortunately. Guillian had to request new boards for his cartridges, so we have to wait until he receives some... Maybe in February, maybe later.