Source: RetroWorks' Twitter

As you probably remember The Sword of IANNA is a promising project for MSX2 by RetroWorks. Now we can confirm that the game is already finished and the first units are being sold at the Spanish RetroZaragoza event held this weekend.

If you are not able to attend the event don't worry, from next week visit the RetroWorks' online shop and get your physical copy for a price of 40€. There is a downloadable version as well.

Relevant link: RetroWorks' The Sword of IANNA

Media browser (4)

  • Official launch of The Sword of IANNA
  • Official launch of The Sword of IANNA
  • Official launch of The Sword of IANNA
  • Official launch of The Sword of IANNA

Comments (117)

By Guillian

Prophet (3540)

Guillian's picture

30-09-2017, 21:41

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

By Pac

Scribe (7176)

Pac's picture

30-09-2017, 21:47

Thank you Manuel, right now I've fixed the newspost adding the direct link to the game's site. Wink

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 00:15

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

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3684)

sd_snatcher's picture

01-10-2017, 00:28

It's a delight to have new games for the MSX2, since the majority of the new titles seem to be for the MSX1.

This game is born to be a classic. The art is superb, the character animation is excellent, the music is also top notch. It's playability felt very well polished and the story seems to be compelling. And it seems to support turbos just fine. Congratulations for everyone involved in this project!

If I may, I have a small bug to report: the game doesn't seem to work on a Sony HB-F500P.

And it's a bit sad that it doesn't support the NEOS MA-20.

By Manuel

Ascended (19810)

Manuel's picture

01-10-2017, 00:52

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!

By gdx

Enlighted (6628)

gdx's picture

01-10-2017, 01:49

This game is really beautiful! Cool

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3684)

sd_snatcher's picture

01-10-2017, 02:17

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 Wink

By Grauw

Ascended (10860)

Grauw's picture

01-10-2017, 04:37

Wow, I’ve only taken a quick look, but really nice character animation, and the music’s great too! I’m looking forward to the cartridge release!

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 06:18

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. Wink

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

By valkyre

Paladin (724)

valkyre's picture

01-10-2017, 08:55

Really nice game. Looking forward to having the cartridge

By ToriHino

Paladin (959)

ToriHino's picture

01-10-2017, 09:01

wyrdwad wrote:

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. Wink

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+.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 09:24

Awesome! Thanks for confirming! I will be buying this one for sure.

-Tom

By Manuel

Ascended (19810)

Manuel's picture

01-10-2017, 09:47

wyrdwad wrote:

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.

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.

By valkyre

Paladin (724)

valkyre's picture

01-10-2017, 09:47

I wonder if there are any differences between the download version and the cartridge version?

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

01-10-2017, 09:47

Really spectacular!

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

Thanx

By Guillian

Prophet (3540)

Guillian's picture

01-10-2017, 09:49

wyrdwad wrote:

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.

Try to put OPFX in a disk a the ROM in another. Then:
OPFX B:IANNA.ROM

By tfh

Prophet (3490)

tfh's picture

01-10-2017, 09:57

journey wrote:

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 Smile

By Manuel

Ascended (19810)

Manuel's picture

01-10-2017, 09:59

/me hi5s with Guillian ;-)

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 10:00

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

-Tom

By Manuel

Ascended (19810)

Manuel's picture

01-10-2017, 10:09

wyrdwad: it's not an OPFX feature, but an MSX-DOS (and MSX-BASIC too) feature. "Virtual B-drive" if you will Smile OPFX just tries to access drive B: and MSX-DOS/MSX-BASIC will prompt you to put in a disk for drive B:.

By Guillian

Prophet (3540)

Guillian's picture

01-10-2017, 10:25

Manuel wrote:

/me hi5s with Guillian ;-)

XD
Manuel & Manuel

By tfh

Prophet (3490)

tfh's picture

01-10-2017, 10:32

Anyway, for those who want to have a go straight away:

http://www.file-hunter.com/MSX/index.php?id=swordofianna

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 10:59

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. Wink 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. Wink

-Tom

By Guillian

Prophet (3540)

Guillian's picture

01-10-2017, 11:01

@wyrdwas: You only get a password after finishing a level.

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

01-10-2017, 11:06

Ah ok, sorry!

I only read this

By ray2day

Paladin (760)

ray2day's picture

01-10-2017, 11:13

WOW, what a fantastic game!! Cool

By Sebbeug

Champion (406)

Sebbeug's picture

01-10-2017, 11:35

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

By Manuel

Ascended (19810)

Manuel's picture

01-10-2017, 11:36

By the way, I also really like the animations of both player and enemy characters. Many details! And the music is very good in atmosphere indeed.

I did realize I forgot to change language to English and already got pretty far... I guess I'll have to wait until I can save with password before I can change language.

Perhaps the language and sound settings could also be added to the MENU? (Of which the H-key is indeed not intuitive at all. (In Ys you have to press I, IIRC...)

By riquet

Master (211)

riquet's picture

01-10-2017, 11:47

Enhorabuena Big smile Another great game from RetroWorks.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 11:58

Sebbeug wrote:

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

You can change it to English on the title screen. Just select "Espanol" and press the fire button, and you'll see it change to "English."

-Tom

By Sebbeug

Champion (406)

Sebbeug's picture

01-10-2017, 12:40

thx Wink

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

01-10-2017, 14:13

very nice game,,long time we didnt see game like that since 1990

By Pippo

Hero (521)

Pippo's picture

01-10-2017, 15:15

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

By Philip

Champion (380)

Philip's picture

01-10-2017, 17:35

Very nice, a new game for MSX2. I love the animations !

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

01-10-2017, 23:49

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! Wink

-Tom

By KdL

Paragon (1488)

KdL's picture

02-10-2017, 01:44

Very nice game! Congrats!! Smile

By meits

Scribe (6580)

meits's picture

02-10-2017, 02:49

Great game...

Just one thing...

Why does one have to fart items away?

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

02-10-2017, 03:50

Daaaaamn these stages are long! I finally made it to stage 3, after MANY deaths, and the story now makes it clear that there will be at least 4 more (probably 5). This may be the single lengthiest homebrew game I've yet played on the MSX -- if the stages continue to be as big as these first two were, I don't think it'll be possible to beat this game in less than 10 hours at the bare minimum.

It's actually pretty impressive, but also kind of daunting! And really makes my above complaint about the passwords even more crucial, since those 7s... are totally not 7s. They're alien letters, unlike any other used on Earth. But definitely not 7s. Wink

-Tom

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

02-10-2017, 06:43

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

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

02-10-2017, 08:16

im stuck in stage 6 how i open that door....

https://rg.to/file/c3e9bbddbaeda51b69a2cddb2d420419/Ianna.pn...

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

02-10-2017, 09:15

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

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.

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

02-10-2017, 09:17

Meits wrote:

Great game...

Just one thing...

Why does one have to fart items away?

Oh, well :P. You've reached your inventory limit (6 items), just drink one of the potions to stop farting.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

02-10-2017, 09:19

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. Wink

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

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

02-10-2017, 09:23

hashem wrote:

im stuck in stage 6 how i open that door....

https://rg.to/file/c3e9bbddbaeda51b69a2cddb2d420419/Ianna.png.html

Go right one screen, then climb using Horus' wings to the upper-left corner platform. On the screen above that one, there is one lever to use. Then, go back to Horus' wing on the left platform, and jump left while running.

You'll land on a platform where you will have some jumps to do before you can use another lever, and that should open the door.

By Louthrax

Prophet (2503)

Louthrax's picture

02-10-2017, 13:55

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

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).

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

02-10-2017, 19:00

Hey, have you guys considered porting this game to Windows and trying to release it on Steam and GOG? I could see this doing pretty well on those platforms. It has a wide appeal to it, belongs to an underrepresented genre, and has a good length and great aesthetic for the modern indie PC crowd. I bet you could make some good money with it!

Just a thought.

-Tom

By santiontanon

Paragon (1872)

santiontanon's picture

02-10-2017, 19:40

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!

By MOA

Champion (293)

MOA's picture

02-10-2017, 23:14

Well made game and really nice to see how the MSX2 version differs from the ZX version (basically a MSX1 vs MSX2 comparison where a lot of extra effort is put into the MSX2 version of the game; not some lazy port).

Gameplay wise: the controls are a bit unconventional (the way to wield your sword and fight enemies doesn't feel intuitive at all and makes the game a bit too hard for me to enjoy... especially since the password checkpoints are far apart).

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

02-10-2017, 23:34

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

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

02-10-2017, 23:36

MOA wrote:

Gameplay wise: the controls are a bit unconventional (the way to wield your sword and fight enemies doesn't feel intuitive at all and makes the game a bit too hard for me to enjoy... especially since the password checkpoints are far apart).

See, to me, it feels very intuitive. One button to draw your sword, and then press the other to swing it, with different types of swings based on which direction you're holding at the time (and up to block). It's a pretty elegant solution for gamepad-users, considering we've only got two buttons to work with, and feels very much in keeping with other games of the cinematic platformer genre. I'm not sure what other control scheme could be adopted without sacrificing combat depth -- and while it does take some time to get a feel for the "flow" of combat, it's extremely satisfying once you do. Every battle becomes a tense showdown.

-Tom

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

03-10-2017, 00:19

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

By Pac

Scribe (7176)

Pac's picture

03-10-2017, 10:54

Congratulations for a well-polished game. About music, a good example how the usage of a simple PSG is sometimes more than enough. The tunes match perfect with the game story. We don't need an FM orchesta and this is the proof.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

03-10-2017, 11:00

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

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

03-10-2017, 13:35

PSG audio very good!

This is a test with MIDI-PAC & Roland SC88Pro Cool

https://www.facebook.com/gianluca.lazzari.1/videos/102148352...

By Metalbrain

Expert (67)

Metalbrain's picture

03-10-2017, 16:02

wyrdwad wrote:

Has he done music for other Retroworks games too?

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

The music in Teodoro no Sabe Volar is from WYZ.

By tfh

Prophet (3490)

tfh's picture

03-10-2017, 22:01

BTW, the game is quite popular on File-Hunter.com as well: 1330 plays, of which 915 unique in 3 days...

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

04-10-2017, 00:02

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.

By Piter Punk

Master (232)

Piter Punk's picture

04-10-2017, 07:46

Louthrax wrote:

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).

Try this modded ROM: Sword of Ianna - Konami 8K MegaROM

It was modded to use Konami 8K page switching and to not use RLD to load the graphics. I tested this ROM in a real MSX, using ExecROM to load the game in a 2MB MegaRAM. It looks Ok to me, but I don't played it a lot, only jumped a few times and killed two enemies.

You're welcome to test :

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

04-10-2017, 08:48

alexito wrote:

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?

By Louthrax

Prophet (2503)

Louthrax's picture

04-10-2017, 10:13

Hi Journey,
You can also try the SofaROM / SofaRun JoyMega solution that I described above (scroll up a bit).

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

04-10-2017, 11:36

Louthrax wrote:

Hi Journey,
You can also try the SofaROM / SofaRun JoyMega solution that I described above (scroll up a bit).

I'll try it! Smile

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

04-10-2017, 20:44

Hey, Journey try this JOYMEGA IPS PATCH where:

START Button = Inventory
"A" Button = JUMP
"B" Button = RUN/ATTACK
"C" Button = SWORD

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylCIPwrn3FvXzE5OHBQNi1NUEk

Enjoy!

By meits

Scribe (6580)

meits's picture

04-10-2017, 23:00

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)?

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

04-10-2017, 23:06

I just beat stage 4 myself, and one thing I can tell you is that it's the first stage so far to contain two green doors and two green keys. So is it possible you used the green key to open the first door without realizing it, and have now gotten to the second door without having found the second green key?

-Tom

By meits

Scribe (6580)

meits's picture

04-10-2017, 23:57

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.

By meits

Scribe (6580)

meits's picture

05-10-2017, 01:06

Ah, right after that green key door another green key door appears... Me bad...

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

05-10-2017, 02:15

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!

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

05-10-2017, 10:03

journey wrote:
Louthrax wrote:

Hi Journey,
You can also try the SofaROM / SofaRun JoyMega solution that I described above (scroll up a bit).

I'll try it! Smile

Works!
menwhile i've reached stage 4

alexito wrote:

Hey, Journey try this JOYMEGA IPS PATCH where:

START Button = Inventory
"A" Button = JUMP
"B" Button = RUN/ATTACK
"C" Button = SWORD

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylCIPwrn3FvXzE5OHBQNi1NUEk

Enjoy!

Thanx alexito!

By ARTRAG

Enlighted (7003)

ARTRAG's picture

05-10-2017, 10:15

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

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

05-10-2017, 11:39

No worries about hacked versions, but if you find a bug please let me know so I can fix it for everyone.

In any case, that fix (together with a couple other bugfixes) was already in the works, and will be included in version 1.1, which I'm planning to release sometime this week... as soon as I have some time, so probably during the weekend. If I get enough time, I'll also release the full source code package so you can tinker with it without having to disassemble/hack anything.

By gdx

Enlighted (6628)

gdx's picture

05-10-2017, 14:04

Can you also add JoySNES support?

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

05-10-2017, 14:25

I have donated 10.00 EUR to Retroworks.

I feel happy to see software of that quality in the MSX scene.

RETROWORKS RULES!

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

06-10-2017, 05:42

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.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

06-10-2017, 09:19

alexito wrote:

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

Oh, yeah, I'd appreciate that as well. I sent an email to you, Utopian, at the address listed on the Retroworks donation page, but I'm not at all confident you received it -- that email address may exist solely for donations, for all I know.

-Tom

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

06-10-2017, 11:43

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.

By JohnHassink

Ambassador (5695)

JohnHassink's picture

06-10-2017, 20:06

wyrdwad wrote:

I would've personally liked to hear an FM soundtrack to this game

In the department "Quick and Dirty":

https://youtu.be/wtX2LJIt4ks

journey wrote:

PSG audio very good!

This is a test with MIDI-PAC & Roland SC88Pro B-)

https://www.facebook.com/gianluca.lazzari.1/videos/10214835218144692/

Oh wow, that sounds great! 100x better than I expected. :-o

By alexito

Paladin (761)

alexito's picture

06-10-2017, 20:50

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

BRAVO MAESTRO!

;-)

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

06-10-2017, 20:53

Version 1.1 uploaded to http://www.retroworks.es/php/download.php?file=ianna-msx2-1_... . Changelog:

- Fixed compatibility issue with Sony HB F500P and Sony HB G900P (maybe others). Thanks a lot to Armando Pérez!
- Fixed writes to PSG register #7, that were breaking joystick support in some models.
- Fixed potential cheat that allowed players to start level 1 with a high level and better weapons after playing a later level.

By ARTRAG

Enlighted (7003)

ARTRAG's picture

06-10-2017, 22:56

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

By Grauw

Ascended (10860)

Grauw's picture

07-10-2017, 00:13

The PSG music is beautifully composed!

By JohnHassink

Ambassador (5695)

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07-10-2017, 00:42

Grauw wrote:

The PSG music is beautifully composed!

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

By ray2day

Paladin (760)

ray2day's picture

07-10-2017, 10:36

Sold out Sad

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

07-10-2017, 20:59

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

-Tom

By syn

Prophet (2146)

syn's picture

07-10-2017, 22:23

I have to say that while I don't really like the gameplay of this one that much (just a personal preference, nothing negative about this game itself), I do appreciate the effort put into this game. I like the graphics and sound, level design seems great. Overall a great product Wink

ARTRAG wrote:

The FM replayer of the TriloTracker should be almost ready...

wow fantastic news!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for years for this Wink Gives me more motivation to make music in TTFM Big smile

By JohnHassink

Ambassador (5695)

JohnHassink's picture

08-10-2017, 13:49

syn wrote:

I have to say that while I don't really like the gameplay of this one that much (just a personal preference, nothing negative about this game itself), I do appreciate the effort put into this game. I like the graphics and sound, level design seems great. Overall a great product Wink

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. Smile

ARTRAG wrote:

The FM replayer of the TriloTracker should be almost ready...

syn wrote:

wow fantastic news!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for years for this Wink Gives me more motivation to make music in TTFM Big smile

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

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

08-10-2017, 13:17

wyrdwad wrote:

I just beat stage 4 myself, and one thing I can tell you is that it's the first stage so far to contain two green doors and two green keys. So is it possible you used the green key to open the first door without realizing it, and have now gotten to the second door without having found the second green key?

-Tom

Stage 4 beated! Really complicated stage! Evil

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

08-10-2017, 20:29

Wait'll you see stage 5. Wink

-Tom

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

09-10-2017, 00:04

there is a stage very hard,,,,i think no one play it or reach that stage here because no one mention that here.

by the way i finished the game and i like to buy the original cartridge.

By journey

Hero (594)

journey's picture

09-10-2017, 13:40

hashem wrote:

there is a stage very hard,,,,i think no one play it or reach that stage here because no one mention that here.

by the way i finished the game and i like to buy the original cartridge.

OMG.... Crazy

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

10-10-2017, 06:53

Hey, I have a suggestion for the next rom version (1.2?). Since you can't draw your weapon while ducking, how about setting it so down + trigger 2 on the gamepad (or just trigger 2 while ducking) will open the pause/item menu, and then trigger 2 will close it? That way, the entire game will be playable via gamepad, without ever needing to touch the keyboard.

Seems like it would be a nice quality-of-life improvement for people like me, who prefer playing via gamepad, and I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to add.

Just figured I'd pass the suggestion along!

EDIT: Also, the item menu lists the "fire" button in Spanish, even when the game's language is set to English. I don't know if there's space in the rom to fix this, since the button listing is graphic text, but I figured I'd let you know anyway, in case no one else noticed/reported this!

-Tom

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

11-10-2017, 08:23

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

By hashem

Expert (65)

hashem's picture

11-10-2017, 14:47

yes the five switch puzzle hard,,,,i finished the puzzle by guessing,,,i tried many times until i finished the puzzles

By valkyre

Paladin (724)

valkyre's picture

11-10-2017, 15:42

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

By Grauw

Ascended (10860)

Grauw's picture

11-10-2017, 16:14

Aw, still (or again) sold out.

Someone give a heads-up here when cartridges are available again Smile.

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

12-10-2017, 08:29

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! Wink

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

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10157)

wolf_'s picture

12-10-2017, 12:21

The logo of the game somewhat reminds me of the ANMA-logos, back in their days. Hannibal

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

13-10-2017, 12:03

wyrdwad wrote:

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.

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.

By erpirao

Paragon (1339)

erpirao's picture

13-10-2017, 13:59

I read that there is an update of the game.
Who bought the original physical cartridge, can you upgrade?

By MVARELA

Champion (447)

MVARELA's picture

13-10-2017, 15:45

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

By Argon

Paragon (1126)

Argon's picture

17-10-2017, 16:45

Sold out :'(

By Lazzeri

Champion (280)

Lazzeri's picture

20-10-2017, 12:14

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

By Akiguchi

Hero (644)

Akiguchi's picture

20-10-2017, 13:19

Yes, I'm also buying when the new batch is out. Looks like a very cool game!

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

20-10-2017, 18:57

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

By Lazzeri

Champion (280)

Lazzeri's picture

20-10-2017, 20:34

utopian wrote:

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

Thank you for the info! Smile

Is there a pre-order list or somehing like that? I´d hate to miss the 2nd batch. Sad

By wyrdwad

Paladin (934)

wyrdwad's picture

21-10-2017, 05:19

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. Wink

-Tom

By hamlet

Scribe (4113)

hamlet's picture

21-10-2017, 07:55

Hehe, so is me!

By Akiguchi

Hero (644)

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27-11-2017, 21:28

Any news about the second batch?

By lolojapan

Supporter (14)

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18-12-2017, 18:17

second batch for Christmas ? Smile

By utopian

Rookie (18)

utopian's picture

21-12-2017, 10:37

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.

By sunn

Expert (105)

sunn's picture

09-10-2021, 09:54

Hi, could consider making a new batch of the physical cartidge? How many preorders would this require?

By sunn

Expert (105)

sunn's picture

10-10-2021, 11:11

Piter Punk wrote:
Louthrax wrote:

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).

Try this modded ROM: Sword of Ianna - Konami 8K MegaROM

It was modded to use Konami 8K page switching and to not use RLD to load the graphics. I tested this ROM in a real MSX, using ExecROM to load the game in a 2MB MegaRAM. It looks Ok to me, but I don't played it a lot, only jumped a few times and killed two enemies.

You're welcome to test :

Can this still be downloaded from somewhere?

By valkyre

Paladin (724)

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10-10-2021, 11:46

Retroworks maybe?

By sunn

Expert (105)

sunn's picture

11-10-2021, 05:37

They have version 1.2. But it does not have this patch.

By Randam

Paragon (1431)

Randam's picture

13-10-2021, 18:01

Is a new batch on sale? Because I still want one...

By AnsiStar

Master (146)

AnsiStar's picture

13-10-2021, 22:21

Looking for the cartridge too! Wink

By Piter Punk

Master (232)

Piter Punk's picture

14-10-2021, 20:13

sunn wrote:

Can this still be downloaded from somewhere?

Try this new link Sword of Ianna - Konami 8K MegaROM

It works well on MegaRAM but there is a problem that the color palette corrupts sometimes.

By sunn

Expert (105)

sunn's picture

19-01-2022, 22:45

Thanks. There is yet one problem with Sony HB-F1XD mk2. It is nearly impossible to type in the password as every keypress keeps repeating. So, instead of 0 I get 0000 unless I’m super duper fast. Is anyone else seeing this?