Lots of new Genesis games have been released, and they’ve all been great so far. We’ve seen a ton of shmups and action titles that have given us a ton of hours of new experiences on a console that was formally put out to pasture three decades ago. Small studios have been making names for themselves by producing retail-level products that have helped create a decently-sized aftermarket environment that has even prompted established studios like Yuzo Koshiro’s Ancient to return to 16-bit game development.
Genesis does, indeed…
Now, another young group of game makers has joined the battle! A Brazilian studio called Versão LTDA is preparing its debut title, called Sword of the Apocalypse, which was originally announced as a 32X title for the upcoming FPGA-based Neptune console by the Brazilian company GamesCare. The initial small, four-man team out of São Paulo was composed of diehard Genesis fans, including RheoGamer, known in the retro community for his work on the Genesis version of Real Bout Fatal Fury.
A lot has happened since that initial announcement. The game is now coming to the stock Genesis in physical form, and the 32X version may appear later down the line. Also, the game’s engine and Versão’s development team have changed since the first announcement and alpha version was shown, but things have come together quite well, and Versão LTDA continues to develop an action title in the same vein as Shinobi III that emphasizes exploration. Sword of the Apocalypse looks to give Genesis owners hours of fun exploring its huge levels, finding and upgrading weapons, and taking on massive bosses. Even at this early alpha stage, the game looks phenomenal, with crisp, detailed, and colorful graphics, fluid animation, and some really cool stage effects. From our time with the most recent build, which was shown at this year’s RetroCon in Brazil, we can tell that Versão LTDA is taking its time with the design, ensuring that the gameplay is perfect.
Sword of the Apocalypse has players take control of a young man named Henzo who is about to fulfill a 500-year-old prophecy. General Oda Nobunaga had nearly conquered Japan thanks to a pact he made with an evil oni (a mythical Japanese demon). Oda had been transformed into a nearly-indestructible creature, and he was thwarted only by the power of Japan’s greatest ninja, Hanzo. Armed with his magical sword, Hanzo prayed to the gods for the power to defeat his foe, and he sacrificed himself to seal away Oda’s soul. Oda vowed to return and get his revenge, and now, a young freerunner named Henzo has stumbled onto the ancient sword, absorbing the power of the ancient ninja and unlocking the final battle of a half-millennium-old struggle.
Henzo can do all the standard ninja moves you expect, but he has some nifty moves beyond running and jumping. He can wall jump as well as Joe Musashi, and his ability to slide down when hanging onto a wall is incredibly useful for gauging where you have to jump to next. I don’t know why more games haven’t included the mechanic because it makes the practice much less stressful and more intuitive because you can see what’s below you before you leap. There are plenty of opportunities to use it, too. The demo stage is massive and requires platforming to get through several environments before arriving at a huge tree boss.
When you start the stage, Henzo has yet to find the sword. There are no enemies, and he navigates the level by platforming using his parkour abilities. None of the jumps are particularly hard, and you can see what’s below you by holding down. I did feel that there was just the tiniest bit of lag in the jumps, though, but I don’t know if that was the demo or my Analog Mega SG. It was only a problem when trying to slide down a wall into a small opening. It was likely my shoddy platforming skills, as I had no problem with other jumps, and I should be able to get the hang of it with a bit more practice.
There are lots of different areas within the level to explore, and they all come to life when you find the sword. Then, all the enemies appear, and the true action begins! Henzo gains a life bar and a limited supply of throwing stars, and both go very quickly if you’re not careful. Falling into water kills you instantly, and some enemies can one-shot you. I managed to get to the tree boss, who drops acorns and shoots a massive branch at you, and he decimated me pretty quickly. I think the final game be more balanced once it’s further along in development.
I really like the graphical style of Sword of the Apocalypse. It looks both modern and retro at the same time (does that make sense?). The demo stage changes from day to night after you get the sword, and there’s some nice parallax scrolling. The graphics are colorful and detailed, which is impressive for so early a version. I’m really excited to see how the final game is going to look. The musical track
The teaser trailer above will give you decent idea of what the game looks like in motion. We are definitely going to be keeping our eyes on Sword of the Apocalypse’s progress and can’t wait for a more complete build. Versão LTDA is aiming for an April 2026 release, but they haven’t specified if the game will be funded through Kickstarter or other option. We’ll report any news on our social media pages (you are following us, right?), so be sure to keep an eye out. From what we’ve seen so far though, Sword of the Apocalypse is shaping up to be a major Genesis release. We can’t wait to see the final version.
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