Swords and Sandals 3 Redux

after 100% the game, its a way less grindy version of the original, with way more features and also classes have been implemented, 9/10 would recommend if you are a swords and sandals fan

I just finished Swords and Sandals III Redux and I have to say I did not expect to enjoy it this much. I already liked Swords and Sandals II Redux a lot, but Swords and Sandals III takes the formula and expands it into something much bigger. Instead of just being an arena progression game, it feels more like a full gladiator RPG adventure. I ended up beating the entire game with a Rogue subclass for the Warrior class, mainly because I wanted to use swords and focus on agility and critical damage. Apparently only around 2.3 percent of players have finished the game using that subclass, so I guess I unintentionally picked a more difficult route. Like many people, I originally played the old Flash versions when I was younger. These games were everywhere back then. You would open them on random websites and suddenly lose hours building your gladiator and fighting in the arena. Seeing Swords and Sandals III brought back properly in Redux form feels like a huge nostalgia trip, but it is also more than just nostalgia. The biggest difference compared to Swords and Sandals II is how much the game feels. This change makes much more interesting. You are not just fighting one champion after another. You are discovering new enemies, and slowly improving your character while preparing for bigger threats. It gives the game a sense that the earlier entries did not fully have. The combat itself still feels very familiar. It is turn based and heavily influenced by stats, positioning, and a good amount of RNG. Sometimes you land a critical hit and destroy your opponent in a few turns. Other times the enemy gets lucky and suddenly the fight becomes much more dangerous than expected. My Rogue Warrior build focused mostly on agility, attack power, and crit potential. When things worked in my favor the damage could be insane. Landing consecutive hits with swords felt incredibly satisfying. At the same time this kind of build is not the most forgiving. If luck goes the wrong way or you miss important attacks, the fight can quickly turn against you. That is something players should definitely expect when playing this game. Difficulty spikes are very real here. Some enemies and bosses are much stronger than the fights before them, and if your build is not properly prepared you will definitely notice. The final boss especially tested my patience. Without spoiling too much, the last battle is not something you just walk through easily. It demands strong gear, solid stats, and sometimes a bit of luck. There were multiple attempts where things went wrong because of bad RNG or one mistake in positioning. When I finally defeated the boss after several attempts it felt incredibly satisfying. Moments like that are why the Swords and Sandals games are still fun. They can be frustrating at times, but when you finally overcome a difficult fight it feels like you actually earned the victory. Another thing I noticed while playing is how clearly this game influenced later entries in the series. You can easily see why the developer reused many of these ideas and assets when creating Swords and Sandals Immortals. The structure of traveling around a world, completing quests, and fighting stronger enemies already works very well here. The art style also deserves some appreciation. It keeps the classic Swords and Sandals look but feels cleaner and more polished in the Redux version. The gladiator designs, armor pieces, and environments all maintain that slightly goofy but charming style the series has always had. Of course the game is not perfect. Just like other Swords and Sandals titles, RNG can sometimes make fights feel unfair. There will be moments where the enemy gets multiple lucky hits or where your attacks miss at the worst possible time. Some players might find that frustrating, especially during harder boss fights. There are also occasional small bugs or strange moments, which is not too surprising considering the origins of the series. Thankfully nothing I encountered was serious enough to ruin the experience. Despite these flaws, I had a great time playing through the entire game. The mix of arena combat, exploration, character progression, and ridiculous gladiator battles still works extremely well even years after the original Flash era. Beating the game with a Rogue Warrior build also made the victory feel more personal. It was not the easiest way to play, but it made every difficult fight more intense and every win more rewarding. After finishing it, I can definitely say that Swords and Sandals III Redux is one of the strongest entries in the series. It expands the formula without losing the charm that made the original games so memorable. If you grew up playing Swords and Sandals on Flash websites back in the day, this is absolutely worth playing. It captures the same feeling while offering a much larger adventure. And if you are new to the series, it is still a fun and unique RPG experience as long as you are ready for some RNG chaos along the way. Now that I finished this one, I am even more excited to continue with the rest of the Redux games. If they keep the same level of charm and challenge, I will gladly keep sending my gladiators into battle. ⚔️

8/10

I wanted to post a good review but it seems the game is extremely unbalanced. I can't really go more than two fights in a row without losing. I lowered it to the easiest difficulty from normal, and I'm still getting consistently getting defeated in a single hit by the second or even first fighter. I'm playing with a more defensive build, so it is very discouraging to be downed in a single 80 damage hit. How you're supposed to play this game on higher difficulties without losing every fight baffles me. When you look at the gladiators you can fight, the easiest one has the same level as you do with the subsequent ones having higher levels (the original game had the easiest at 2 levels under you and the 2nd easiest at 1 level under you). Facing off against the same level gladiator already feels like a challenge balanced in favor of your opponent on normal. On very easy you'll usually win vs the very first opponent, but as I said before, you can still be killed in a single hit, even with high defense. Another thing is that ranged weapon users seem to defend against like 90% of your attacks making it impossible to kill them, because they'll get hit and then heal the damage you did while avoiding the next 7 of your attacks

Gra Moim Zdaniem jest żałosna i nie szanuje pierwowzoru tylko podrabia immortals, boss finałowy nie do pokonania nawet nie pozwala się ruszyć, już stary swords and sandals 3 miał lepszy balans. Ocena: Plusy: -6 Klas Postaci; 4 Podklasy miła odmiana -rozbudowana bardziej gra i talenty -ciekawe zdolności postaci -wybór poziomu trudności -rasy postaci mają bonusy Minusy: -to pseudoimmortals a nie SAS 3, obraza pierwowzoru -finałowy boss nie daje nic zrobić graczowi -problemy z balansem i brak automatycznego lvlowania po czempionie -wiele nonsensownych rzeczy jak runy które są słabe -denerwujące mechaniki z immortals i kilka denerwujących rzeczy własnych -drzewko talentów nie ma za dużo fajnych rzeczy -grafika jakoś wygląda brzydko i postacie dziwne -spirit pasek nonsensowna mechanika trochę mogli to zrobić inaczej -usunięty jeden element pancerza

Would of expected more new content, it's just a reskin. If you just wanna replay the older game with slightly better graphics and hud then it's for you.

No introduction needed. Gladiae Ultratus with a few improvements. Still unfair, still unbalanced, still as fun as when I was a kid.

I have hundreds of hours in the original, I love it way too much to be objective about my preference between these two. I think this version is likely better for casual fans who'd be unbothered by some of the changes (including the removal of some of the jank and bugs I've come to adore) and would be happier with the expansions in choices of class and gameplay in general. It is still possible to run the charisma build that taunts people to death though, so I have to recommend this game, even if it's my second favourite version of it. Soundtrack is still a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ banger as well

The game is comparably worser than the original. Too much RNG involve in every single buttons now. Bosses casually beat you in a single hit and you do abysmal damage in comparison.

play the mobile version before you buy