Stolen Sword is a one-finger action game about a swordsman chasing the thief who took his blade. You never walk or press a jump key. Instead, you pull back like a slingshot, watch a faint path appear, and let go to launch through the air. Time slows almost to a stop while you aim, so each strike feels calm and deliberate. Ian Chiao made it for js13kGames 2020, and every tree, cliff and fighter is drawn by code.
How to Play Stolen Sword
Click or tap when the title finishes fading in. Your swordsman runs in from the side, and the first enemy slides into view. Enemies are drawn as dark symbols with a red dot. Red symbols are hazards that hurt you if you touch them. On your very first visit, a moving hint shows how to drag.
Press anywhere and drag away from your target. A dotted path shows where you will fly, and gravity bends it into an arc. Release to dash. If the path touches an enemy, your blade cuts through it. You start with two dashes, and every hit sets you back to at least one.
Some enemies fire rings of red squares. Others wear a curved guard that bounces you away until it is worn down, and some can heal over time. One hit turns part of your outfit red. A second hit sends you back to the start of the current wave.
The chase runs across four stages, from a bamboo forest to misty lakes with water you can splash through. Short story captions appear between stages. Click to read on.
Stolen Sword Controls
| Action | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Start the game | Click once the title appears | Tap once the title appears |
| Aim a dash (time slows while you aim) | Press and drag away from where you want to go | Touch and drag away from where you want to go |
| Dash and slash | Release the button | Lift your finger |
| Continue after a story caption | Click | Tap |
Tips and Strategies
- Aim with short drags first. A longer pull gives a stronger dash, but small pulls are easier to control near the ground.
- Chain your hits. Since each strike leaves you a dash, line up the next enemy before you release.
- Use the slow motion. While you hold, the world nearly stops, so take a moment to watch where shots are heading.
- Wear down guards from a safe angle. A guarded enemy knocks you back, so approach where the bounce will not throw you into fire.
- Hit the main body of a group. Some enemies are linked to a core, and destroying that core takes the whole group down.
- Drop into water to recover. Falling into the water refills your dashes in the later stages.
Features
- One-input control: the whole game uses a single drag and release.
- Slow-motion aiming: time slows while you line up a dash, with a live trajectory line.
- Saved progress: your current stage and wave stay in your browser, so you pick up where you left off.
- Four hand-built stages: bamboo groves, swaying bamboo platforms and calm lakes with mirror-like reflections.
Tested and updated:
