All companies that develop entertainment software sooner or later reach a climactic game that marks the studio's career. In the case of the guys at Retroworks, this is clearly “The Sword of Ianna”, as few recent games in the homebrew movement have been designed and carried out with such care and professionalism, and that it shows in every aspect of the game and, furthermore, entirely made in Spain.

It was released in 2017 for Spectrum 128 K / + 3 and for MSX-2 and, later in 2020, for Amstrad CPC, in a downloadable Rom for Dandanator (only the version for the Commodore 64 is missing and we would have the four emblematic systems of all 8 bits).

The first thing that should be noted is the large number of screens that we must overcome and that ensure a long duration of fun in each game. The gameplay that our muscular warrior with a sword gives us is very successful and, as the only downside, I would put that in some moments you do not know very well what to do or which door to open, or which way to continue but, having said that, it is not something which differs a lot from other labyrinthine games.

Our character runs, fights, jumps, climbs, performing all these movements with great fluidity. You will find a multitude of dangers, cliffs and enemies to kill and, from time to time, food that you will have to take to increase the energy bar. As the only downside, perhaps its final screen demanded a villain (The Lord of Chaos) of greater importance than the one we really meet, but that is already a personal opinion.

For the rest, there are no great variations between the three versions as they are very similar machines in their architecture and hardware configuration, especially due to the presence of the ubiquitous and wonderful Zilog Z80A, with very slight differences in megahertz speeds, but it is It is true that the MSX-2, with its more advanced video and sound chips, both of Yamaha origin, represent a notable plus in variety of color, graphic detail and soundtrack, compared to the other two opponents. Even so, it must be recognized that the CPC version is very close to the level of quality and mapping of the MSX-2, rather than the Spectrum, being curiously machines much more similar to each other. In the musical and sound effects section, there is also a slight advantage in the MSX-2, since its chip is a bit more advanced than the General Instrument chip mounted on the other two computers (and many more from that time, including the previous MSX-1).

In summary, we could say without fear of being wrong, that the version for Spectrum [8.3] is the most basic of the three, still making the most of, and in an exemplary way, the possibilities of a whole 128K; Amstrad [8.5] would follow, and MSX-2 [9] would be the first on the podium, taking revenge on those days when the versions of this unjustly abused machine were mere ports of the Spectrum version.

In short, a great game, of total eighties essence, which deserves a high score in all its sections. My sincere congratulations to RetroWorks and thank you very much for your effort and good work in maintaining the spirit of 8 bits.