Sword of the Necromancer

Sword of the Necromancer is a top-down action rogue-lite RPG built around a single genuinely clever hook: the cursed sword you carry can turn defeated enemies into temporary companions who fight at your side. You are Tama, a former thief-turned-adventurer descending into a monster-filled dungeon to gather enough soul power to resurrect your companion Koko. The setup is emotionally straightforward, and the game leans into that romance arc harder than most indie RPGs in the genre dare to. Flashback sequences reveal Tama and Koko's history as you push deeper, and for a small-budget release, those story beats land with more sincerity than you might expect. The core gameplay loop has you clearing procedurally generated floors, collecting gear, and building a small squad of raised monsters. Different enemy types bring different abilities to your party, so there is some real decision-making in choosing which creatures to keep versus sacrifice for soul power. Early floors feel reasonably tense when you are juggling a skeleton warrior and a slime while dodging guardian attacks. The combat is serviceable twin-stick action, nothing that will stress-test your reflexes, but competent enough to carry the dungeon-crawl structure. Boss encounters gate your progression meaningfully and require you to actually learn patterns rather than just outlevel them. Here is where the honest accounting starts, though. The build variety does not hold up nearly as well past the midpoint. Equipment variety is thin, the monster roster starts repeating, and the procedural generation stops feeling fresh faster than comparable rogue-lites in this price range. The flashback storytelling, while sweet, is brief and does not branch or respond to your choices in any meaningful way. If you come in expecting CRPG-depth in the narrative department, dial those expectations back considerably. The writing is earnest but sparse, and the world outside the dungeon is practically non-existent. Tama deserves better quest design than "go deeper, hit things." There is also a local co-op mode where a second player can control one of your raised companions, which is a genuinely fun wrinkle that the game does not advertise loudly enough. Playing through the dungeon with a friend who is piloting your pet skeleton adds a chaotic layer the solo experience lacks. If you have someone to sit next to you, the whole package becomes noticeably more entertaining. Solo runs are fine but expose the content ceiling sooner. At 67 percent positive on Steam with a Metacritic of 69, the review spread is accurate. Sword of the Necromancer is not a failure, it is a modest, well-intentioned RPG that had a strong original idea and did not quite have the resources to develop it fully. Fans of dungeon crawlers who appreciate a sentimental story and do not mind shallow build options for a few hours will find something worth their time here. Anyone expecting a deep necromancer fantasy with meaningful resurrection mechanics will bounce off the repetition before the credits roll. Monika, Scout Team