Once you play it you'll be hooked
The mechanics of Demon sword was quite simple. There is a swing button for your sword, a fire button for your darts and then a special button for the limited special attacks that you would get when you entered those special houses and defeated the monster that i normally refer to as Medusa.
I say that this was RPG-ish because as each boss was defeated they released a shard that was attached to the sword making it longer and stronger. This at least kept the game balanced since the enemies got even more difficult in the later stages.
The graphics for demon sword were not the best for the NES, but it was at least serviceable. To tell the truth, I was a bit disappointed at first when booting up the game, and seeing the sprite for the main character. I was expecting a hulking He-manesque character as indicated on the box art, but instead got something looking like the soldier character from pirates of the Caribbean, complete with the hat and boots too. All in all though, the graphics are good and do not detract from the gameplay at all.
The strength of this game is in its gameplay, which can only be summed up in one word--superb. It is one of the only games that I can pick up today and still play to the very end without getting bored or tired. plus the stages are so well put together that you only wanna play some more. For instance, there is this stage where you are supposed to be going up for the whole stage, then when you reach the clouds you would fight the sky queen, but the stage does not eplain that. And if you waste too much time just running to the right, the hell dogs will come after you, and once this happens in the game you are pretty much dead. There is also another stage where you have to backtrack, but again the stage does not explain. So this is not just your typical run to the right kill all the baddies type of game. Not only that, it comes packed with little secrets that will make beating it much more easier.
All in all, if first impressions had lasted, I may not would have liked this game, but give it a stage or two, and trust me, this will be one of your favorites for the NES.