#IronSword

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Episode 68
IronSword is one of the best sequels on the NES, and definitely the best one with Fabio on the cover! Although the first game in the Wizards & Warriors series was very generous with lives and continues, this game is quite a bit more challenging!
The Wizards and Warriors series was created by Rare, but they were making so many games in the late 80's that they decided to hire a new company to make the sequel. It may seem crazy to let an unproved studio like Zippo Games make a sequel to one of their most popular games, but the risk paid off and Zippo delivered something amazing!
So how did this game get made? In this episode we'll find out, then we'll dive deep into the game play where we'll learn:
* How to beat EVERY Level!
* What's inside of EVERY TREASURE CHEST! Get all the best stuff!
* Where to find every SECRET ROOM, and there's even MAPS to show you exactly where to look!
* What items to buy at the game's stores!
* SHORTCUTS you can use to beat bosses or skip finding important items!
* How to RIG THE MONEY GAME so you always win!
* The secret to getting nearly UNLIMITED CONTINUES!
* Understanding how equipment, weapons, and damage works!
* How the game's SPELLS work - Know exactly what each one does!
* A SECRET GLITCH to keep your MAGIC after beating a boss!
* How to defeat EVERY BOSS, even MALKIL'S FINAL FORM... AND MORE!
Thanks for watching!
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

[@bamshiggity]

Man, I love that every video comes with a slice of game history. Really sets this guy apart from other channels.

[@56Tyskie]

Yeah it's really great to have some context to the game

[@carlrygwelski586]

Totally, its like a mashup of a lets play, a history lesson, a strategy guide and a stress reliever all in one place haha

[@eaglesheat1926]

Yeah I agree its my favorite part of his videos and set him apart in the guide type videos

[@Aeolaer]

Personally that's the biggest reason I watch/subscribe to him

[@tyo6896]

I watch it every time, maybe not the entire video second for second, but always the intro!

[@fierifipor]

One of the best soundtracks on the NES that no one seems to talk about

[@co81385]

I love the track for the last level. It is just very joyful sounding.

[@tallbianca]

I thought the last level music sounded too much like I already beat the game. Wind and air elemental stage songs were bangers though, and the money making game song is strong. The music for the underwater sub-dungeon when you go to find the stage spell would have been better on the earth stage, instead of repeating the mountain base song

[@jonathansoko1085]

​@@tallbiancait's okay that you're wrong

[@tallbianca]

@@jonathansoko1085what did I say that’s wrong, Jonathan

[@nobodyspecial115]

That's not surprising since David Wise is involved lol DKC 1 & 2 are musical masterpiece

[@xvenomtype0x]

Omg THANK YOU for explaining the damn collision/damage in this game! This has been a trauma from my childhood figuring out how it works!

[@smoothALOE]

The animation and graphics of this game are easily some of the best that the NES had to offer. I have never played this game, but I am impressed.

[@co81385]

This game gets credit for just how large the bosses are!

[@smoothALOE]

@@co81385 especially for that era of gaming.

[@jonathansoko1085]

I remember chosing this over MegaMan 2 and I'm glad I did, to this day I just hate MegaMan. This was more my speed

[@mixschrecks3839]

One of David Wise’s best soundtracks. The true hero of Ironsword.

[@HoopleBogart]

I never knew this was David Wise. Very cool.

[@Rav123123]

The music in this game, particularly the intro and stage 1, is just amazing

[@moulinexm7600]

The water elemental music gave me nightmares as a kid

[@lareh5501]

Don't have Saturday morning cartoons like the 80s and 90s, but this *u can beat video games* series is a very nice supplement to that nostalgia.

[@kevinplu88]

This game was ahead of its time. I logged so many hours into Ironsword - one of the most memorable and favorites as a child.

[@wonkabahr2786]

Mine too. Definitely one of my favorites. It always takes me back!

[@CylenX6]

This game was like the OG of Dark Souls with its difficulty!

[@towermoss]

This was the hardest game I had as a kid. Never got anywhere with it. Nice to see a full playthrough

[@Killerkarotte1]

It was frigging hard, but i managed to beat it. Even as a teenager. Haha.

[@jamesscobey9687]

I've watched every episode. I'm not saying I'm addicted but... I even set you up to sooth me to sleep. Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior are my favorite bedtime secrets. Please keep up all the good work.

[@adambomb138]

Bedtime secrets. That's cool

[@stanley9731]

Keep em coming! So happy when i found this channel. Its a great break from a long work week!

[@gamerboy6787]

Dude, how cool is it that you got to speak directly to one of the Pickford bros and pick his brain? Your vids are always interesting and engaging, even for games I've never heard of -- like this one. I always appreciate the brief history lesson in each video before you begin the walkthrough.

[@Ratralsis]

I remember my dad spending hours getting the money to get the diamond sword, only to wind up opening a chest shortly afterward and getting a different weapon. He was pretty chill about it, figuring that he at least had it for a little while, and the game must not have wanted him to keep it.

[@mr.emanon7684]

Some BS ain't it lol

[@LordSephleon]

Yes! This game is one of my favorite NES games (something I thought was a guilty pleasure for a long time, since none of my friends seemed to like the series). I had a blast playing the first game, but this game was the one I kept coming back to even after I finally completed it. Definitely going to love this video!

[@NickSchoenfeld]

Oh man… the memories are coming back. I remember being stuck for so long because of that hidden stein/cup that the bear wanted in the Earth area. And the music… oh man the music.

[@Black01Dragon]

I loved and hated sliding down those slopes on the mountain. I also loved searching for secret rooms.. This was such a great and weird game back in the day. Very nostalgic for me. Thank you for covering it!

[@ADAYE2020]

Yes searching for hidden rooms was the best!!

[@Jazzypants2007]

"Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth" And Ma-Ti, with the power of heart! Malkil was Ted Turner all along! I KNEW IT! Once again, your in-depth knowledge of the game astounds me, UCBVG! I didn't know you could keep your spells after beating a level, I'll definitely be trying to keep Windbane.

[@JadenMoon1475]

I might not know who Ted Turner is, but all you did was reference Captain Planet.

[@redwolflancer3051]

I actually played this one before the first and like it better,I'm starting to get that excitement i used to on Saturday mornings thanks to UCBV

[@WyldFox]

I never knew that secret door by jumping off the side of the mountain at the very start and even though I never beaten the game, gotten to the final boss several times, it is always nice to see what I may never have known. Was excited to see this video when it was announced.

[@LegendoftheDragonSword]

I made it to the final boss several times as well. I just gave up one day and sold the game. The controls were frustrating and I don't really know if I even had an understanding of the spells and such looking back on it now. I guess we didn't miss out on much of an ending, huh? Lol.

[@richardoaks8333]

Since Generation Gap Gaming has been on hiatus, you're helping fill the retro space in my life. This channel is about to double in subscribers

[@OneTato]

I have really good memories of how tough this game was. I did beat it but with help of a friend's game genie lol

[@joshuasears4566]

Love this. I got this game as a kid because of the cool box art but then had absolutely NO IDEA where to go.

[@rockleesmile]

The elementals used to scare me as a kid. Was nice to see this game again cause I spent a lot of time trying to get further in it.

[@co81385]

I was about to post this too! I too used to be scared of them as a kid, especially the fire and water ones!

[@onebadlt123]

Oh hell yes, I was secretly hoping you'd do this game for a long long time now. Finally! It's a game I couldn't ever beat!

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

This might be the first time you covered a game I had as a kid that I have never beat. I enjoyed the first Wizards & Warriors so I got this one and put some time into it. I could never beat it though.

[@Eener1000]

This is one of my favorite games of all time. The gameplay isn't the best, but it has such a great atmosphere. It was parodied in Southpark I think with the quest of Lemmiwinks. The Pickford brothers have a great website (just google their name) where they tell lots of stories about their time developing games with concept art and original work sprites.

[@Sonicstillpoint83]

In spite of the fact that I never got past the third stage, I had a blast coming back to these incredibly difficult challenges over and over as a kid. Thank you for showing me what I missed and was doing wrong.

[@ArinZephyr]

I've got to the "fight the elementals" part a zillion times as a kid and that part just seemed impossible... thank you for showing me how to beat this video game!!

[@LegendoftheDragonSword]

Me too. So much so that I finally sold it and never looked back until now.

[@DaWhiteTyger]

FINALLY! Yes, Thanks UCBVG! I recall you said you would do this game eventually, and now it's done. I'm watching every second of this video! Thanks again dude! You rock! Wish I were as good as you, lol!

[@pinfarmer]

This is my favorite series on KZbin now. Consistently good

[@weezel365]

THANK YOU! I never played Wizards and Warriors until I was an adult but I begged my Mom for Ironsword just from seeing it on TV. So many hours spent on this game... I can still hear the music any time any where in my head and remember going nuts when I finally beat it.

[@_polpon]

These videos are invaluable, I really appreciate your effort in doing these!

[@johnathanarcher1487]

I was just waiting to see how long it would take for you would mention Fabio. 4:00 is pretty good.

[@davidhershberger7899]

the sequel to my favorite NES game. Thanks so much for your hard work and awesome videos. now back to the action.

[@Greentunic84]

The music here is so nostalgic for me. My brothers and I had one of those old " Secret Video Game Tricks, Codes and Strategies " VHS tapes back in the day and the music here always reminds me of watching that tape.

[@hannes8835]

I can't say it enough, how I love the graphics and images you put on the screen for us to look and read. Thank you very much for your work.

[@tallbianca]

This was one of my all-time favorite NES games growing up! I had it for years before I finally beat it at age 13. I still wish the Sun Elemental battle scene theme woulda been a perfect loop, because I LOVE that groove. Instead there is that eternally grating extra snare that gets in the way. Kinda like how those little floating demons always get in the way of my jumps!

[@buckfiden7076]

Dude, I don't remember playing some of these games till you post a video on it!!!! Thanks for bringing some of my wonder years back for me!!!

[@obscuredoblivion444]

I absolutely love this series! Your videos are full of information and historical facts, while your narration is exhaustive yet consice. I'm impressed that golden retreiver knows so much about NES games!

[@SIFAssassin]

Man oh man, this takes me back. I played this a ton back in the day, and only managed to beat it a few years ago. Thanks for the nostalgia trip.

[@ninjaramen]

I remember playing this game as a kid after having seen the “Johnny Arcade and the Power Team” t.v: show and being utterly confused as to why Kuros did not look like a Conan clone in the game. I mean they had Fabio cosplay on the cover lol.

[@jason3561]

I'm so glad I found this channel. It's like a juicy slice of nostalgia with every video.

[@chasonlapointe]

Great playthrough and history lesson! I never did beat FabioSword but I'm beginning to think watching you beat games is more fun than doing it myself!

[@RemyWillard]

I don't know what's funnier. 1. "FabioSword" or 2. my eyes blurring at an inopportune time while watching this video and not catching the first P in "Asps Tongue Spell" right away

[@Anaklusmos42]

Everything I'm saying has already been said, but your channel is made out of pure quality ! Quality gameplay ? Quality commentary ? You've got all of that.... And more !

[@Mrfox2025]

Loved this game!!! Awesome soundtrack…I always liked trying to fight the shop keeper

[@RyanRead]

Good memories on this game. Loved the open world and you made the final battle look easy.

[@FLipSide5254]

Thank for you showing us these old games that I've never heard which help me decide which games I want to collect for use that missed this nes generations.

[@thecornettmultiverse]

Alongside MegaMan 2, Ironsword was the defining experience for me as a gamer. Thank you for giving respect to a game series that I feel has been forgotten over time. It’s also educational to see how the game was designed, because even now I was confused on how some of the spells and mechanics worked.

[@The16bithero]

I was always curious about this game series in particular, haven't played them yet, but it's always good to see my man beating these games. Btw, thanks for always, and thanks to you I managed to finally beat Zelda 1, Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest, and I'm planning on beating Zelda 2 and other hard games in the future, following your guide, of course!

[@kevinbell84]

Haven’t finished the video yet, but to reiterate other’s comments. The research into the history of the games in your videos is great.

[@boodro2122]

I have a molded SNES Classic. By watching your channel, you give me options for adding and trying new games that I may not have otherwise had the knowledge or confidence to play. Thanks for making games fun!

[@HerculesCoronaBorealis]

Absolutely! What a gem of a channel. So well put together. Totally love the genuine great love the creator puts into his work.

[@mr.battle20]

Played the hell out of the original Wizards and Warriors when I was a kid. Only played Iron Sword for about an hour or so. A friend of a friend owned it, and I happened to be over at his house that day. So it's nice to see the game in its entirety here.

[@EthanHeathen]

LOVE this game. This and Astyanax were the first games I ever purchased with my own cash. I love this series and Im so glad youre doing more! Looking forward to 3!

[@LegendoftheDragonSword]

Lol. I owned them both too. They were always $20 compared to the $40-$50 better games. Definitely some of the more playable, affordable games on NES for sure. Unlike 720, which still makes me mad thinking about it to this day.

[@apap1586]

I remember this as a new game; I've was about 11 years old. Thank God for game preservation. I still have my original NES; of 32 years ago ;talking about being well built.

[@wonkabahr2786]

My memorie of this game is the same as you said. I remember getting at first release and I have been a fan ever since.

[@apap1586]

@@wonkabahr2786yeah those Nintendo games were pretty hard as hell ; some took months to beat.

[@disciple2742]

Thank you for all the quality content. I appreciate the research you do to teach us something about the making/history of the game.

[@FilterExel]

This game brings back memories. Excellent guide as usual.

[@captainobvious8736]

My favorite way to start my Saturday mornings when I'm cleaning my hocleaning my house. Thank you so much

[@anthonybalista7421]

Started playing this in daycare when I was 4, it became one of m favorites! Once I got it at home I spent hours and hours playing it and eventually beat it when I was (I think) 6-7. The music was so good, finding secrets was always exciting. Just a great game overall.

[@blip1]

Man, this game was tough! I never finished it! I actually beat the water elemental by running through the tunnel without having ever found the scroll, hahaha

[@trudownsouth8490]

I never played this one. The first one is just burned in my memories. Nice review on that. Now, how about Rollergames?

[@Silenced23]

This game intrigued me as a kid. I loved playing it and now with this video I can actually finally beat it after 30 years.

[@nevertell7629]

This is the content that i love and i also loved watching this channel grow from double digits to 79K!

[@machetey]

Dude you got me waking up for these like back when Saturday morning cartoons were a thing.

[@bahamutskingdom]

So many memories. Got this in 1991, while my sister bought Final Fantasy. About a month later, I completed this game. My sister was stuck on FF......so I asked if she wanted help. She gave me the game, and said she was done. And thus my life-long love of Final Fantasy began. And it all really began with IronSword Wizards & Warriors II.

[@CreightonDevers]

This sat for $12 at my LGS for months and I always passed because of the terrible romance novel cover. Now I wish I'd picked it up for that price! Half my recent NES acquisitions have been due to this channel! Sending my thanks, and a bit of my wife's hate.

[@Dadbot]

Love your videos man. Especially your doggy. So many little wholesome things about your vids. Don’t ever change

[@jd5179]

Got this as xmas gift from my dad back in 1989. One of the best NES games i ever played

[@HarvNuTZ1]

Holy nostalgia. Right in the feels. Thank you for your service UCBVG and cute puppy.

[@adamglover6948]

A friend of mine had this when I was a kid, we couldn't read at the time so we had no Idea what we where doing. Glad to see This here, thank you for the upload.

[@nugboy420]

3:58 “Fabio on the cover… it may look ridiculous….” I can’t stop laughing idk how I missed this one I have watched since about the 8th episode and this is prolly the hardest I have laughed.

[@kirkanos3968]

I don't know why it took youtube soo dam long to bring me to your channel and very happy it finally did. I could watch your videos 24/7 amazing work, love all the info on these iconic games right from the start. I loved this game growing up and the music used to record a lot of game music with my walkman this was right after contra ST.

[@sailorcentrist5077]

Love this channel! Love all the detail you put in.

[@underwearskids1]

YES!!!! Grats on the website! That last game track reminds me of Moody Blues = Tuesday Afternoon

[@belowboyt9876]

Love that bonus game code. You could essentially max out on lives if you make it to stage 4 and have plenty to beat ice fire mountain. When I was younger i usually made it to the earth realm and that was the end of it.

[@CUBANIDAD]

I love all of your videos! I'm so happy you chose this game. People rarely talk about this game, but it was one of my all time favorites! Everything about this game impressed me as a kid. I recently re-purchased this cartridge and it all came back to me 25 to 30 years later.

[@heroinmom153]

I just love this channel. The research, presentation, and tips are top notch above other gaming channels. I wanna see this channel get huge.

[@AcedeKlown]

This channel have started to move... to my top favorite channels! Insight, humour, strats well explained, and very relaxing to watch and/or listen to

[@Sorrowablaze]

I loved this game as a kid when it was new. I couldn't get very far.... The music is one of my favorites from the nes era!

[@BabySkinCondom]

i really enjoy watching you play all these games i never got to play as a kid lol

[@garyhall7867]

Man, that was mighty impressive. Usually I skim.through videos, but definitely had to watch this in its entirety, and may have to.reference it when I play it some more. Have been playing this here and there the past couple of weeks. Could never make it past the earth stage

[@markdasparkauto1780]

I am in my forties and thanks to you I beat a lot of my childhood games. Thank you bro and keep it coming

[@michaelschuett]

Man I rented the crap out of that game, probably so much I could’ve owned it. Love the bit of history in the beginning, really sets you apart from others.

[@LegendoftheDragonSword]

Probably. It was always in the $19.99 section every time I ever saw it lol. I got it as a Christmas gift one year and felt the givers really low-balled me. Paid them back with "Super Glove Ball" the next Christmas. I know it was low, but it still makes me laugh.

[@johnroyston3859]

Oh man... This is a piece of my childhood right here. I haven't thought about this game in probably 25 years 😂 awesome 👍

[@jtrosa]

I look forward to a video from you every Saturday. Thanks for the constantly great content.

[@mullinsjm1]

I beat this as a kid. It was such a good game!

[@crowballard]

This is the episode I’ve been waiting for since this channel began!

[@abysscallstoabyss55]

Hellz to the yeah, man! Loved this game! Got my coffee got my bong out, let’s do this! Thanks for all you do! ☕️ 💨✌️

[@jedirayden]

I remember I had a friend who had Wizards and Warriors the original game, I borrowed it from him one summer and honestly I don't think I ever gave it back to him. I saw this sequel a few years later at the video store for rental, and my dad rented it for me. I never got past the clouds. It was too different from the original game and I couldn't figure it out at all. This video is helping me understand a LOT that I never knew as a kid lol.

[@splugereport]

Such a wonderful series. Thanks for all your hard work

[@Docta50]

I got this game for Christmas when I was 9 in 1991. It kicked my ass for months. I got the game genie for the next year's Christmas. Even with cheats, it still kicked my ass. Fabio was the bane of my NES collection. This one was put beside Monster Party in my stack of "nope" games as a kid.

[@Xaintrix]

Really appreciate all the hard work you put in. Thank you.

[@OfficialSNMvids]

I remember renting this game and having to have to beat it in 3-5 days before I had to return it and remember the Earth level being the hardest for me. Enjoyed the video! \m/

[@wonkabahr2786]

This my favorite video you have done yet! Hopefully you will eventually do all the other Wizards and Warriors games. They are my favorite NES video game series. Also, I love the game maps on the left of the screen. They remind me of the game maps that were in issues of Nintendo Power magazine back in the day. Well done!

[@samuelbarrett1082]

Can't believe I actually beat this game back in the day. It took SO many tries. The end guy killed me no less than one billion times.

[@tophie79j]

So glad you did W&W2! love this series

[@leqesai]

Its always good to see a new episode of my favorite show!

[@JonTalbain777]

This one hits home. I loved Wizards and Warriors; it was one of my favorite NES games. I got this one on release, with the Fabio cover and everything, and it was one of the few games I owned that I could never beat, and the one that probably frustrated me the most. I just could never finish the four elementals at the end. I would have killed for this guide! ah well, for those sentimental reasons, this is my favorite playthrough or yours by far. Thank you!

[@LegendoftheDragonSword]

I feel you. I considered myself to be a pretty solid gamer when I was young - beating TMNT, Ninja Gaiden, Blaster Master, Battle Of Olympus, etc., but I always perished on those four elementals. Definitely one of my greatest gaming failures as a youth. One I know I'll never spend the time to go back and finish. Too many other games in the back log that will take precedence. After all these years, though, it's nice to see someone else finish it off.

[@hisson1984]

This is my favorite game of all time the music the levels the bosses everything is just perfect

[@JoshBruin77]

This channel is the modern Nintendo Power! I found this game to be even more difficult than the first but I love it. The music is also absolutely fantastic. Vampire

[@artokilponen6989]

One of the most memorable musics that ice fire mountain theme. It is also one that a beginner piano/keyboard player can easily learn :)