Crossed Swords II

Crossed Swords II (クロススウオードⅡ) is a Hack 'n Slash action game released in 1995 by ADK exclusively for the Neo Geo CD. It is the sequel to 1991's Crossed Swords.

Story
Decades have passed since the messenger of darkness Nausizz was defeated and peace restored to the kingdom of Belkana. This peace wouldn't last forever, though, as Nausizz's demonic castle has arisen from the depths of hell and his hordes of demons once again threaten the peaceful kingdom with chaos and destruction. Three brave warriors then join together to put and end to Nausizz's reign of terror.

Gameplay
Crossed Swords II features the same gameplay from his predecessor, with the addition of a new button for jumping and dashing, giving the player more maneuverability and allowing him to dodge incoming attacks. By pressing the attack button after dashing the player will make a horizontal slash which stuns enemies briefly, and by pressing the attack button after jumping the player will make a powerful downward slash.

The player can now choose between three characters: the Knight, who is powerful but slow, the Dancer, who is fast but weak, and the Ninja, who has balanced stats. After choosing the character, the player must choose between two game modes: "Nausizz Counterattack" is the main story mode, while "Karividu Arena" is a survival mode where the player fights various enemies consecutively.