A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android

Buy Now$1.00 USD or more

Available for Nintendo Switch™ on the Nintendo eShop, PS5® on the PlayStation®Store, Steam, Google Play, and the Apple App Store!

FREE DEMO BELOW!

The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island is a short, top-down adventure game inspired by several 16-bit games you know and love. It features a small island overworld, a large non-linear dungeon, countless monsters to battle, classic art that takes you back through time, and a nostalgic soundtrack. In the game, you venture on a quest to find the hidden Vanguard Relic.

Now includes a second island and dungeon, along with new enemies and equipment!

Use bombs wisely! There are several paths that can be opened with them, both visible and hidden. We absolutely want to encourage exploration and multiple play-throughs.

We're currently in the planning stages of a new, larger game called The Rusty Sword: Runelock Island. It will use our work on The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island as a foundation and feature a much larger overworld, towns, and several dungeons!

 

CONTROLS

Although The Rusty Sword can be played with a keyboard, we recommend that you do play with an official Xbox controller. Any XInput controller should work, but we don't currently have button re-mapping in-game and can't guarantee buttons on other controllers will map the same. However, using another software, like JoyToKey (https://joytokey.net/en/), to map the buttons on a controller of your choice to the keyboard assignments below works great!  

Move

  • Xbox Controller: Dpad or Left Stick
  • Keyboard: Arrow Keys or WASD                

Attack with Sword

  • Xbox Controller: A
  • Keyboard: Spacebar or Z

Lift/Throw Objects (bombs, bushes, jars, signs, certain rocks) or Read Sign (make sure to face front of sign)

  • Xbox Controller: B
  • Keyboard: X          

Use or Equip/Unequip Item 1

  • Xbox Controller: X
  • Keyboard: C 

Use or Equip/Unequip Item 2

  • Xbox Controller: Y
  • Keyboard: V 

Inventory Menu

  • Xbox Controller: Start
  • Keyboard: 1 

Settings Menu (in-game)

  • Xbox Controller: Back
  • Keyboard: 2 

UI Confirm

  • Xbox Controller: A
  • Keyboard: Spacebar or Z 

UI Cancel

  • Xbox Controller: B
  • Keyboard: X  

 

FEATURES

  • Non-linear adventure structure with multiple ways to get to most places.
  • Designed around single-player, but fully playable with two-player co-op.
  • Awesome graphics and music inspired by many 16-bit classics.
  • Several display options, including widescreen and classic aspect ratios.
  • Language support for English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Italian, and German, Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.


INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS

Windows

  1. Download and unzip
  2.  Run "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.exe"
  3. Trust exe if prompted

macOS

  1. Download and unzip
  2. Open "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.app"
  3. If the app cannot open...
  4. Open "Settings"
  5. Click "Security & Privacy"
  6. Make sure to be on the "General" tab
  7. If "Anywhere" is under "Allow apps downloaded from:", select it and close "Settings".
  8. Try to open "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.app"
  9. If the app still cannot open...
  10. Open "Terminal"
  11. Navigate to the app location using the command line (you may need online instructions)
  12. Type: chmod -R 755 "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.app"
  13. Open "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.app"

Linux

  1. Download and unzip
  2. Run "The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.x86_64"

Android

  1. Download apk
  2. Install with File Manager or preferred app
  3. Trust app if prompted

   

NOTES  

  • Any feedback on the game is very much appreciated!
  • You will need two connected/paired, compatible controllers to play co-op on Android (or any platform).
  • We are charging to download the versions with multiplayer to maintain our trademark for "The Rusty Sword" and fund the development of "The Rusty Sword: Runelock Island."


Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.

“PlayStation Family Mark”, “PlayStation”, “PS5 logo” and “PS5” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

©2022 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2022-2024 Plow Games. Plow Games, Plow Digital, The Rusty Sword, The Rusty Sword: Vanguard Island, and The Rusty Sword: Runelock Island are trademarks of Plow Digital, LLC. All other trademark names are property of their respective owners.

Purchase

Buy Now$1.00 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Windows The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 33 MB
Mac The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 43 MB
Linux The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 47 MB
therustyswordvanguardisland.apk 59 MB

Also available on

Download demo

Download
instruction-booklet.pdf 14 MB
Download
Windows Demo The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 33 MB
Download
Mac Demo The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 43 MB
Download
Linux Demo The Rusty Sword Vanguard Island.zip 47 MB
Download
demo-therustyswordvanguardisland.apk 59 MB

Development log

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Comments

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cannot select second island on android, why?

I think you're using the free demo version of the game. It locks out the second island.

i buy it on play store, still free version i get?

We accidentally had the full game set as the demo version when exporting it. A new build has just been uploaded to Google Play and itch.io with both islands available.

Incubator

Possibly a stupid question, but can I play as the girl in single-player mode?

No, the game is about Rusty, so he's always player 1.

Perfecto! <3

Thank you!

We just released a free update that adds a second island and dungeon, as well as new enemies and equipment!

Have it on switch great game but one issue was it was to short but I see great potential maybe even a franchise

Thank you! We are currently working on The Rusty Sword: Runelock Island, which will feature a much larger overworld, towns, new monsters, and several dungeons.

We just released a free update that adds a second island and dungeon, as well as new enemies and equipment!

(+1)

I just played The Rusty Sword on NSwitch with my sister! Really liked it as a concept- just like playing a retro Zelda title but with a friend! I hope the sequel goes well bc I'm itching for more! :)

(+1)

Glad you enjoyed it - thank you so much!

We just released a free update that adds a second island and dungeon, as well as new enemies and equipment!

Demo doesn't work. Whenever i open the app it just crashes. On chromebook

(+1)

Sorry to hear that! Chromebook isn't a device that we've tested the game on, but we'll be sure to look at it for a future update.

is the game local multiplayer or can It be online?

(+2)

It's local multiplayer only. Online would be super cool, but we'll have to do that kind of thing down the road.

Wow!

Thanks!

(-: