I came across Brothers Gemini's Sword of Legends while browsing the list of 2010 IGF Main Competition entries, and while this likely won't capture the attention of anyone searching for innovative game design, it looks like a charming action RPG with an interesting side-scrolling setup and 16-bit-style graphics.

"The goal of this project isn't to break any new ground with revolutionary concepts in gaming, but to rekindle the traditional model of what gaming once was and what it can still be," says the team. "Sword of Legends is a throw-back to the great classics that many gamers grew up enjoying, and will continue to enjoy as long as this genre is kept alive."

Sword of Legends's plot -- which has the hero celebrating his birthday by going out on a short adventure with his new sword, only to return to find his village ablaze -- is as generic as the game's title, but the sword techniques you can learn and having computer-controlled allies tag along seem promising.

Brothers Gemini (Troy Thompson and Paul Hubans) started the project in 2006 and began seriously working on it earlier this year. Though the team suspended development due to personal reasons -- completing just enough of the game to submit it for IGF 2010 -- you can watch a playthrough of Sword of Legends's first half here.