Crossed Sword is a beat'em up developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK. It was also released for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD.

The fantasy kingdom of Belkana is invaded by monsters, and the Demon Warlord Nausizz is pillaging the kingdom, wiping out settlement after settlement. A brave warrior called "The Knight of the Journey" has come to slay all these monsters.

The game is played from a 3rd-person view. You see your character from behind, and as a silhouette, similar to the Punch Out arcade game or Dead Angle. You fight with a sword or axe and you can strike from several sides. Enemies are fought one by one. There are two distances the enemies can change between, while you can only move left or right. If an enemy is in the longer distance, you can only hit each each with long range attacks. Some enemies can shoot projectiles, breath fire etc., while you have a special attack which shoots a magic ball. Sometimes you come across a merchant who will sell meat (replenishes health) and several weapons. You can use gold collected during the stages to pay. Each weapon come with a different magical spell. Using the weapon's magic is limited, but some enemies leave behind items that grant you another use. There are both offensive and defensive spells, like fireballs, magical shields or even a spell that turns most enemies into a straw man.
The levels are divided into several stages. You get points depending on your performance at the end of each stages. Scoring enough points will increase your level, which will extend your health bar.