Alright.
Unlike many purists on Newgrounds, I don't knock people who use elements from other games (even as far as near-copies). I appreciate how tough it is to make a decent flash game, and even more, to be original at the same time. For what it is, The Swords is a pretty good beat-em-up/RPG with pleasing graphics and some replay value.
However, I do have a few problems that could use fixing. First, as some others have said, the pace of the game is slow: characters move somewhat sluggishly, and enemies take a bit too long to take down (I should be able to kill a chicken in 5 or 6 hits max). I also think that the RPG elements are played down. Yes you level up and kinda get better, but being able to choose skills and attributes to increase would give the player more control. Increasing the number of items in the shop would also allow for customization.
My biggest complaint, which I'm not sure is a broken part of the game on my computer or is completely missing, is the lack of a save feature. After beating the first couple levels and buying some equipment, I went to the main menu and left my computer. When I came back and clicked "Play Game," all of my previous progress was gone. Again, I don't know if that's a glitch or not, but saving is extremely important in a game with leveling, money/equipment collecting, and such replayability. Either fix that if it's a glitch, or put it in if it wasn't there originally.
Overall, a very solid game, but the slowness and the lack of/broken save definitely knocked off some point.