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2023 · Point Blank Games · Action role-playing · Adventure

Stray Blade

What is Stray Blade?

Released: 20 April 2023
Platforms: PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox Series X/S
Genres: Action role-playing Adventure Beat 'em up Role-playing
Developers: Point Blank Games
Publishers: 505 Games
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy
Country: Germany
Age ratings: USK 18 ACB MA 15+CERO D CLASS_IND 16 ESRB M GRAC 15+PEGI 16
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 13hmain story25hcompletionist

About

Stray Blade is an action role-playing video game developed by Point Blank Games and published by 505 Games in 2023.

›Story

You discovered the Lost Valley of Acrea. Forgotten for millenia except in the ancient legends of the world’s greatest dynasties, it was overgrown and savage but unmistakably powerful, and you found it. Then you died.

Now, mysteriously revived by a curious creature, you find the land besieged with forces, each claiming its colossal ruined temples for their empires, and warring for dominion over the seat of elemental power, hidden at the crater’s wild heart. Prepare to enter the fray in a relentless battle of wits, stealth and combat as you race to fathom the valley’s ancient powers and harness them against its would-be ravagers.

Go head to head with fighters of The Golden Order, assassins from The Church of The Observer and warriors of The Blackclaw Clan as you explore towering throne rooms of giant god-kings and long-lost cities. And as you uncover their secrets, prepare to face even deadlier foes.

Persist in your mission with guidance from Boji, a native creature whose survival is at stake and who holds the key to yours.

Players say

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The adventurer Farren West dies while seeking the Lost Valley of Acrea but is resurrected later by a talking wolf named Boji. Players control West, who can be customized to be either male or female, and attempt to free themselves from the control of a crystal Boji used to resurrect West. Stray Blade is a Soulslike. Players must dodge or parry attacks in combat.

Enemies indicate their next attack by flashing a color: blue attacks can be parried, while red attacks must be dodged. To attack, players need enough stamina, which they recover by perfectly timed parries and dodges. Players can also execute combos. After defeating bosses, players gain special abilities that they can use to customize their character through a skill tree.

Development

505 Games released it for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on April 20, 2023.

Reception

Stray Blade received mixed reviews on Metacritic. Despite some bugs and poor performance in the PlayStation version, Push Square recommended Stray Blade to players looking for an entry-level Soulslike game. They praised the art style, narrative, and the combat, though they said combat could be "sluggish and imprecise". IGN wrote that it "tries and fails" to break genre conventions of Soulslike games.

Though they enjoyed the colorful world and simplified combat, they felt it fell short of the quality of other Soulslike games. NME called it "the Fisher-Price of Soulslikes" and said it does not maintain its positive initial first impression.