Stray Blade

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 24
  3. Negative: 4 out of 24

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. TheGaminSeshion
    Apr 21, 2023
    8
    I definitely enjoyed my time with the game. I'm not much for story driven titles, but even trying to skip the story, I found myself stopping to listen from time to time. I also find the price to be right on point. Just casually playing the story with a little bit of exploration on the side, you'll easily get at least 30 hrs out of the game. To me $1:1hr is a good price point.

    I also had    I definitely enjoyed my time with the game. I'm not much for story driven titles, but even trying to skip the story, I found myself stopping to listen from time to time. I also find the price to be right on point. Just casually playing the story with a little bit of exploration on the side, you'll easily get at least 30 hrs out of the game. To me $1:1hr is a good price point.

    I also had a lot of fun around the end trying to one-shot bosses with a certain rune+weapon combo =).    … Expand
  2. AsterosTheGreat
    Apr 21, 2023
    8
    Stray Blade is an adventure game with souls-like elements. But that description doesnt describe the way the game is. I will go into a few of the main aspects of the game and give the good and the ugly about it.

    Combat: -The game has a parry, a dodge and with certain weapons a block. Perfect parries stagger an enemy for a second, deal poise damage and give back stamina. Parrying at just    Stray Blade is an adventure game with souls-like elements. But that description doesnt describe the way the game is. I will go into a few of the main aspects of the game and give the good and the ugly about it.

    Combat:
    -The game has a parry, a dodge and with certain weapons a block. Perfect parries stagger an enemy for a second, deal poise damage and give back stamina. Parrying at just the wrong time blocks the damage, but doesnt stagger the enemy and leaves you open to a second attack. Just like parrying, perfect dodging recovers you some stamina but doesnt stagger enemies. And blocking is well... blocking.
    -The combat can feel clunky at times due to its unforgiving damage and stagger when you dont perfect dodge or parry and the stamina economy also requires you to do perfect parries and dodges. Some weapons have slow attack combos and dont have enough hyper armor, nor can you increase your poise like in a Fromsoft game. It takes some getting used to but eventually the flow of combat will become more of a dance then a battle. If you can find the patience for it that is.
    -The abilities you unlock troughout the game (Intium, Manninite and Xhinnon) have their own uses in combat, Intium is fun, Manninite seems fun but doesnt do enough to make it worth it and Xhinnon turns on easy-mode.

    Story:
    -The story is pretty good if you read all the extra lorestones you can find around the game and talk to Boji whenever you can. Without the lorestones and Boji the story does become confusing, and the ending becomes very confusing and a bit weird.
    -The valley of Acrea is very rich in its culture and history, and you can find out quite a bit about how the society was before their fall. Many areas have interesting tid bits of lore regarding them. The valley also looks very pretty.

    Exploration:
    -The exploration is this game is quite fun and reminds me of metroidvanias. You go trough an area, see some stuff you dont have the ability to get and come back later to find some nice customizations or other secrets.
    -The world as noted before looks great and each new area is great to look at and run around in.

    Performance:
    -I ran the game on high settings on a 3070, Intel I-7 10700k with 16GB ram. I only noticed minor performance issues in certain areas. (Have to go back and check the areas again to give acurate and recent statistics on this since my info on this is outdated)

    Final Thoughts:
    Stray Blade is a good game that I am going to be replaying a handful of times with some fun challenges for myself. There are aspects that could be better or design choices that couldve been made differently but looking at the game as a whole its 100% been a blast and I cant wait to see what the future brings to this game.    … Expand
  3. Zombiewithms
    Apr 21, 2023
    8
    I really like the game. I've never played a ga,e like this because I've never seen a game like this. It's very clever and has a 'Souls-like' combat to it, and by that I mean it will wreck you, which gives you a huge feeling of reward when you take one of the bosses down. The graphics look great and the controls are very fluid. If you are on the fence about getting it or not, get off theI really like the game. I've never played a ga,e like this because I've never seen a game like this. It's very clever and has a 'Souls-like' combat to it, and by that I mean it will wreck you, which gives you a huge feeling of reward when you take one of the bosses down. The graphics look great and the controls are very fluid. If you are on the fence about getting it or not, get off the fence because (1) that's weird (2) it's worth it.… Expand
  4. MrFuzzyOfficial
    Apr 21, 2023
    10
    The game is real fun , really enjoying the fighting mechanics , A huge PLUS for the graphics and the smoothness the game runs , a lot of to explore and the story is really great.
    Worth buying!
  5. DreadStorm
    Aug 16, 2023
    10
    Хоть и SOULS-Like игра, но много положительного)) Графика на уровне, боевка не напрягает, играет просто без жутких головоломок (хотя порой теряешься куда идти). Но игра в целом веселая.
  6. Zer0TheHer0
    Aug 19, 2023
    10
    Unexpected excellent game.

    Looks great, controls great, it's really fun to play, very engaging and it's refreshing to have a good center camera for once in those games!

    Excellent, much recommended.
  7. Raikenight
    Apr 21, 2023
    10
    I really enjoy Stray Blade, From the story, to the music to the cast of characters. I love the weapon variety, the armor, and watching Farren and Boji grow close over the course of there adventure was a nice touch.
    The combat is fluid, and once you get the hang of it, feels so nice.
    The music is also amazing, from the highs and lows, and fits the pace of combat.
  8. bokarsh-z
    Apr 26, 2023
    6
    ===========
    only worth 25 dollar
    =========== - 20 - 30 hour long. -unpolished game alot of glitches (strongest glitch u cant maxed ur weapon to lvl yourself) and sometimes when u kill enemie drop item places u cant reach. -sluggish combat clunky counter and evade but playable, sometime unresponsive control, stupid ai, little monsters type, disappointment graphics and disappointment final    ===========
    only worth 25 dollar
    ===========
    - 20 - 30 hour long.

    -unpolished game alot of glitches (strongest glitch u cant maxed ur weapon to lvl yourself) and sometimes when u kill enemie drop item places u cant reach.

    -sluggish combat clunky counter and evade but playable, sometime unresponsive control, stupid ai, little monsters type, disappointment graphics and disappointment final boss.

    -uninteresting story but loved hero and little fox.

    -great lvl design, lvl up skills mechanic, difficulties, map, game have problems but i have fun.    … Expand
  9. Wavew
    Jun 22, 2023
    0
    1º Es imposible jugarlo sin querer arrancarte los ojos. Mi ordenador tira perfectamente cualquier juego actual AAA pero con esta basura no mantiene FPS suficientes como para una mínima nitidez.

    2º Todo es antiguo, feo y tosco. Después de Woo Long o el mismo Elden Ring, este "soulLike" se siente como una broma, mas que como un juego. No tiene sentido alguno, y no me extiendo mas por    1º Es imposible jugarlo sin querer arrancarte los ojos. Mi ordenador tira perfectamente cualquier juego actual AAA pero con esta basura no mantiene FPS suficientes como para una mínima nitidez.

    2º Todo es antiguo, feo y tosco. Después de Woo Long o el mismo Elden Ring, este "soulLike" se siente como una broma, mas que como un juego.

    No tiene sentido alguno, y no me extiendo mas por que ni merece la pena.    … Expand
  10. Jt0429
    May 23, 2023
    5
    Good-
    Decent aesthetic and colorful environments that can be fun to explore. Combat has a nice heftiness and the finishers look cool. Intriguing lore and a large map to explore.
    Bad- Parry and Dodge system is awkward, and limits overall expression in combat. Skills restricted to mastering different weapons, which must also be crafted. Dull protagonist, and constant pacing breaks.    Good-
    Decent aesthetic and colorful environments that can be fun to explore. Combat has a nice heftiness and the finishers look cool. Intriguing lore and a large map to explore.

    Bad-
    Parry and Dodge system is awkward, and limits overall expression in combat. Skills restricted to mastering different weapons, which must also be crafted. Dull protagonist, and constant pacing breaks. Numerous bugs, especially for enemies, combined with a distinct lack of polish. Enemy variety feels limited.

    Thoughts-
    Stray Blade is a game that could have been something more. With additional polish, it could at least be more fun to play, ensuring smoother exploration and less problematic enemies. However, even if some of the design choices with the combat warrant some significant overhauls, you’re still left with a fairly average story, above-average to decent exploration, and a nice-looking aesthetic. It just isn’t worth dealing with, given all the other issues.    … Expand
  11. TilenFirman
    Apr 21, 2023
    3
    Unfortunately, I found Stray Blade to be lacking in several key areas. Firstly, the visual performance was subpar on PS5 heavy stuttering all the way and unimpressive graphics that detracted from the overall gameplay experience.

    In addition, the design of the game felt unpolished and uninspired, with uninteresting environments and unmemorable character designs. The combat system was    Unfortunately, I found Stray Blade to be lacking in several key areas. Firstly, the visual performance was subpar on PS5 heavy stuttering all the way and unimpressive graphics that detracted from the overall gameplay experience.

    In addition, the design of the game felt unpolished and uninspired, with uninteresting environments and unmemorable character designs. The combat system was clunky and unsatisfying, with little variation in moves or strategies.

    Furthermore, the variety of enemies felt limited and repetitive, with little distinction between them beyond cosmetic differences. And finally, the story was unengaging and failed to captivate my attention, with underdeveloped characters and a lack of compelling plot points.

    Overall, while I can appreciate the effort that went into creating the game, I cannot recommend it due to these significant issues that hinder the gameplay experience. Even with the current discount on PS Store.    … Expand
  12. FlimmFlamm
    Apr 21, 2023
    9
    The graphics are bright and cartoony which I felt fit the narrative of the game quite well. The combat offered a good balance of difficulty. It wasn't so hard that you got frustrated and gave up, but it isn't so easy that you just walk in and kill everything by spamming attacks. I found the story to be interesting and I often times just skip the narrative part of games. If you likeThe graphics are bright and cartoony which I felt fit the narrative of the game quite well. The combat offered a good balance of difficulty. It wasn't so hard that you got frustrated and gave up, but it isn't so easy that you just walk in and kill everything by spamming attacks. I found the story to be interesting and I often times just skip the narrative part of games. If you like adventure games that offer moderate challenge, beautiful scenery, and good character progression this is a good game to try out.… Expand
  13. GoukiJones
    May 2, 2023
    10
    If you are looking for some hardcore sword fighting check out this game. The dodging and counter system takes concentration and practice. Overcoming the intricacies of each particular enemy in the game was a lot of fun. Stray Blade is definitely worth a play through.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. GGRecon
    Jun 16, 2023
    50
    There are things to love here, and there is visible potential within reach. A lot of the major problems with this game could be fixed. That said, with combat as poor and as prevalent as this, Stray Blade is very difficult to recommend to anyone.
    Read full review
  2. GameStar
    May 31, 2023
    59
    Stray Blade wants too much and fails to deliver most of it satisfactorily. You're better off playing Elden Ring again.
    Read full review
  3. IGN Italia
    May 3, 2023
    67
    Stray Blade attempts to revamp the soulslike formula by focusing on a polished narrative, a close-knit pair of protagonists, a colourful and light game world and a potentially excellent combat-system. Not everything, however, worked as planned.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »