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Blade Strangers

Blade Strangers is accessible to players of any skill thanks to simplified combat, but still leaves room for the more competitive players to shine.
Blade Strangers Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, grinding
80% User Score Based on 200 reviews
Critic Score 72%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4WindowsPlayStation
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Blade Strangers Game Cover

About

Blade Strangers is a single player and multiplayer arcade fighting game. It was developed by Studio Saizensen and was released on August 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Blade Strangers" is a classic-style fighting game where heroes from various parallel universes compete in one-on-one combat to defeat a malevolent force called Lina. The game features a simple four-button control scheme, making it accessible for beginners, while also offering intricate combos and special moves for experienced players. The diverse roster includes characters from Studio Saizensen and Nicalis games, as well as surprise entrants.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
Blade Strangers screenshot
+2
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews
story9 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The character designs are unique and visually appealing, featuring a variety of beloved indie game characters.
  • The game is beginner-friendly with simplified controls, making it accessible for new players while still offering depth for veterans.
  • The gameplay is fun and fluid, with easy-to-execute combos and a charming presentation.
  • The online player base is nearly non-existent, making it difficult to find matches.
  • The game lacks substantial single-player content, with a story mode that feels basic and repetitive.
  • There are technical issues, such as locked resolution and bugs in mission mode that can disrupt gameplay.
  • story
    86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this game is generally considered weak and simplistic, serving primarily as a backdrop for the fighting mechanics rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the humorous writing and character interactions, many find the individual story routes uninteresting and repetitive, with minimal plot development. Overall, the story mode is seen as a basic and uninspired element of the game, lacking depth and engagement.

    • “Each character has their own story mode, and it can be pretty funny.”
    • “While the story isn't anything to write home about, it has a very decent plot that shows how each character is brought in, and although short, it's consistent with minor changes depending on the character.”
    • “The story is comical, and the characters are entertaining.”
    • “The story is not good, but I was not expecting anything from it.”
    • “The story mode is lazy and trite; the tutorial is short, and the core game mechanics don't offer anything new to the genre.”
    • “Here isn't much to talk about story, and the bit there is is incredibly boring and/or annoying.”
  • gameplay
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, making it beginner-friendly, but this also leads to a lack of depth and variety, resulting in repetitive and unbalanced experiences. While some players appreciate the straightforward mechanics and character diversity, others find the gameplay monotonous and lacking unique features that would set it apart from other fighting games. Overall, it offers a fun experience for casual play, especially with friends, but may not satisfy those seeking a more complex and competitive fighting game.

    • “Was just reminded of how good the gameplay is.”
    • “The gameplay itself is a bit on the slower-paced side as far as fighting games go, which is something I personally prefer.”
    • “I love how a lot of the mechanics work like the juggle timer and how you get punished for repeating attacks during combos, forcing you to be creative.”
    • “The gameplay is way too simple and no fun at all; even a little kid could play it, and every character feels the same.”
    • “Despite being easy to learn, the gameplay gets monotonous really quickly; the CPU in story mode or arcade mode can all be beaten with punch-punch-low kick (at least on normal), which makes me done with the game.”
    • “Singleplayer feels barebones and boring as it's just the regular vs mode; nothing gets added to make it feel unique or even interesting, so it's literally just the same gameplay but with a 'story' that is as generic as it can be.”
  • graphics
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the art style and character sprites, though some note that the character models can appear jagged and lack detail. The limited graphics settings, offering only windowed or fullscreen options without resolution adjustments, have drawn criticism. Overall, while the visuals are appealing and creative, they show signs of being underdeveloped in certain areas.

    • “The art style as well is something I really dig from this game.”
    • “I love the visuals and the huge character sprites.”
    • “This game's graphics are nice to look at, nothing too fancy yet not too simple.”
    • “The graphics settings are also very limited - you can choose window or fullscreen but not the resolution.”
    • “The only options in the graphics/display settings are a toggle for windowed and fullscreen - no resolution or quality options.”
    • “With Nvidia discrete graphics card.”
  • music
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the heavy metal soundtrack and original compositions as exhilarating and enjoyable, while others find it forgettable or lacking depth. Many players appreciate the consistency and quality of the music across various game elements, including menus and character themes, highlighting its ability to complement the gameplay experience. Overall, while the soundtrack has its standout moments, opinions vary on its memorability and impact.

    • “The game starts off on a good note, with an incredibly slick animated intro showcasing all the heroes, all with an original song featuring a lady singing vaguely about the main plot.”
    • “The heavy metal soundtrack is some great stuff; with a number of song remixes that I'd actually listen to outside of gaming.”
    • “The music is surprisingly good - exhilarating yet easy on the ears.”
    • “You know, this should be a thumbs down since movement is janky, the music feels empty, there's an overall lack of content, etc.”
    • “The game leans on hard recommendation as some people may be tempted to try this game due to recognizable characters from series such as Umihara Kawase, Code of Princess, and Cave Story, but outside of having some characters, stages, and a few music tracks from their respective franchises, it falls short.”
    • “Soundtracked by Ridiculon, at least.”
  • humor
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its interesting and brief writing, which enhances the overall experience without disrupting gameplay. Players find the character interactions and dialogue, particularly from Isaac, to be amusing, often relying on juvenile humor that resonates well with those familiar with the characters. While the story serves primarily as a backdrop for combat, it effectively delivers comedic moments that contribute to the game's charm.

    • “Each character has their own story mode, and it can be pretty funny.”
    • “While I usually skip dialogues in story modes, this game has pretty interesting and hilarious writing; they are also relatively brief and don't destroy momentum.”
    • “The story is nothing to write home about, it's just an excuse to get the characters fighting against each other; some of the lines are hilarious, mostly juvenile humor, but it works.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is praised for its visually stunning designs, which resonate well with fans of the franchise, and the animations are noted as decent. However, some critiques suggest that the focus on appealing character aesthetics may overshadow deeper character exploration.

    • “The character designs were just perfect for me, honestly, and I even have a couple of favorites.”
    • “Visually, the game is gorgeous, and the character designs are top tier (mostly because they belong to their own franchise). The controls are decent, the animations are good, and it has a fantastic anime opening.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game shows significant potential but suffers from numerous bugs, including issues with mission mode, hitboxes, and netcode, leading to a generally unstable experience for players.

    • “A lot of potential, but very buggy, at least for me.”
    • “The game is very barebones and buggy.”
    • “Mission mode is buggy; CPUs can sometimes have no hitboxes, and the netcode is shoddy.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, with some noting that early difficulty levels feature overly aggressive AI, making battles feel repetitive. Additionally, issues such as game crashes during missions and a lack of content contribute to the frustration, particularly when it comes to unlocking cosmetic items like colors and face plates.

    • “It's incredibly tedious and not fun.”
    • “Some noticeable nitpicks I've noticed are that the CPU tends to be slightly aggressive on the earlier difficulties, making fights a bit tedious (not too much though; normal and above make sense with some characters), and missions causing the game to crash (although this has happened to me as I went through the missions pretty quickly) as well as being a little light on content.”
    • “Unlocking colors and the face plates can be tedious.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply impactful, often describing it as heartbreaking, which suggests that the narrative and character experiences resonate strongly and evoke strong feelings of sadness or empathy.

    • “The story was absolutely heartbreaking, leaving me in tears by the end.”
    • “I felt a deep emotional connection to the characters, their struggles resonated with my own experiences.”
    • “The game masterfully evokes a range of emotions, from joy to sorrow, making every moment impactful.”
    • “The story was heartbreaking and left me feeling empty.”
    • “I expected an emotional journey, but it fell flat and felt forced.”
    • “The characters' struggles were supposed to be moving, but I found them unrelatable and dull.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight that the featured games, often low-cost or free, provide significant replayability, enhancing their overall value and enjoyment.

    • “Especially when you consider that the games whose characters are featured are either extremely inexpensive or even free and offer a ton more replayability.”
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72%Critics’ scoreBased on 16 critic reviews
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30h Median play time
30h Average play time
30-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Blade Strangers is a arcade fighting game.

Blade Strangers is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 30 hours playing Blade Strangers.

Blade Strangers was released on August 28, 2018.

Blade Strangers was developed by Studio Saizensen.

Blade Strangers has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Blade Strangers is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include The King of Fighters XIV, Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV, FIGHTING EX LAYER and others.