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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
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
80% User Score Based on 227 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4WindowsPlayStation
Blade Strangers Game Cover

About Blade Strangers

Blade Strangers is a single player and multiplayer arcade fighting game with a anime theme. It was developed by Studio Saizensen and was released on August 27, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

A malevolent force known only as Lina is devouring data from a vast, interdimensional network of servers overseen by sentient computers called ”motes.” In desperation, the motes summon heroes from a variety of parallel game worlds to face off against each other in one-on-one combat.

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Games Like Blade Strangers

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Reviews

80%Audience ScoreBased on 227 reviews
story10 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions

  • Simple and accessible fighting mechanics make it easy for beginners to pick up while still offering depth for experienced players.
  • Diverse and unique roster featuring beloved indie characters from franchises like Cave Story, Shovel Knight, and The Binding of Isaac adds charm and crossover appeal.
  • Smooth animations, solid gameplay flow, and a fun combo system provide an enjoyable experience, especially for casual local multiplayer sessions.
  • Online player base is very small or nearly dead, making matchmaking and finding matches difficult.
  • Controls and input configurations, particularly on PC and with controllers, are awkward, unintuitive, or require workarounds.
  • Lack of content depth, with shallow story mode, limited game modes, repetitiveness, and some technical issues like glitches and crashes.
  • story

    95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    11% positive mentions, 82% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The story mode is generally viewed as basic, short, and largely uninspired, serving mainly as a light narrative framework to connect fights rather than providing deep or engaging plotlines. While some humor and character-specific quirks are appreciated, the story lacks depth and complexity, often feeling more like an extended arcade mode with dialogue. Fans of included franchises may enjoy the character interactions and references, but overall, the story is not the highlight of the game.

    • “There is a story mode, which while not the most in-depth or particularly interesting plot, adds flavor to the characters in the game.”
    • “While the story isn't anything to write home about, it has a very decent plot that shows how each character is brought in (even though it is very meta in regards to fighting games itself). Although short, it is consistent with minor changes depending on the character.”
    • “Each character has their own story mode, and it can be pretty funny.”
    • “You can tell there is a lot of love with the IPs but it feels like a bare basic MUGEN mod. Improvement definitely can be done to the UI as well as making the story mode a bit more detailed rather than just throwing in a couple fights and the fight a big bad boss we don't really know the importance of.”
    • “Here isn't much to talk about story, and the bit there is is incredibly boring and/or annoying.”
    • “Singleplayer feels barebones and boring as it's just the regular versus 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 generic as it can be.”
  • gameplay

    75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 71% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Blade Strangers is characterized by simplified, accessible mechanics that emphasize approachability and fast-paced fun while retaining some depth, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced players. While the combat system offers unique elements like combo variety incentives and comeback mechanics, it can feel slow, somewhat basic, and occasionally unbalanced, with limited high-level complexity and a modest roster size. Overall, it provides an enjoyable but not groundbreaking fighting experience that is best appreciated by those who favor straightforward yet strategic gameplay over intricate technical systems.

    • “Rather than competing directly with the most mechanically dense titles in the genre, Blade Strangers focuses on approachability, personality, and fast-paced fun, creating an experience that feels inviting without being shallow.”
    • “Each character is designed to be mechanically distinct, encouraging experimentation and catering to different playstyles, from aggressive rushdown fighters to more defensive or technical options.”
    • “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. I like how the high damage options are either risky or cost meter, I like how the normals just feel strong and work even when they don't visually seem like they would, which is a surprising feeling from a modern game. The different ways you can mix up and pressure someone are really enjoyable and smart defense is heavily rewarded, and in general the game just feels good to play.”
    • “Its on the same sluggish engine as Saizensen's other outings and largely uses the same mechanics.”
    • “The mechanics are extremely simplistic, and the game is pretty beginner friendly, but there's little to no potential for high level gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is way too simple and no fun at all, even a little kid could play it, every character feels the same.”
  • graphics

    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    45% positive mentions, 41% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The graphics in Blade Strangers feature a distinctive blend of 3D models converted into 2D sprites, delivering an anime-inspired aesthetic with fluid animations and large character sprites. While the art style is generally praised for its creativity and energy, some players note rough edges, jagged outlines, and limited graphics settings, particularly lacking resolution options. Overall, the visuals are visually readable during fast-paced combat and appeal especially to hardcore fighting game fans who appreciate its style despite minor graphical imperfections.

    • “Visually, Blade Strangers adopts a unique approach by converting 3D character models into 2D sprites, aiming to combine fluid animation with an anime-inspired aesthetic.”
    • “I love the visuals and the huge character sprites.”
    • “The graphics settings are very limited - you can choose windowed 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.”
    • “While some players may notice rough edges or scaling artifacts in the visuals, particularly at higher resolutions, the overall presentation remains energetic and visually readable during fast-paced combat.”
  • music

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    68% positive mentions, 16% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for being strong, varied, and fitting well with the stages and characters, often featuring remixes and rock or heavy metal elements that enhance the experience. It includes memorable themes, satisfying sound effects, and complements both gameplay and menus effectively. While a few find some tracks less impactful, overall the soundtrack is considered a standout and enjoyable aspect of the game.

    • “The music is surprisingly good - exhilarating yet easy on the ears.”
    • “The soundtrack is really good for basically every instance: menu, training music, stages, character themes; it’s all pretty good, including the satisfying sound effects for hits and attacks.”
    • “The heavy metal soundtrack is some great stuff, with a number of song remixes that I’d actually listen to outside of gaming.”
    • “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 few music tracks from their respective franchises, it lacks depth.”
    • “Soundtracked by Ridiculon, at least.”
  • humor

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with amusing character-specific story modes and witty, brief dialogues that maintain gameplay momentum. While the story serves mainly as a backdrop for battles, its juvenile yet funny lines add charm, especially for players familiar with the characters.

    • “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.”
    • “Each character has their own story mode, and it can be pretty funny.”
    • “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

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development is praised primarily for its strong and visually appealing character designs, which are considered top-tier and a highlight of the game. However, some users feel the characters lack depth and charm in smaller details, suggesting room for more robust development beyond aesthetics.

    • “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 and the animations are too and it has a banger anime opening.”
    • “All in all, a good purchase for the price of $2 and I suggest you buy it to help the creators. They could tweak the game to make it reach the worth of the original $20 since it's a great idea and the character designs are amazing. It just falls a bit flat in the tinier areas; make it more robust and have a sense of charm to it.”
  • grinding

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is generally seen as tedious and unenjoyable, making it better suited for casual or local play rather than long-term competitive sessions. Unlocking cosmetic items can feel repetitive, and some early difficulty spikes and technical issues further detract from the experience.

    • “It's incredibly tedious and not fun.”
    • “Unlocking colors and the face plates can be tedious.”
    • “The experience often feels best suited for local play or casual sessions rather than long-term competitive grinding.”
  • stability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game shows potential but suffers from numerous bugs, including issues with mission mode, missing CPU hitboxes, and unstable netcode, leading to overall poor stability.

    • “A lot of potential, but very buggy at least for me.”
    • “Game is very barebones and buggy.”
    • “Mission mode is buggy; CPUs can have no hitboxes sometimes, and the netcode is shoddy.”
  • emotional

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game delivers a warm and heartfelt emotional experience through its charming crossover roster and classic fighting mechanics, creating enjoyment without aiming for deep or heartbreaking storytelling.

    • “Its blend of simplified mechanics, charming crossover roster, and classic fighting game sensibilities ensures it stands out as a heartfelt and enjoyable entry in the genre, even if it never aims to dominate it.”
  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Replayability is praised for being high, especially since the featured games are either very affordable or free, providing extensive value and long-term engagement.

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Play Times

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 with anime theme. Common tags for Blade Strangers include 2d and 2d fighter.

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 27, 2018.

Blade Strangers was developed by Studio Saizensen.

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

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

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