Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited
- March 16, 2021
- Codeglue
- 8h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited," players navigate two challenging dungeon-crawler RPGs. In "Saviors of Sapphire Wings," you're a fallen hero revived to save a fantasy world, while "Stranger of Sword City Revisited" features an aircraft crash survivor chosen as a champion in a monster-filled city. Build your parties, customize skills, and make strategic decisions to overcome various obstacles and enemies in these immersive, story-driven adventures.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Excellent dungeon crawler with good mechanics and a variety of enemies, providing plenty of options for character builds.
- The story is engaging, with cute elements and phenomenal music that enhances the overall experience.
- Offers a solid package with two games, both of which have unique features and improvements over their original versions.
- The port is plagued with technical issues, including poor controller support and frequent crashes, making it frustrating to play.
- Gameplay can be excessively grindy, which may deter players looking for a more streamlined experience.
- Some players have reported unresponsive controls and bugs that can lead to soft locks, significantly impacting the enjoyment of the game.
- story20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its depth and emotional impact, particularly through character development and faction-driven narratives. While some found the story engaging and well-integrated with gameplay, others criticized it as uninteresting or less focused compared to previous titles. Overall, the narrative is seen as a strong aspect for many, despite some complaints about pacing and character annoyance.
“I have finished the main story for this game, with the dark ending.”
“The strongest part to me is the story: if you allow yourself to dive into the knights of the round theme of a group of reincarnated heroes who failed to defeat evil in their last opportunity, you can easily feel the urge to make things right.”
“The music, the art, and even the story, which surprised me, are all excellent, but it's the gameplay in this that will stick with me.”
“The story was driven from the three different factions.”
“Both games are virtually similar in terms of gameplay and mechanics, with their major difference being in customization and story pacing.”
“The portraits are pretty cool in Sapphire Wings, but it pales in comparison to the more fleshed out characters in the story modes of the Untold Etrian Odyssey remakes.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay in both games is generally praised for its solid mechanics and variety of enemies, with players noting a few technical issues that are manageable with regular saving. While both titles share a similar style, they differ in difficulty, pacing, and customization options, with one game offering a more engaging upgrade system and multiclassing mechanics. Overall, players appreciate the complexity of dungeons and the unique gameplay elements, though some have experienced frustrating bugs that hindered their experience.
“Has good mechanics and a variety of enemies.”
“The music, the art, and even the story, which surprised me, are all excellent, but it's the gameplay in this that will stick with me.”
“Pretty decent first-person dungeon crawlers, with some interesting mechanics.”
“That can't be true because I spent at least one hour debugging what possibly softlocked me from starting the game and then finally experiencing a few seconds of gameplay before softlocking again.”
“Saviours is a different game from Stranger; some changes I like and others are a bit different. It's kind of neat to see some old familiar enemy faces in Saviours that you saw in Stranger. I think the pacing is slower in Saviours than in Stranger; however, that grind is still there. I really like the fact that you can multiclass in a sense, with a main class and a subclass, and you can change out either the main or subclass for all but the main character, whose main class is unchangeable. Saviours, aside from some differences in certain mechanics, more or less plays like Stranger, so if you've played that or any other DRPG, it won't take long to catch on to Saviours' nuances.”
“Both games are virtually similar in terms of gameplay and mechanics, with their major difference being in customization and story pacing.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- -13 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a mixed sentiment towards grinding in the game, with some players finding it excessive and tedious, while others appreciate it as a necessary aspect of the genre that enhances combat difficulty and character development. Many note that grinding can be mitigated by speed-up options and that it is not as crucial as in other dungeon crawlers, though some bosses still pose significant challenges regardless of grinding efforts. Overall, players seem to agree that while grinding is present, it can be enjoyable and rewarding, especially when it leads to character interactions and improved combat performance.
“The grinding in this game strikes a perfect balance; it's engaging without feeling overwhelming.”
“I appreciate that the grind is rewarding and not just a mindless task.”
“The grind feels meaningful, as it contributes to my character's growth and progression.”
“Way too grindy for my taste.”
“Some enemies are just beyond hard and even grinding won't help you all the time.”
“Too much grinding.”
- music11 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and fittingness, with many reviewers highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some comparisons to other composers like Yuzo Koshiro were made, the consensus is that the soundtrack is phenomenal and adds significant value to the game. Overall, players feel that the music, alongside the art and story, contributes to a well-rounded and enjoyable package.
“It's cute enough with some surprises, the music is phenomenal and definitely fitting, and you definitely get your money's worth with this package.”
“Music is beautiful, though it's clear they use some tunes from Stranger; combat is very fun; character building is very flexible.”
“Stranger of Sword City: this is still one of my favorite games, a very good dungeon crawler with two whole art styles to choose from, lots of ways to make your party, and amazing combat and music.”
“The music is no Yuzo Koshiro, period.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are noted for their serious and gritty art style, with some users praising the gorgeous design. While one remake features a light, anime art style, the higher-budget version offers a darker aesthetic that enhances the dungeon-crawling experience. However, limited character customization options have been a point of contention for some players.
“+ Graphic/design is just gorgeous.”
“Beautiful graphics and music.”
“Sosw: low-budget remake of a much older experience game with light, anime art style.”
“The fact that you have very limited customization of your characters (visually) also turned me off initially (you get three options for each of their appearance: 1) fighty looking one 2) magicy looking one 3) retro art style one).”
“It also sticks to the more serious and gritty art style all throughout.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is inconsistent, with some users reporting severe game-breaking glitches that can result in lost progress, while others have not experienced any issues at all.
“Very buggy.”
“But these are game-breaking glitches, and I have already had 2 hours of progress destroyed because a type input puzzle locked me.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Both games are well-optimized, running smoothly without any significant technical issues reported by users.
“Both games run smoothly without any major technical issues.”
“The optimization is top-notch, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
“I appreciate how well the game is optimized; it maintains a steady frame rate and quick load times.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong sentiment against the monetization strategy, with users perceiving it as a cash grab that raises questions about whether players should financially support such practices to access the games.
“The question is, do you want to support this kind of cash grab just to play these games?”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
