Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited

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"Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited" is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game, consisting of two remastered games from PlayStation Vita, originally released only in Japan. In Saviors of Sapphire Wings, players lead a new generation of heroes to defeat the Overlord of Darkness and restore light to the world. Stranger of Sword City Revisited offers additional content, including expanded character creation and new events, for those who enjoyed Saviors of Sapphire Wings. Expect lots of grinding and approximately 8 hours of gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited screenshot

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

Stranger of Sword City Revisited offers a solid dungeon crawling experience with good mechanics and a variety of character builds, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
Saviors of Sapphire Wings features an interesting story and character customization, along with a more beginner-friendly approach compared to its predecessor.
The graphics and soundtrack in both games are well-received, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion of the gameplay.

Both games suffer from significant technical issues, including controller support problems and bugs that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The port quality is criticized as being poor, with many players experiencing crashes and input lock-ups, making the games difficult to play.
Some players find the gameplay repetitive and grind-heavy, with a lack of creativity in dungeon design and enemy variety, leading to a less engaging experience.

gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
70%
9%
The gameplay in "Sword City" has received mixed reviews, with players highlighting its frustrating mechanics, particularly around character deaths and lack of clear enemy strategies, which can lead to significant time loss. While some appreciate the variety of enemies and the depth of mechanics, others find them overly simplistic and reliant on player patience. In contrast, "Saviors of Sapphire Wings" offers a more accessible experience with improved gameplay features, such as multiclassing and a bond system, making it a more favorable choice for those seeking a less punishing dungeon-crawling experience.
- “Has good mechanics and 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.”
- “With the new gameplay features like the automatic mapping system with an included minimap, makes the game much more accessible to casual players.”
- “Sword City is so bad that my character is dying in one shot in the training dungeon, requiring me to spend all my money to revive him and continue. Then I'm encountering enemies that the game hasn't explained how to fight yet, and I only know the mechanics to fight them from having read up on the game beforehand.”
- “The classes lack distinguishing features until late game, and the dungeons are fairly one-note with their gimmick mechanics.”
- “The game mechanics themselves are very, very bare-bones.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
67%
10%
The story aspect of the games received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the depth and emotional connections between characters, while others found the narratives lacking or less engaging compared to previous titles. Many noted that the story is well-integrated into the gameplay and environments, enhancing the overall experience, though some criticized certain characters and pacing. Overall, while there are highlights in storytelling, opinions vary significantly on its execution and impact.
- “I really enjoyed the story of SOSW.”
- “On a bright note, I felt the story was very well-connected to the environment, so each time the location changed, I didn't feel like it was just a random place where I had to complete a few tasks, but there was a real purpose behind the traveling.”
- “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.”
- “Sapphire Wings is just far more boring out of the gate after Babel, which sets you up with subclasses after like one mission and gives you starting skills after playing Abyss, so you're not just mashing auto-attack over and over for multiple rounds, and enemies have enough HP to survive 4+ turns.”
- “But disappointed enough to leave this review as a do not recommend before sinking my teeth into the game's possibilities as a dungeon crawler with a fair amount of story.”
- “Both games are virtually similar in terms of gameplay and mechanics, with their major difference being in customization and story pacing.”
grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
94%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game is a mixed experience; while some players find it excessive and challenging, others appreciate it as a necessary aspect of character development and combat preparation. The presence of speed-up options during battles helps mitigate the grind for some, making it more manageable, though certain bosses can still pose significant challenges regardless of grinding efforts. Overall, players who enjoy old-school dungeon crawlers may find the grinding rewarding, while those less inclined towards it might feel overwhelmed.
- “The grinding in this game strikes a perfect balance; it's challenging but not overwhelming.”
- “I appreciate that the grind feels rewarding and not just like a chore.”
- “The grind is engaging and keeps me motivated to level up my character.”
- “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.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
37%
19%
The graphics in the game are praised for their beauty and nostalgic appeal, with a mix of old-school and modern styles that enhance immersion. Players appreciate the distinct art styles, ranging from gritty and serious to light and anime-inspired, although some note limited character customization options. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “As aforementioned, graphics-wise, the game is beautiful and has a refreshing style, although it clearly belongs to the old-school category.”
- “Beautiful graphics and music.”
- “Sword City's art style looks nice for how static it is.”
- “Sosw: low-budget remake of a much older experience game with light, anime art style.”
- “It's a wizardry-style dungeon crawler RPG featuring Japanese anime graphics.”
- “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.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising it as beautiful and fitting, while others found it repetitive and lacking depth. Many appreciate the soundtrack's charm and its alignment with the game's themes, though a few noted it doesn't reach the heights of iconic composers. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience for most players, despite some dissenting opinions.
- “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 so vapid that I outright turned it off for the entirety of my playthrough.”
- “Repetitive music of 2 tracks.”
- “The music is no Yuzo Koshiro, period.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is largely criticized, with many users reporting significant bugs that lead to game-breaking glitches, including lost progress due to input issues. However, some players have not experienced any glitches at all, indicating a mixed experience regarding stability. Overall, the presence of critical bugs makes the game unplayable for some users.
- “But these are game-breaking glitches, and I have already had 2 hours of progress destroyed because a type input puzzle locked me.”
- “Buggy inputs make this game unplayable.”
- “Very buggy.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 hardware.”
- “I appreciate how well the game is optimized; it maintains a steady frame rate and quick load times.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the character designs and enemy visuals are praised for their quality, there is little mention of depth or growth in character development, suggesting that the focus may be more on aesthetics than on evolving narratives.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
The game offers high replayability, drawing comparisons to the Wizardry series rather than typical roguelikes or classic dungeon RPGs, suggesting a depth and variety that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “You should keep in mind that this title is more akin to the Wizardry game series; unlike most roguelike or classic dungeon RPGs, the replay value is high.”
- “The replay value is quite low, as the game doesn't offer enough variety in its mechanics or story to keep players coming back.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to replay it; the lack of meaningful choices and consequences really diminishes replayability.”
- “While the game has a great initial experience, it quickly becomes repetitive, making it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate that players are concerned about the monetization strategy, perceiving it as a cash grab that may deter them from supporting the game.
- “The question has to be: do you want to support this kind of cash grab just to play these games?”
- “The monetization model 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.”

81%Critics’ scoreBased on 9 critic reviews

Buy Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited

8h Median play time

8h Average play time

8-8h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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