Stray Blade
- April 20, 2023
- Point Blank Games
- 2h median play time
A game with promise but in its current form just fails to hit the mark
Get on SteamCHECK OUT THE NEW DLC "VALLEY OF STRAYS" JOIN US ON DISCORD! About the Game Prove yourself in this action-adventure and master intense combat while exploring the ancient ruins of a mysterious civilization. Legends tell of Acrea the Lost Valley, a wild and overgrown place but unmistakably powerful. You found this forgotten land yet died. Time passes, and miraculously you are brought …
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a vibrant art style and interesting world design that encourages exploration.
- Combat can be rewarding once players master the timing for dodging and parrying, providing a satisfying experience.
- The game has a decent storyline and character interactions that add depth to the gameplay.
- The combat system feels clunky and unresponsive, with issues related to timing and enemy attack telegraphs.
- There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including frame rate drops and camera problems.
- The game lacks polish and can feel repetitive, with some players expressing disappointment in the overall execution.
- story114 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its ambition, character development, and innovative world changes as the narrative progresses, while others find it predictable and lacking depth. Many appreciate the engaging dialogue and humor, but some feel the story is not the main focus and can be easily overlooked. Overall, while the story has its strengths, it may not be compelling enough to keep all players invested throughout the experience.
“The combat is fun, leveling up weapons is neat, and the story is fantastic and gripping!”
“The story and relationship building between the two main characters is fantastic (you can choose to be a masc/fem character and masc/fem voice lines separately).”
“The story is well-done, the environment beautiful, and controls smooth.”
“The story is mediocre and really predictable.”
“The story is really generic and while it had some hints of potential, it didn't really do anything with it in my opinion.”
“However, there was nothing keeping me in or pulling me back to the game - no hidden area unexplored, no tough boss that I am this close to defeating, nor a storyline that gripped me so hard I needed to follow it.”
- gameplay66 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the engaging combat mechanics, particularly the dodge and parry system, which becomes rewarding once mastered. However, some have noted issues with clunky controls, visual cues that can mislead players, and a lack of polish, including bugs that affect the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the core gameplay loop is considered enjoyable, especially for those who appreciate open-world exploration and diverse weapon choices.
“It's the thing that got me interested in the game, but the gameplay has been fun and engaging as well.”
“Lots of weapons for different play styles and once you get the dodge/parry mechanic down, the combat is very rewarding and fun.”
“That being said, the core gameplay loop is fun; I like the block-dodge-parry mechanics a lot, and the different weapon choices.”
“For a souls-like game, a genre where timing and precise inputs are crucial, the gameplay feels very clunky and unresponsive.”
“The game also suffers from a very large amount of bugs, the biggest one being that the camera is constantly re-centering itself, making normal gameplay almost impossible.”
“With regards to gameplay, I thought there were some minor issues that made some enemies frustrating, due to visuals making you think they would attack sooner than they would.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their artistic style and aesthetic appeal, with many reviewers highlighting the vibrant textures and lighting that contribute to an engaging atmosphere. However, some players have reported performance issues, including frame rate drops and low-resolution graphics, particularly when attempting to run the game at higher settings. Overall, while the art style is well-received, technical performance remains a concern for some users.
“The atmosphere and graphics overall have been pretty epic on high settings.”
“Textures and lighting are on point and they leaned into the art style in a beneficial way.”
“Love the art style, it’s got this El Dorado vibe that is really fun.”
“I have a fairly modern gaming computer and I couldn't go 4K with ultra graphics without low FPS and stuttering.”
“No matter what I changed the graphic settings to (even when lowering the resolution percentage to 60%), I still experienced constant frame rate drops in 4K resolution with an RTX 3080 and i9 processor.”
“Other issues are that the graphics are low-res and sort of cartoony, combat is often unresponsive and requires absolute perfect parry and blocking, there is no crouching, the only form of sprinting is to toggle it on/off, you don't get ranged weapons yet are constantly being shot by ranged weapons, there is no manual save, you spawn way back at far away shrines, and the game always looks the same taking place in boring outside fields.”
- optimization40 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 45 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent frame drops, and high resource usage even on modern hardware. While some users have managed to achieve decent performance with lower settings, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the experience. Players are advised to adjust settings and be prepared for potential performance issues, particularly on higher graphics settings.
“The level-up system is nice and different; the only thing holding it back is the technical performance, but nothing you can't resolve by tweaking the settings.”
“Performance is pretty good; I can play it at 1080p 60+ fps mostly with ultra settings, though ultra shadows are too much. It's better to use epic settings; some areas become slightly demanding, but you can only get around 10 extra fps from lowering shadows even further and view distance; the rest don't do much in terms of performance.”
“Aside from that one gripe, the story is decent and the gameplay is a lot of fun, with very few performance issues.”
“Performance is bad, seems to take a huge toll on my machine running basic effects, and there are all kinds of bugs and glitches.”
“The game is poorly optimized.”
“I have a fairly modern gaming computer and I couldn't go 4K with ultra graphics without low FPS and stuttering.”
- stability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game's stability is characterized by numerous bugs and animation glitches that can affect gameplay, such as slow response times during combat and issues with teleportation skills. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these problems, others report significant performance issues that impact their overall enjoyment. Overall, the game is seen as a "buggy mess," yet it still manages to provide fun moments.
“I give it a thumbs up because it runs great and they put effort into it.”
“The game is just a buggy mess.”
“Performance is bad, seems to take a huge toll on my machine running basic effects, and there are all kinds of bugs and glitches.”
“Cons: slow or buggy feeling fighting - means attack/def don't respond quickly, forces you to play all weapons for skills tree upgrade, gets stuck upon using teleport on enemy skill many times, review animation is too slow.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the funny story and main characters. It is noted as enjoyable and not overly forced, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“The story and both main characters were funny :)”
“The good = story, visuals, humor, exploring, change difficulty.”
“Gameplay 8/10 runs properly with a little lag spike here and there, but that's something most likely will be fixed with the day 1 patch. There is stuff to explore, and the humor is okay and, most importantly, not too forced.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music, sound design, and voice acting in the game are consistently praised as phenomenal and aesthetically pleasing, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Despite some performance issues, many players recommend the game for its auditory elements, even if they express concerns about the combat and story depth.
“It's aesthetically gorgeous - the music, sound design, and voice acting are phenomenal.”
“It sounds great: both the music and the voice actors are impressive, and the visuals are stunning.”
“The music, along with the beautiful environments and sound design, truly enhances the overall experience.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its epic quality, particularly when played on high settings, enhancing both the visual experience and overall gameplay enjoyment.
“The atmosphere and graphics overall have been pretty epic on high settings.”
“I like the atmosphere and the gameplay.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for additional replayability features, such as an arena mode or New Game Plus, to enhance their experience. Many appreciate the combat system, noting it significantly contributes to the game's replay value, with some even claiming it offers more replayability than other titles in the genre, like Souls games.
“Great game, has more replay value than Souls games.”
“I hope there will be some kind of arena or at least NG+ but I doubt it. I would love some kind of replayability because the combat system is what makes me complete the game.”
“I hope there will be some kind of arena or at least New Game Plus, but I doubt it. I would love some kind of replayability because the combat system is what makes me complete the game.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers an expansive world to explore, with around 30 hours of content to fully experience, complemented by engaging and occasionally poignant character interactions that enhance the emotional depth of the narrative.
“It just wants to give you a lot of stuff to explore (about 30 hours to 100% the map) and a nice, sometimes touching banter between characters along the way.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be impacted by insufficient advertising and public awareness, which may hinder its financial success.
