Stranger of Sword City (剣の街の異邦人, Tsurugi no machi no ihoujin),[8] originally titled The Stranger in Alda,[9] is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed by Experience, developer of Demon Gaze, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One.[9] The Japanese Xbox 360 and Vita versions have different subtitles: the Xbox 360 and Windows version is subtitled White Royal Palace (白の王宮, Shiro no ōkyū), whilst the Vita version is subtitled Black Palace (黒の宮殿, Kuro no kyūden).[1] The Xbox 360 version was released in Japan on June 5, 2014, and the PC and PS Vita versions followed in August 2014 and January 2015.[3] The game was released internationally in 2016.[10] An updated version of the game titled Stranger of Sword City Revisited (新釈・剣の街の異邦人 ~黒の宮殿~) was released for PlayStation Vita on July 21, 2016, in Japan[11] and internationally on February 28, 2017.[12]

Stranger of Sword City
Xbox 360 boxart
Developer(s)Experience
Publisher(s)
  • WW: Experience
Director(s)Motoya Ataka[7]
Platform(s)
ReleaseXbox 360
Microsoft Windows
  • JP: August 22, 2014
  • WW: June 6, 2016
PlayStation Vita
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
  • NA: March 16, 2021
  • EU: March 19, 2021
  • OC: March 23, 2021[5][6]
Genre(s)Role-playing, dungeon crawler
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

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Stranger of Sword City is a dungeon crawler style role-playing video game. Players progress through the game by navigating through dungeons laden with hazardous booby traps.[13]

Plot

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Development and release

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Stranger of Sword City was originally announced in June 2012 with a 2013 release date.[14] In April 2013, director Motoya Ataka announced that the game was "in the middle stage of development", with the music " about 80% complete."[7] However, it was announced in September 2013 that due to delays, the game has been postponed, and will instead release in early 2014.[15] In September 2013, Experience asked in for fans to submit concepts for boss characters, including "boss monsters for the end of the story, a top class boss for the middle of the game, a boss that has a unique fighting space like underwater or outer space, a flying or floating boss, a monster with scales, and "god" tiers for regular enemies."[16] A teaser trailer was announced on February 7, 2014.[17] It was also announced that the game, which was originally only planned for release on the PC and Xbox 360 platforms, would also be available for the PlayStation Vita.[1][18] A new version of the game with a new graphical style, was released in March 2016 for the Xbox One.[19][20]

Reception

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Stranger of Sword City has an average score of 71 on Metacritic based on a total of 24 reviews.[21] For the Xbox One version, the game has an average score of 70 based on a total of 12 reviews.[22]

Four Famitsu reviewers gave the Xbox 360 version of Stranger of Sword City 8, 9, 8 and 7 out of 10, for a total of 32/40.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Stranger of Sword City coming to PS Vita". Gematsu. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  2. ^ a b 2015-11-10, Stranger of Sword City for PS Vita coming west in April, Gematsu
  3. ^ a b 2014-09-19, Stranger of Sword City dated for PS Vita in Japan, Gematsu
  4. ^ a b Romano, Sal (January 8, 2016). "Stranger of Sword City for Xbox One launches March 22 in North America, March 24 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "Saviors of Sapphire Wings & Stranger of Sword City Revisited and coming west for Switch, PC in 2021". 5 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Saviors of Sapphire Wings & Stranger of Sword City Revisited launches March 16, 2021 in North America, March 19 in Europe". 4 November 2020.
  7. ^ a b Sato (2013-04-23). "Demon Gaze Developer Working On Another Dungeon RPG Aimed Towards Older Fans". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  8. ^ "Experience unveils Stranger of Sword City for Xbox 360, PC". Gematsu. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  9. ^ a b Sato (12 February 2014). "Demon Gaze Developers Bringing Stranger of the Village of the Sword To Vita". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  10. ^ "Stranger of Sword City Is Headed Westward In April 2016 For PS Vita". November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. ^ "商品情報|新釈・剣の街の異邦人 ~黒の宮殿~". Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "Product Information | Stranger of Sword City Revisited". Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  13. ^ 2014-04-01, Stranger of The Village of the Sword Shows Its Deadly Dungeon Traps And Monsters, Siliconera
  14. ^ Ishaan (2012-06-26). "The Stranger in Alda Dungeon RPG Crawls To Xbox 360 Next Year". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  15. ^ Spencer (2013-09-10). "Demongaze Developer Will Release A New DRPG For Xbox 360 Next Year". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  16. ^ Spencer (2013-09-12). "Demongaze Developer Looking For Monster Designs For New Dungeon RPG". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  17. ^ Spencer (2014-02-07). "Dungeon RPG Experts Experience Lifts The Lid On A DRPG For Xbox 360 And PC". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  18. ^ "Stranger Of The Village Of The Sword Now Coming To Vita". Psxextreme.com. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  19. ^ Collazo, Natalie (September 12, 2015). "Stranger of Sword City Xbox One Version Announced". Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  20. ^ Romano, Sal (8 January 2016). "Stranger of Sword City for Xbox One launches March 22 in North America, March 24 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Stranger of Sword City". Metacritic.
  22. ^ "Stranger of Sword City". Metacritic.
  23. ^ "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1329". Gematsu. 27 May 2014.
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