Stranger of Sword City Revisited for PSV is a typical first-person dungeon crawler offering a turn-based combat system and compelling, two-dimensional visuals. The game was created by Experience – a Japanese team that specializes in production of jRPGs and has gained popularity for games such as Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy. Stranger of Sword City Revisited is an expanded and enhanced version of the original Stranger of Sword City – a game which came out in 2014. This improved edition features the entirety of additional contents introduced in the ports of the original release created for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but also brings completely new elements, such as character classes, weapons or scenarios.
Plot
Stranger of Sword City Revisited offers the same plot the original release delivered, enriched however with new elements, characters and scenarios. The player assumes the role of a traveller whose plane crashed in a completely unknown and dangerous fantasy world, after going through a mysterious portal. As the only survivor, the protagonist soon finds a way to Escario – a legendary city of swords; finding a way back home is the player's main goal. The problem is, however, that the main character suddenly becomes the Chosen One in the eyes of the city's inhabitants – the protagonist is supposed to save them from certain evil forces. Completing the task will require the player to achieve victories in a series of extremely dangerous battles, as well as to make many, oftentimes uneasy alliances.
Mechanics
Stranger of Sword City Revisited for PSV is a typical jRPG dungeon crawler in of the mechanics. The player traverses dangerous dungeons filled with traps, such as icicles or lava containers. The game is played from the first-person view and the player controls a team of characters. Apart from different kinds of creatures the player needs to deal with during turn-based encounters, the game also offers boss fights. What adds to the difficulty level here, is the fact that the bosses can return to life and the only way to ultimately defeat them is to destroy certain mysterious crystals. The game is hard, requires planning and a large portion of patience.
As in typical jRPG titles, several races and character classes were included here. Although the protagonist is human, they can be accompanied by elves, dwarves, gnomes and cat-men known as Ney. In-between of dungeon exploring expeditions, one can have some rest in their guild headquarters, which is a shelter to different outcast from another worlds; the player can also develop the skills of the protagonist here. Stranger of Sword City Revisited introduces additional character classes, having unique kinds of attacks and abilities at their disposal.
Technical aspects
Stranger of Sword City Revisited for PSV does not introduce any significant changes to the audiovisuals. The game offers two alternative graphic styles – one is quasi realistic, and the other resembles anime productions. The player can switch between the two at any time.
