Stranger of Sword City

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][10] 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.^[11] 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^[12] and internationally on February 28, 2017.^[13]

Stranger of Sword City
Xbox 360 boxart
Developer(s)	Experience
Publisher(s)	WW: Experience JP: 5pb. (PC) NA/EU: NIS America (Vita, PC)
Director(s)	Motoya Ataka^[7]
Platform(s)	Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows PlayStation Vita Xbox One Nintendo Switch
Release	Xbox 360 JP: June 5, 2014^[1] Microsoft Windows JP: August 22, 2014 WW: June 6, 2016 PlayStation Vita JP: January 22, 2015^[3] NA: April 26, 2016^[2] PAL: April 29, 2016^[2] Xbox One NA: March 22, 2016^[4] JP: March 24, 2016^[4] 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

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.^[14]

Plot

Development and release

Stranger of Sword City was originally announced in June 2012 with a 2013 release date.^[15] 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.^[16] 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."^[17] A teaser trailer was announced on February 7, 2014.^[18] 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][19] A new version of the game with a new graphical style, was released in March 2016 for the Xbox One.^[20][21]

Reception

Stranger of Sword City has an average score of 71 on Metacritic based on a total of 24 reviews.^[22] For the Xbox One version, the game has an average score of 70 based on a total of 12 reviews.^[23]

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.^[24]

References

1. "Stranger of Sword City coming to PS Vita". Gematsu. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
2. 2015-11-10, Stranger of Sword City for PS Vita coming west in April, Gematsu
3. 2014-09-19, Stranger of Sword City dated for PS Vita in Japan, Gematsu
4. 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. 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. 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 Confirmed for Vita, Xbox 360, and PC". Niche Gamer. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
11. "Stranger of Sword City Is Headed Westward In April 2016 For PS Vita". November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
12. "商品情報｜新釈・剣の街の異邦人 ～黒の宮殿～". Retrieved September 22, 2020.
13. "Product Information ｜ Stranger of Sword City Revisited". Retrieved September 22, 2020.
14. 2014-04-01, Stranger of The Village of the Sword Shows Its Deadly Dungeon Traps And Monsters, Siliconera
15. Ishaan (2012-06-26). "The Stranger in Alda Dungeon RPG Crawls To Xbox 360 Next Year". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
16. Spencer (2013-09-10). "Demongaze Developer Will Release A New DRPG For Xbox 360 Next Year". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
17. Spencer (2013-09-12). "Demongaze Developer Looking For Monster Designs For New Dungeon RPG". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
18. Spencer (2014-02-07). "Dungeon RPG Experts Experience Lifts The Lid On A DRPG For Xbox 360 And PC". Siliconera. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
19. "Stranger Of The Village Of The Sword Now Coming To Vita". Psxextreme.com. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
20. Collazo, Natalie (September 12, 2015). "Stranger of Sword City Xbox One Version Announced". Retrieved September 14, 2015.
21. 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.
22. "Stranger of Sword City". Metacritic.
23. "Stranger of Sword City". Metacritic.
24. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1329". Gematsu. 27 May 2014.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official website (in English)