Blade
Strangers
STORY: A
malevolent force known only as Lina is devouring data from a vast,
interdimensional network of servers overseen by sentient computers called
”motes.” In desperation, the motes summon heroes from a variety of parallel
game worlds to face off against each other in one-on-one combat. The tournament
victor has the potential to be awakened as the Blade Stranger—the savior who
can vanquish Lina and protect the motes from further harm!
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Blade
Strangers character selection screen.
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ABOUT:
The developers
at Studio
Saizensen developed and designed Blade Strangers to be a "old-school" 2D fighting game for veteran fans of the genre. The 4-button control scheme is streamlined to
make it easy for beginners to get into the game, however...
intricate combos, counters and specials are designed to appeal to tournament-caliber players,
offering "plenty of opportunities for frame counting, chain construction and hit-box
science".
Similar to Arc System Works' Guilty Gear Xrd series, Blade Strangers uses 3D
character models and stages which are shaded and colored to resemble 2D sprites.
The
"proprietary development system" gives the game its anime-esk visual charm, transforming the
3D character models and animation into 2D sprite-work.
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Code of
Princess characters join the fight!
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The roster
includes characters from previous Studio Saizensen games, such as: Code of
Princess and Umihara Kawase, joining characters from Nicalis games
like Cave Story and other indie IPs. Each character
has a variety of alternate color settings, along with their own familiar
"home" stage. The game also features Online Mode with a focus on "minimal" input lag. Studio Saizensen also stated that they plan to support the game post-launch. On August 28th, 2019, one year after the game's launch, Nicalis updated the game with
3 new fighters, improved graphics, and balance changes.
Blade Strangers
modes:
- Story
Mode – experience each character's unique story
- Arcade
Mode – pick a character and win matches to advance
- Challenge
Mode – complete various skill challenges for each of the
characters
- Survival
Mode – battle against a barrage of CPU-controlled opponents
- Versus
Mode – fight against friends or the CPU (with "standby"
option)
- Online
Modes – create or search for rooms and engage in Stealth, Casual
or League matches
- Tutorial
– for new players to learn the basics
- Training
– practice moves and combos to hone skills (with “standby”
option)
- Other
Features – online leaderboards, screen view and control
customization, player profiles, stat tracking, unlockable items
(character colors, portraits, titles)
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A
girl riding a giant cat is a playable character. Yes.
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| Page
Updated: |
June
26th, 2024
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| Developer(s): |
Studio
Saizensen |
| Publisher(s): |
Nicalis |
| Platform(s): |
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam
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| Release Date(s): |
Aug.
28th, 2018
( )
Aug. 30th, 2018
( )
Aug. 28th, 2019
(Major Update) |
| Characters: |
Solange,
Master T. Drakkhen, Curly, Kawase Umehara, Emiko, Ali, Liongate, Helen, Noko
Yokoyama, Lina, Quote, Gunvolt, Isaac, Shovel Knight, Aban, Pia, Summer Kawase |
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| Featured
Video: |
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| Related Games: |
Guilty
Gear Xrd REV2, Under Night
In-Birth: EXE Late[st], Yatagarasu,
Chaos Code, Street
Fighter 5, Marvel
VS Capcom: Infinite, BlazBlue:
Central Fiction, BlazBlue
Cross Tag Battle, Dragon
Ball FighterZ, Fighting EX Layer, SNK
Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, Soul Calibur 6,
Granblue Fantasy Versus,
Asura Blade: Sword of Dynasty,
DNF Duel, Blazing
Strike |
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Gameplay Engine
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Story / Theme
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Overall Graphics
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Animation
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Music / Sound Effects
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Innovation
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Art Direction
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Customization
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Options / Extras
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Intro / Presentation
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Replayability / Fun
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"Ouch" Factor
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Characters
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BOTTOM LINE
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| First
Impression: |
Although I never got around to
playing Code
of Princess on 3DS (yet), the game's artwork immediately caught my eye - as it was drawn by
legendary Capcom artist, Kinu Nishimura. It's cool seeing some of those
character designs now making it to their own fighting game. I have played Cave
Story so I recognize those guys, at least. 
After the reveals of Shovel Knight and Isaac, I'm officially dubbing this game
"Blade Strangers: Indie Showdown". if you've enjoyed some of
the indie hits these characters are from, and you're into fighting games, Blade
Strangers was made for you.
Blade Strangers has a charismatic, catchy art style and some
pretty interesting original character designs. The gameplay currently seems a bit "slow" for a fighting game
in this era... but the game's traditional 2D mechanics and charming characters
might win some fans over. I definitely look forward to trying it out in the
future. Expect a full TFG review in the future.
~TFG
Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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