Stray Blade dropped us into the lost valley of Acrea, pushed us forward into battle, and somehow convinced us that Soulslike games might jsut be for everyone.
Get Gud! The battle cry of Soulslike fans the world over and memed onto our collective consciousness and utterly unforgiving, but developers Point Blank Games gave us an opportunity to get hands on with a play on this iconic genre that might actually take a different approach to new players, in Stray Blade.
Part of the 505 Games Gamescom lineup for 2022 and an unusual foray into the Soulslike genre, Stray Blade is a tale of lost artifacts, ancient mysteries, and a buddy adventure that all comes wrapped up in an experience that is assuredly not the next Elden Ring. While the rougish third person fantasies are almost inevitably filtered through the norm established by FromSoftware’s iconic quest to kill Malenia. Games like Stray Blade and even the upcoming Lost Hero of Nostalgia are aiming to strip back the absurdly punishing tropes tied to these experiences.
The Story
Stray Blade follows the fate of a lost adventurer. After discovering the valley of Acrea uncovering ancient objects, and exploring the mysteries of this land, you died. In an effort to escape an enchanted backdrop, players must fight their way through waves of enemies, odd creatures, bosses, and a range of factions that have it on for you. From spears and swords to crossbows and magic, there are a plethora of ways to die, and the only way out is through. Thankfully, death is not the end. Like any decent Soulslike, you can expect to come back. This time it’s thanks to a miraculous companion called Boji. Between these enforced respites, eager cannon fodder may wield a small arsenal of potential weapons. Players can hack, slash, shoot, burn, and fire off a few limited attacks, while dodging, parrying, and occasionally chugging a health berry. Nothing new here then. Stray Blade is a Soulslike by design, the combat systems are designed to appeal to players who want to go one on three with a gaggle of guards that could kill you in a couple of blows or try to overcome a boss with several cycles of attacks. It, however, closes the curtain on the uninviting rooftops of Bloodborne and paints a different picture for adventurers.
There is no gloomy haze filtering out the joy in this title. Instead, our time in Stary Blade opened on a lush valley floor full of cell shaded stone, swaying grass, and brightly detailed enemies all under a glowing sun. Joining us on this quest to through thee abandoned architecture of a long-gone civilization and make our way home, was a furball named Boji. a little like a friendly Gremlin, this companion is woven seamlessly into the lore of this deadly predicament, reviving players when they are felled and acting as a guide in this buddy adventure. With two heads on the line, the addition of Boji plays a pivotal role in introducing Soulslikes to a wider audience. Without dropping the game into a decidedly easy mode, it Boji is a constant reminder that there’s always another option, and the fierce faced brooding of other titles is quickly dispatched for the quips of a lighter buddy comedy.
Moving through the vast and largely unleashed world of a AAA death simulator can leave plenty of players lost. It can fully immerse the more adept player in this world, but it can equally kill of any enthusiasm for the game. Instead, Stay Blade uses Boji to bring a running narrative to the fore. Communicating with players, unfurling the wonders of this magical realm, and generally pointing us in the right direction, Boji allows Point Blank Games to narrow the scope of the world, keeping players from wandering too far of track and giving them a more direct understanding of what is going on. There’s no searching for the last few scraps of a poem long dead here. Boji will simply tell you why the doorways of a ruined façade were built so large and who the inhabitants were. This is indicative of a tighter narrative than we’d normally expect, and a. welcome introduction for anybody who isn’t a veteran of this style. This streamlined approach isn’t the only way that Stray Blade stops player from getting lost either.
While the basic combat system in Stray Blade still allows for contained challenging encounters using a variety of crafted and looted weapons, the upgrade systems are direct. Each weapon can be improved using a progression system and while there is some vertical linking of this skill system, it’s far more horizontal than vertical. There is no power creep that rewards extensive and unrealistic hours of gameplay. While this might all sound like adding limitations to a genre that thrives on giving players choice, Stray Blade isn’t a complete cakewalk. The combat continues to meet the expectations of any serious Soulslike, and the streamlined environments are supported by a dynamic world, where factions fight and move across a seamless set of environments irrespective of your success or failure.
That this inviting looking world moves on without you, dropping respawned souls into familiar backdrops with new potential enemies, making the environment feel alive. The paired back progression systems that are introduced into Stray Blade don’t detract from the combat and eliminate the need to balance ridiculous min maxed build that can glass cannon a box in one hit, while the narrative simply siphons you straight towards the big boss battles instead.
While we only got a short time to get in and do battle in Stray Blade, this tale of a lost explorer turned unexpected warrior is everything that makes Souls styles games great. It is unforgiving in combat, flexible in form, and full of interesting ways to play. Stray Blade simply losses much of the pretense that comes with the genre, streamlines the concepts, and turns the sword and board cliché into a buddy adventure that may make the final product the best way to begin plating Dark Souls.
Stray Blade is due out on in 2023, across PC Steam, Epic, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. Find out more on the official website now
