Stranger of Sword City
Overview -
In the latest game from renowned dungeon crawler developer, Experience, players take the role of a person who survives a plane crash only to find themselves alone in another world. Finding others who've been brought to this world under similar circumstances, they take the mantle of Strangers, resolving to escape this world and return home.
Video Review
Character and monster designs are uniformly excellent, and even allow for two very different artstyles (one somewhat realistic, one that's more anime-inspired) that can be swapped on the fly. The environments aren't particularly good looking, but the developer clearly recognizes this and cleverly masks it with strong art direction, making each dungeon more tense.
Audio Review
A tad generic in places, but the soundtrack has some excellent boss and battle themes. The sound design is the winner here, making use of minimal audio to make each dungeon feel colder and lonelier. Even where the music doesn't shine, Experience knows exactly when to use it to benefit any given situation. There's somewhat minimal Japanese voicework, too, but none of it stands out as particularly exceptional or poor.
Final Thoughts
It's unwelcoming and occasionally too difficult for its own good, but overall, 'Stranger of Sword City' is an accomplished dungeon crawler made by a team who clearly understands what makes the genre special. It's both a terrific JRPG and an excellent showcase in building a genuinely scary atmosphere with limited resources. While their earlier effort 'Demon Gaze' is definitely an easier game to recommend, there's plenty here that makes this special, and I can't wait to see what comes next from this developer.
