I tend to dig dungeon crawlers if you haven’t noticed the amount I reviewed over the last year. I don’t play many D-RPGs, though, mostly because the translations are often off or the ports are wonky. The best known ‘outstanding’ D-RPG is probably Etrian Odyssey (to give you an idea of what you might expect). However, Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited is a bit more of the old school factor. Let’s dive in.
Story Time!
Holy Era 868. The final battle between Light and Darkness. The outcome of the battle between the Overlord and the Knights of the Round is mentioned only briefly in history books: On that day, the forces of Light were snuffed out. Since that fateful defeat, Alda has been consumed by despair. Darkness corrupted the land and spoiled the seas. Much of humankind has succumbed to the power of darkness, and vicious monsters roam the wilderness. For as long as the Overlord rules, there shall be no peace from the chaos.
100 years have passed since that day. The Knights of the Round leader, who fell in that battle, has once again been given life. Driven by the regrets and a vow unfulfilled, they must guide a new generation of Knights of the Round and strengthen their friendship to overcome the Overlord’s influence. Thus shall the battle between Light and Darkness begin anew in a quiet corner of Alda as a cold rain drenches the earth. Only the power of your bonds will save this world.
Enter the Dungeon!
And that’s basically where you come in. You create a Dungeons and Dragonesque style character and hop into the first-person dungeon crawler called Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Stranger of Sword City Revisited. Well, basically, it’s two games for the price of one, so I will be referring to them as Saviors and Stranger for writing reasons. And I’ll be reviewing the games as a whole, not separate – since Stranger ‘only’ adds a few new features, but delivers a comparable experience. I’ll describe by the screenshots which is which.
For players who have never played a game like Wolfenstein or Doom, this type of genre will look very.. different. Surely, new players will be confused at first since it’s a nonstandard RPG. Instead of moving around on the map, you’re moving through a world map in which you turn 90 degrees. Next point of confusion – which game are you supposed to start first with? Whilst both games belong to the same universe, both entries are standalone and can be played separately from each other in any order. The stories themselves are not directly related either. However, fans of Stranger of the Sword City will surely be delighted to give Saviors of Sapphire Wings a try as they both include similar mechanics.
That being said, let’s start with Stranger of Sword City Revisited. This version in the bundle is supposed to be an enhanced version of the original game Stranger of Sword City. Something noticeable here is that there are multiple difficulty settings available. According to the original fans, it was very tough, and especially in the beginning, it’s easy to get stuck due to the high difficulty. Luckily, those players can enjoy Stranger of Sword City now with the new version. Other than that, there are multiple newly added items, content, equipment, events, and character creation options.
Old-School Dungeon Crawler
Those who cannot imagine what a dungeon crawler is, the player moves around tile per tile (like Fire Emblem/Advance Wars) until completing the mission or goal. To put it simply, the player can only move vertically or horizontally while being in the first person (hence my comparison to Doom/Wolfenstein). Of course, there are traps implemented as well, and enemies might pop up anytime moving around. I found unique features available such as laying out traps to claim an area or abilities that need to get unlocked first to advance with the game. Those features made me want to come back to previous dungeons to take care of every open task.
Turn-Based Battles
Even though it’s more Visual Novel meets Dungeon Crawl, Saviors & Stranger both are turn-based JRPGs. When suddenly meeting an enemy, the player can select between attacking, casting spells, using items, or fleeing from the battle whilst fleeing might not be possible every time. Anyway, up to six members can join the party, and during the playthrough, the player will encounter more and more friends who will join them on the journey. There is even a fast action button available after selecting all actions so the player can skip the animations and a repeat action button (which makes playthroughs much easier). If you still find the battles too much, you can adjust your difficulty at any given time.
Bonding & Graphics
Both Saviors & Strangers feature a bonding system that combines Fire Emblem with Harvest Moon, and both help the player find a new waifu or husband and let the party members unlock new skills. Thus, bonding with them even benefits those who aren’t interested in interacting with the characters. But hey, why would you play a visual novel/D-RPG if you don’t want to interact with your party members.
Graphics-wise, the game looks decent, and it clearly belongs to the old-school category. Regardless, the character designs are well done, as well as enemies. I found that some dungeons felt empty, and there weren’t many details present except for some bricks, so it felt less lively. Unfortunately, voice-acting isn’t implemented either, which would have greatly improved the immersion. On a bright note, I felt the story was very well-connected to the environment, so each time the location changed, I didn’t feel like it was just a random place where I had to complete a few tasks, but there was a real purpose behind the ‘traveling.
Conclusion
So to conclude, Saviors of Sapphire Wings and Stranger of Sword City Revisited are both games that are must-plays for anyone who is into the dungeon crawler genre. It might be better for those who don’t know the genre to watch some gameplay before diving in. That aside, I loved the overall style that added a dark and creepy vibe to the enemies, whilst the party members can be slightly customized to look adorable for those with waifu/husbando goals (go Japan?). Even the story is well implemented into the game, and I even enjoyed talking to my party members to see our bond getting stronger. All in all, Saviors of Sapphire Wings and Stranger of Sword City are solid JRPGs that make me feel nostalgic. Just ask yourself if this is your ‘genre’. If not – you’re probably better of with an old-school JRPG.
