Stray Blade
60
★ /10
PC
PS5
Xbox Series X/SWhere to buy
Stray Blade is a 2023 action RPG developed by Point Blank Games and published by 505 Games, released April 20, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A self-described “Soulslite” from a Berlin studio, it holds Metacritic scores in the low-to-mid 60s — a reception that consistently credited its ideas while finding the execution too rough to recommend broadly.
Its pitch is a genuinely clever spin on genre death mechanics: the Valley of Acrea is alive, and every time you die, it keeps changing without you — paths shift, factions move, and the world you respawn into isn’t quite the one you left.
Technical Specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | Point Blank Games (Berlin) |
| Publisher | 505 Games |
| Release | April 20, 2023 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) |
| Metacritic | Low-to-mid 60s (varies by platform) |
| Genre | Action RPG, Soulslite |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Farren and Boji
Players control Farren, an adventurer killed while exploring the lost Valley of Acrea and resurrected by its magic, bound to the land until its war-torn history is set right. The unquestioned star is Boji, a wolf-like Xhinnon companion who translates the valley’s lore, crafts weapons, comments constantly, and carried nearly every review’s warmest paragraph — a genuinely charming sidekick in a genre that rarely has one.
A World That Moves While You’re Dead
The signature system ties death to world evolution: time passes on each defeat, altering routes, enemy placements, and the valley itself — an ambitious anti-checkpoint idea layered over stance-based combat, weapon mastery trees that unlock skills through use, and perfect-parry timing. Reviewers liked the concept more than the feel: stiff animations, floaty hit response, uneven difficulty, and technical bugs recur across nearly every review, with IGN and others landing on “interesting ideas, unrefined execution.” It’s the same verdict shape as many mid-tier Soulslikes of its generation — closer to Asterigos in ambition and reception than to the genre’s leaders.
Where to Play It Today
Stray Blade is available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, spends most sales under $10, and had a spell on PC Game Pass after launch. At deep-discount prices, its reddit “worth picking up?” threads generally converge on a qualified yes — for Boji, mostly.
