It’s been a long time since Vanillaware put out an action RPG. Their last game was13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimin 2020 in the West, which featured the same gorgeous art design but it was a strategy RPG instead. The last action game then was the re-release ofDragon’s Crownin 2018. So, for those dying for a new game from them,Sword of the Vagrantcould be it.
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O.T.K Games, the Beijing-based developer, has taken inspiration from Vanillaware forSword of the Vagrant. The game is a steal at $10 and it could be an underdog for 2022. Now, the game is not without some problems but hopefully, these issues can be addressed.
8Fires Should Offer Fast Travel Too
Sword of the Vagrantislike a Metroidvaniaand like any good game in this genre, this game has a fast travel system. Unfortunately, this fast travel system is limited to only certain checkpoints in the game. Players can save and fast travel to tablets, but at campfires, they can save and cook food.
There are far more campfires than tablets in the game, so the developers should patch in a way to fast travel to fires too. It may go against the cooking aspect of the game, but having fires heal players if only marginally, would be killer too.
7Add Easy Or Assists
There are four difficulty levels players can choose at the beginning of the game including Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Lunatic. Normal is not a stand-in for an Easy mode as things can still be tough for more casual players of action RPGs.
Bosses, for example, can murder the player if they aren’t properly prepared. Adding in an easier mode would be one thing, but the developers could give players more agency if theyadded assist modesinstead. For example, they could add an option for players to receive less damage like the God Mode inHades.
6Jazz Up The Menu
Sword of the Vagrantis a small indie game even though it looks like something from Vanillaware. That means certain aspects of the experience lack polish. For example, the menus in the game are beyond drab.
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The default menu for players is black. Not every RPG can have bombastic menus like inPersona 5, butSword of the Vagrantcould do more to engage the eyes. The developers could simply add an option to change the background color like in a lot of the earlyRPGs on SNES.
5Skill Tree Upgrades
The skill tree menu is perhaps even worse off than the standard equipment menu. The skill tree, while vastfor an RPG, is zoomed out. There is no way to zoom in to get a closer look and this can be especially jarring on the Switch version.
Also, the skill tree is not sectioned into categories. For example, a patch could create sections for defensive or offensive upgrades. Segmentation and the ability to zoom in would go a long way. Ideally, it would also be nice to be able to snap from skill to skill instead of using the cursor every time.
4Save Food Pickups For Later
There are several ways players can heal in the game. Potions can be equipped to Vivian and used standardly likein other RPGs. Players can eat a meal at campfires, as previously mentioned, which can also boost stats like HP temporarily.
Finally, enemies or crates can drop food like giant racks of meat. It would be great if these food items could be saved for later instead of having them be disposable after automatically picking them up. This understandably would go against traditions, butSword of the Vagrantcould be a trendsetter.
3More Character Customization
One of the nice little options in this game allows players to cover up Vivian. She is rather scarily clad for a warrior, which may have been done to appease the thirsty male players out there. She is dressed like a fan service girlfrom an anime, which could turn some players away from the game.
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The option in the menu gives her stockings along with a red garment to cover up most of her skin. This feature is great, but the developers could add more customizable options. More outfits could be added, or they could simply allow players to choose a different color.
2Monsterpedia Upgrades
Another cool feature of this game is the art gallery. Over a hundred pages of key art can be looked over on the title screen. There is also a Monsterpedia which grows the more players get into the game. Every monster, or boss will have an entry about them.
Monsterpedia guides, and other journals like this in RPGs, are nice butSword of the Vagrantcould do better. They could add what these monsters typically drop if players wish to farm for certain materials. They could also add models to view like players can in theKingdom Heartsseries.
1Add More Voices
This shouldn’t be surprising for asmall indie RPGlikeSword of the Vagrant, but there aren’t many voices in it. Certain story sections will have a panel or two voiced by characters but they are few and far between.
Also, the audio is in Japanese only which is a bit of a bummer. It may not be possible since this game is on a lower budget, but getting all of the text to be dubbed with audio would help make the story more engaging. It’s a big ask, but it never hurts to wish for things.
Sword of the Vagrantwas released on July 03, 2025, and is available to play on PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. It was originally released in 2018 on PC.
