Nicalis announced that a free update for Blade Strangers is now available for download on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation4 and Steam. In celebration of the action-packed crossover fighting game’s one-year anniversary, the update adds new characters, upgraded graphics and many other improvements. You can read my review of Blade Strangers on PS4 HERE. The free Blade Strangers update introduces three new playable characters: adventurer Aban Hawkins (the main protagonist from 1001 Spikes), mystery girl Piaa (the most memorable of the “girlfriend” characters designed by Studio Saizensen founder Toshinobu Kondo for the PlayStation game Doki Doki Poyacchio) and Summer Kawase, an alternate version of Umihara Kawase with different clothes and different moves. Each character comes with their own new stage and background music theme. Along with the new characters, stages and music, the free update includes higher-resolution character graphics and numerous gameplay modifications. Fighting-game fans will notice many changes to the speed, timing, damage and/or range of certain attacks and maneuvers, all of which were made in the interests of improving gameplay and character balance while attempting to preserve existing combo functionality. Developed in Japan by Studio Saizensen and produced and published by Nicalis, Blade Strangers is rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB and is available digitally and physically for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 for $39.99 MSRP.