Played on: PlayStation 4

Released on: PlayStation 4, PS Vita, PC

Genre: Role-Playing Game

Posted: 15th November 2018

Sword Art Online has become ane of the nigh popular anime in recent history, spanning ii total seasons, a third underway and a movie. And so, it comes with the territory that a show about a video game would spawn a few games itself. Still, merely similar the anime itself, the games have so much potential that information technology just misses.

Sword Fine art Online: Re:Hollow Fragment is a remake of the original Sword Art Online game released on PSP: Infinity Moment. The game itself takes place in a carve up continuity to the anime, setting itself up every bit a 'what if' question to, what if SAO didn't cease at floor 75? Aslope this, the characters from later arcs in the series are brought in as well, those being Leafa and Sinon.

The concept of Re:Hollow Fragment isn't bad at all; while exempt for the principal cast of characters, ranging from Kirito to new characters Philia and Strea, the game maintains the threat of death. Any side characters tin dice during the game and remain dead; the game offers challenge to the thespian to attempt to keep every single character alive throughout the remaining 25 floors of the game. Plus, while the story isn't anything huge and as actively engaging as other games of the genre, it has its points of interest that can engage with the fans of the anime.

Furthermore, regarding the anime, each character, bated from Kirito, take their anime second graphic symbol blueprint which is used for conversation cutscenes. The in-game grapheme models of the main cast wait pretty good and interpret well into 3D too; even more than and then with the 3D activity cutscenes that accept place every now and again.

The only issue this has, is regarding the character customisation. The player can stylise Kirito however they want. They can change, hair way and colour, sex, voice and and then on. This is but cosmetic to in-game, because in these 3D action cutscenes, Kirito is returned to his catechism appearance. The power to let the player to immerse themselves into the globe of SAO by creating their own character is completely negated past ignoring these changes during cutscenes. While I empathise that the game is an upgraded port of a PSP title, why include this as an choice if any characterisation of the actor character is removed?

When information technology comes to the gameplay, this is when the game really starts to struggle. Throughout Arc Sophia, the hub of the game on Floor 76, when at that place is an abundance of character models in the room, the game lags a lot. Frame rate drops so drastically that all you lot receive is a slideshow of what's going on. This problem translates into other areas in the game, in dungeons and so on. It'due south ambitious for the game to put in and so much at once, merely, for me who played this on the PS4 port, it makes me wonder how bad these sections would exist on the original organisation.

In terms of combat – the main focus of the game, Re:Hollow Fragment attempts its all-time to emulate the combat way of MMORPGs. The idea is interesting, yet, there is trivial depth to it. It is always difficult the replicate the MMO construction on console, every bit the apply of a mouse cursor allows for a wider multifariousness in play style than what can be washed with a controller. This feels even more underwhelming with the PS4 port, the port doesn't have advantage of the actress rear L2 and R2 buttons that the PS4 controller has that the PS Vita doesn't. The port could have allowed for additional actioned to be mapped to these buttons to stream-line combat, but instead information technology feels like a missed opportunity. The merely example where they have taken advantage of the PS4 controller is through the touch pad. Half of the impact pad adjusts the map, and the other half opens a set-up menu.

The game feels equally though information technology throws as well much at you without really explaining any of it all likewise well. For instance, the 'Implementation Organisation' offers a new level of depth to growth in the game. The Implementation System offers rewards for completing sure tasks, such as new abilities, but there is very little caption of how these work in order to make full employ of them. It took until several floors into the game for me to exist curious enough nearly it, to google how it works.

Another aspect of the game that seems very polarising is the extent of grinding at that place is in the game. While, yes, this is an RPG and it's to be expected of the genre, there is an ungodly amount present here, especially towards the beginning of the game. It takes forever to go any of the side cast up to par with Kirito, so if you don't desire them to die and get a game over yous have to grind on the weaker enemies to get them strong plenty to fight stronger enemies to level up faster. It'south a slog. But levels aren't the only thing yous'll exist grinding for. When it comes to Lisbeth's Blacksmithing shop, it cost 3 Million Col in order to forge a weapon, not to mention all of the materials you lot need to grind for to become a hope of attaching boosted stats for the weapon.

Honestly, the grinding doesn't bother me all likewise much – it's even therapeutic from time to time, but I know that it isn't for everyone and the extent that you accept to grind is obscene.

If you lot're aiming for some of the game's trophies, grinding will be a necessity to collect some of them, specifically: 'Col Tycoon' – "Earn a hundred one thousand thousand Col" and 'It's Not What It Looks Like!' – "Reach maximum analogousness with all heroines". Most importantly, unless yous're on acme of your game when fighting bosses, it may take multiple playthroughs to consummate the game obtaining all concluding attack bonuses and without losing whatever members of the assault team.

While I could go off on a tangent regarding the dating sim aspects and the fan-service; I at least think that the game stays truthful to its roots in this aspect. Particularly because that above all, the game was fabricated with fans of the anime in listen. There is no doubtfulness that it was made with any other limited purpose.

At the end of all of this, I encounter Re:Hollow Fragment in the same way I run into its source material, highly disappointing. Much similar the anime, Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment had a lot of potential to give fans of the anime a taste of what the world of Aincrad is like. However, its depth is shallow and is, if nada else, a fourth dimension sink. The game could have been adept, if not keen, had they chosen to develop the features of the game farther without asking for hours of grinding to reach seemingly simple tasks.

Time Logged by Point of Review: 98 Hours

Reviewed past: Sam

Cheers very much for reading this review ofSword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment. Let me know your thoughts, practice you hold with my opinions or do you run into the game differently? I'd love to know!

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