Sword Art Online Hollow Realization if You Dont Like the Anime
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Sword Art Online is a curious franchise, to say the least.
Originally based on a light novel, the anime accommodation is hands ane of the most polarizing shows — particularly amidst the anime community outside Japan — that I've seen. For the most part, fans either really dear it or consider it admittedly overrated. I fifty-fifty know people who got into anime because they liked SAO, but to turn confronting it later on.
Personally, I'g one of the rare brood of anime watchers whose opinion on the franchise is correct smack the middle. I don't think it's the greatest anime e'er but I besides don't recollect it's as horrible equally some of its detractors make it audio like. Granted, subsequent entries don't quite match the start season but I too appreciate how the serial made a lot of newcomers interested in anime. The bigger the tent, the better, I say, regardless what the online echo sleeping room might call up near the quality of certain shows and what's cool to detest or like these days.
In Nippon, it'due south quite obvious that the franchise has a loyal following given its many multimedia offerings, which include video games. The latest to make its manner stateside is "Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization," an alternating story of sorts that tries to replicate the feel of the SAO world. That means an MMO-style construction, minus the threat of permadeath for the game's players.
Visually, the game looks surprisingly solid. Character models have a overnice anime quality to them and some locales characteristic overnice visual touches. Granted, sure textures and areas also wait spotty, and then graphics aren't quite consistent across the lath. For an anime-inspired game, however, it's non too bad.
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The game kicks off by giving you what appears to exist the prospect of choice by letting you design and name your own grapheme, including your option of gender. While this is much appreciated for someone who prefers using female avatars for this blazon of game, "Hollow Realization" doesn't quite follow through with this concept in its campaign as the story is nonetheless centered on Kirito regardless of what you determine to do with your character. This ways story characters volition go along to treat yous like Kirito, which, I judge, makes sense every bit far every bit exposition goes but also seems odd if you decide to coil a different character. As such, I just concluded upward compromising and creating an effeminate version of Kirito, which also happens to be an homage to SAO'due south Gun Gale Online arc. It's plenty to make me rub my hands like a James Bail villain.
The story, meanwhile, has you reuniting with a familiar cast of characters as part of the beta for a new game called "Sword Art: Origin." Origin features a almost-perfect replica of the original death game's world of Aincrad, which is at present called Ainground. The large departure is that areas that were once found in the original game's tower are at present spread out on land, thus the proper noun Ainground. Characters likewise no longer face the prospect of decease, removing a big source of dread and urgency from the original show.
Every bit you play the game, notwithstanding, the prospect of decease rises once again, albeit in a unlike fashion. Expounding on this further would exist a spoiler but, needless to say, it engenders serious conversation among the bandage in one case once again, even though it doesn't directly bear upon them.
Personally, I remember the story is a potent point for the game. In addition to plenty textile to make full an unabridged anime season, information technology also features enough of vocalism interim, which gives it the feel of the anime shows. I especially liked the portrayal of new original character Premiere, who starts out as a blank slate but slowly develops her own grapheme. I really was surprised at how attached I got to the character.
At the same time, the fleshed out story could besides be a downside for some players. I reason is the lack of an English dub, which turns it into more of a long reading do. Personally, I tin can understand Japanese then it made the story ameliorate for me as in that location are certainly creative licenses taken in the translation. The length of the story also means that it takes you away from enjoying the more action-oriented parts of the game, which might annoy folks who only want to become out in the field and do stuff.
Speaking of gameplay, Hollow Realization totally focuses on replicating the feel you get from MMOs. This means hub areas populated by brand-believe players as well as dissimilar fields for you to take a chance with your team. Too regular monsters and bosses, you lot also have raid simulations that take you joining upwards with other teams — a role that is fulfilled by the AI in the campaign.
The boxing system itself is interesting and features various weapon specialities, mixed in with various arts for you to activate and master. Yous tin even unlock Kirito'due south famed dual-wielding ability past leveling upward your sword skills. Combat is also highly dependent on you linking up with your teammates and performing sustained combos while dodging, parrying, staggering and countering enemy attacks.
It'due south an interesting gainsay system that's knocked down a peg past your reliance on AI. Despite the power to encourage your teammates to influence the kinds of moves they do often, in that location's a large element of randomness to their actions. This can be annoying for folks who put a premium on having control during battle. The deficiencies of the AI are especially obvious in raids, where you can find AI-controlled teams bitter the dust ofttimes, requiring yous to pretty much take downwardly the raid boss with just your ain team. That can be quite frustrating, too, specially if yous make the effort to revive fallen allies or ensure they heal, but for them to fall again. Fortunately, you can get online and seek help from human players with the game'southward tougher missions, though the viability of that selection besides depends on the health of its online players. Otherwise, you tin only power level, just that isn't quite as fun.
Questing, meanwhile, is plentiful, thank you to a robust selection of side quests you tin can commence on. You can even build relationships with other AI players in town in addition to the members of your SAO party. One downside, though, is the grindy nature of the game. I guess Hollow Realization deserves credit for replicating that part of MMOs too just it can make the game feel onetime and repetitive really quick. That grindy nature extends to the relationship aspects of the game. It also doesn't practice a lot of manus-belongings so I recommend checking the in-game archives to make sure you don't miss anything or to brand sense of the more complicated parts of the game. I wish the gear system was amend, too.
That being said, if you're itching to play an SAO game, this is one of the meliorate titles in the franchise.
Concluding THOUGHTS
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization feels like a game that's on the cusp of something slap-up but is held back by a few hiccups. The story is interesting and quite fleshed out, and the base gainsay has potential. The inconsistent pacing, sketchy AI and grindy nature of the game, still, make it feel similar a slog after a while. If you're a fan of SAO, though, this is worth checking out just to re-experience Aincrad'south rebirth once once again.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
Cost: $49.99: PS4 (reviewed), Vita
world wide web.swordartonline-game.com/en/
Source: https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2017/01/04/sword-art-online-hollow-realization-review-technobubble/96129596/
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