Sword Art Online Hollow Realization Keep Exploring to Find Info on Premieres Quest
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As a precursor to this review, I need to say that I have seen almost none of the Sword Art Online Serial minus the most basic of inquiry prior to jumping in so I could brand some semblance of the story sensical. Therefore I won't be judging any part of the game with rose colored glasses impugning my judgement. So they were trapped in an MMO, where if they died in game, an electronic pulse kills them for real. Got information technology? Because that'south serious stuff. How they decided to play another Sword Art game baffles me, and makes me wonder what kind of Rambo twisted PTSD these kids must be experiencing to willing walk back into the heart of darkness. But here they are! And that's one of the major things that disappointed me correct out of the gate, for SAO: Hollow Realizations. The danger, the urgency, it'southward all gone! Now they're but. . . playing an MMO, and exploring some mysteries in the beta version of the game. It'due south not the aforementioned as the anime, only it has the same characters. It takes place mail service-Sword Art Online, and they are beta testing Sword Fine art: Origin, another VRMMORPG that somehow they are convinced to go and try out. Part of my encephalon idea they'd rehash the same story, merely it does not appear that style at all. Whenever you encounter a character for the first time from the show, you will learn who they are, only thankfully if you already know the series, when he starts to reminisce, you tin opt out of it, and move forward. I had to watch them all though. Only what is Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization?
If y'all don't enjoy the story or characters, you're in for a TON of text skipping.
MMOVN – Massively Multiplayer Online Visual Novel
It'south a Visual Novel! Certain, it has a lot of combat, exploring, and MMORPG aspects, online multiplayer, and a host of actually absurd stuff. Simply at its middle, Sword Art Online is a Visual Novel. Why would I say that? You tin can romance pretty much anyone if yous invest enough fourth dimension into the game. Y'all can have three allies get with you into battle, any of the major characters as far as I'm aware, simply there are tons of "players" just milling around the main hub, and with time, effort, and lots of talking and hanging out, you can get some of those people to bring together you if y'all don't desire to have the regular folks. But they seem to level with you [the main characters], if y'all go and level in the multiplayer, which I will definitely become to. But y'all spend more time reading dialogue than you lot do spend kicking ass. I have never played an RPG with this much grapheme text to read. That's fine though. You lot can skip ahead if you desire, with the L1 button, but beware! You might go instructions for your adjacent quest in them, and miss out! Yous have an "Events" push in your main card to show y'all what you lot need to practise next, but it's so vague. "Explore downstairs", "Get the items you were asked for", and no way to expand it. That is a pretty big oversight for someone who might put it down, come back and forget, or just simply skip the talking to get to the fighting.
With no sense of urgency, there's more time than ever to chase some tail!
Sword Art Online – Harem Realization
SAO is part Visual Novel, office .Hack-esque MMO simulator, just that's what the franchise is built on. Before we become into the nitty gritty, allow's talk how else it'south a VN. You can talk to, and build relationships with everyone. I recollect you can even befriend/romance the girl who stands beside the Quest Lath. But this is the thing that bothers me the near, I think. You play as Kirito during the intro of the game. Your avatar/proper noun are built around the main grapheme, Kirito. Yous tin can change your await, gender, character name, weapon style, etc, only the game still treats you every bit if yous're Kirito. Since I played a female character, I'm a guy, playing a guy, who is playing a girl, merely is still a guy in his internal monologue. Information technology's very jarring and confusing, only ultimately it's hilarious. But my problem comes from the principal relationship in-game with Asuna, the primary squeeze from SAO. If you lot two go on dates, call each other lover, and walk effectually together. . . why can I become and romance anyone I want, and bring them back to my room for pillow talk?
I don't know if it's an oversight or what, just I remember being Kirito, merely not beingness Kirito was weird. I experience like SAO has too many mechanics. This is one that probably could take been cut down or removed entirely. I like building relationships/faction rep, because information technology fits the MMO scene, and making new friends, but it goes too far. Equally the game progresses and you lot help people in the world, you will be bombarded by requests to meet and make more friends. At first I had NO idea how to find them. I eventually learned that by pressing R1, you tin figure out what area they are in, and become see up with them. You have a human relationship mechanic, where you tin can fifty-fifty agree hands/carry your S/O effectually.
MMO Combat Reinvented
Then you take the stagger mechanic for combat, and dodging. This ane is really absurd though. In gainsay, information technology is treated similar FFXIV in that AOE fields come up upwards and you tin can press a push to dodge. It'due south also reminiscent of GW2. With R1 yous tin can leap, dodge, or move, in conjunction with a management. And if you leap at the exact instant you demand to, I believe you lot receive a bonus, not to mention looking very cool. If you attack an enemy in the cursory instant after their attack is done, you can stagger/weaken the enemy; if you state your attack correct before they deliver theirs, you can stagger them, and cancel their attack completely! In that location'due south also a combo organization, where uninterrupted hits build and deal more and more harm, as long as the enemy doesn't striking yous. Information technology's pretty generous in how long yous can go without hitting the enemies before the combo breaks too. Just that'due south non all! While nosotros're on the bailiwick of game mechanics in gainsay, in that location's too the Chain Arrangement.
Gainsay is clunky at times but overall amazingly well done.
You accept to activate it, or await for someone to initiate a Chain Set on. Yous're vulnerable during a chain, so if you get plowed by a huge assail, it could spell your doom. Simply the way it works, is teammates will call out when to land a skill. If y'all land a skill when they say then, it will deal lots of damage, weaken the enemy, and make your team happy. I besides hear that there are some EX skills that can only exist attained by big amounts of successful chain attacks. At that place'south one more important mechanic to bear in mind for gainsay. You can pay compliments to your squad, and whenever yous utilise it, it will compliment whatever they did last. It'due south a great way to teach your team what yous want them to do more frequently, similar healing, using certain skills, being aggressive, et cetera.
There'southward too the quest board! That's going to be your major fashion of making money. You'll take quests to notice items, kill enemies, etc, and you'll be rewarded with coin and occasionally items for completing them. Yous can take on as many as you want, and the particular ones will be able to exist completed if you already have the items farmed. Those are the ones I endeavour to grab first. Luckily when you lot go to a map, you can meet what events, NMs, and quests can be completed there.
It's i of the few, major failings of this game: It has too much to keep track of. Just a ludicrous amount of mechanics. I haven't even discussed Blacksmiths nonetheless! There are lots of them all effectually the game, and they have skills, and things they're skilful at. You desire to aid them get improve at their craft, so they tin assist you improve/transform gear. But I wouldn't really worry most that until the finish of the game. Information technology's a great feature, and I appreciate how much attention to MMO detail they put in the game, while non forcing you to make friends, or to craft. Much like a real MMO, non everyone wants to do that stuff.
I detest crafting, and being forced into relationships bothers me, unless information technology gives me a real do good. And while the Visual Novel portion of the game is a bit lackluster/dull, the actual in-game combat? Dearest it. Y'all enter areas that accept waypoints a'la Diablo, and exits are clearly visible on the minimap [which you lot can toggle betwixt a huge, disruptive map, and a small WoW-esque minimap], equally well every bit Random Events, NMs [Notorious Monsters/major encounters], most of your storyline objectives, random players, and when you lot're close to enemies, they show upward equally carmine dots. Look, random players? Yes! Groups of AI players wander the maps and try to consummate their ain objectives. They might aid you, or you lot might assistance them, and if you practise assist them, they might send you an in-game message thanking yous. This is jarring, considering I never wait gratitude when playing a real MMO. But information technology'due south a nice touch!
The efforts to make the world experience MMO, even in single player, is astounding.
This is Sword Fine art Online, and so in that location are no ranged/magical classes, but y'all do take a variety of skills based on what weapon you're wielding. 1H Sword, 2H Greatsword, Spear, Daggers, 1H Club, Katana, though my personal favorite for sheer ludicrous combos/damage is the Katana. You have a few kinds of skills: Sword Skills [can but exist used when you lot're wielding that weapon. Y'all'll have unlike palettes for dissimilar weapons], Battle Skills [Buffs primarily.] and EX Skills [Extra Skills, special stuff]. Y'all gain skill points for reaching thresholds with a weapon [up to 1k I believe], and then that is one reason to utilize all of the weapons eventually, for the virtually skill points possible. At that place are several EX skill trees, and once you unlock them yous tin can work through those besides, just many of those skills I believe accept requirements. I recommend just focusing on one, mayhap 2 EX trees, with the role you will make full in the game/online. Healer, Tank, et cetera. This is a really absurd concept, but I sort of wish it didn't have a Skill Tree inside a Skill Tree. But I love that you have so many options for buffs, abilities, weapon techniques, items, and much more.
You tin can even have palettes, which are command bars from MMOs, where you can slot abilities, buffs, items, give commands, and use dialogue choices [mostly for multiplayer]. You don't have to have information technology up, because information technology has a lot of shortcut choices, but they felt bad-mannered and clunky to me, so I stick to the command confined/palettes, because that's what I know. Fifty-fifty if your palettes are upwardly, your four face button choices are nevertheless very usable. Square – Assault, Triangle – Ability, Circle – Parry, and X – Jump. The right side of the impact pad can dispel/bring up Palettes. I appreciate the attending to detail here though. Going off of Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, there are storyline missions [red with assertion mark], random events that popular upward [a green circle on the map], which take rewards for completing them. There are also huge level 95-110 bosses [your level cap is 70, mind], which players/AI can work together to fight, or you lot tin can tackle them in online multiplayer. Occasionally you might come across a blue sealed chest on the map. To get to the contents, yous have to best the enemies defending information technology, which is not very hard if yous are leveled.
If yous want to feel the game's claiming, avoid multiplayer during your first playthrough.
The Online Experience
Speaking of leveling. . . If you want, once you've completed the first surface area and fought the outset raid boss, you lot tin can go online! The online multiplayer is entirely separated from story progression. Information technology'southward just a unproblematic group of upward to iv, with each player able to bring a partner from their collection to explore maps, fight huge bosses, assistance each other level up, trade items, give coin, and so much more. I love this to death, maybe more than than I love the principal story, which does intrigue me. But being able to just fight and grind MMO way appeals to me more. I have noticed at that place are people online who are more than than willing to aid someone new gear up/level upwardly then they tin can handle the challenges alee in the game and online. Yet, a word of caution. I was level 12, and correct where I needed to be in the story. Now I'm progressing through the story at level 40 or something, and am more double what the current enemies are! My character is hilariously powerful, and I tin can merely smash things to bits. It takes some of the challenge away from the main quest, but if y'all'd rather just go online and kill stuff with your friends? It's there for y'all.
Log In; Tune Out
Score: four/5 [Great]
Honestly, this game is far meliorate than I gave it credit for initially. I was one of those people that looked down on SAO because it's not .Hack. I'm former, curmudgeonly and stuck in my ways. However, this game emulates an MMO in some of the best means. I've fabricated a few new friends, can stream online multiplayer and brand new ones all the time. Information technology pairs an interesting, dissimilar story with familiar characters and friends from the first show. Withal, I do still feel information technology lacks some of the danger and urgency that SAO had, and I'd love to exist able to plough off auto-save and endeavour "SAO" runs where if y'all die, information technology'southward game over and you lot lose everything. A hardcore mode would be interesting for challenging and getting dorsum to the roots of SAO. You tin fight raid bosses/large enemies where you have to weaken their bodyparts, and and then become back to the weak spot, but some of those will get very irksome, depending on how much health they have.
You can seriously get lost in this skill tree.
But it'due south an engaging, addicting game, with very pleasing music and sound effects, an infinitely vast array of characters and ways to play, and tons of content both now and in the future. SAO: Hollow Realization is a take on the MMORPG that I did non quite know that I wanted until I started playing it. While yes, it has a ton of mechanics and systems to have in, and a lot of information to handle all at in one case, many of them you can ignore if they're non your cup of tea, to brand the game fun for you. They don't hold your hand, and definitely allow you to play your way.
Pros:
+ True to the MMO game mode, fast paced, and will feel familiar to modern MMO fans.
+ Fans of the franchise will non be disappointed at the cast and the character interactions.
+ Hundreds of possible grouping combinations for solo play.
Cons:
– So. Many. Different. Systems/Mechanics. It never ends.
– Far more character dialogue/talking than I realized I'd accept to suffer.
– Multiplayer can break the game very hands [in terms of difficulty]
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