Sword Fine art Online: Hollow Realization – game review

Sword Art Online is a great example of the fact that fifty-fifty a simple blog with "some" stories can hide the potential for a giant make that millions of people around the world will beloved! From the SAO serial we already have novelties, anime, manga, upcoming picture and of class games. And we'll look at the latest one in this review.

As a huge fan of the series started past Reki Kawahara, I have to admit that I was waiting for Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization with great flushing , which turns out to be really very skillful and several classes better than its predecessors.

The latest adventures of Kirito and the company take place only later the events of SAO: Hollow Fragment and Lost Vocal, constituting the third installment of a separate universe, which is based on novels and anime, but tells a completely new story, unrelated to the main canon. This time, later on 2 nightmares, nosotros go to Sword Art: Origin , which is a rebuilt Sword Fine art Online almost from scratch. Hither, instead of Aincrad, nosotros wander around Ainground , which has been deprived of the multi-storey castle building in favor of open, single-level spaces. Despite bad memories with VR games, all the heroes decided to endeavour to experience it once again and this time to get maximum pleasure from the fun.

So it promises to exist an idyllic adventure without major drama and fear – in a word, relaxation. However, there is a little "but" to all of this, on which the whole storyline of Hollow Realization is based . Simply before nosotros delve into information technology, we must first create a grapheme, don't we? Nosotros have at our disposal a quite all-encompassing character editor, which I did non consciously utilize. Why? Throughout the game, everyone volition telephone call us Kirito anyway, and so for me, at least on the first try, it'south best to play equally the default Black Swordsman advent. After a short introduction presenting the basics of the combat organization, the authors care for u.s. with scenes known from the trailers. The protagonist sees a mysterious girl and at the same time receives a message from a stranger proverb " I'thousand back in Aincrad, "and the fun starts.

Developers decided to dose us all the intrigue and emotions quite slowly, which made the start ten-15 hours a simple tutorial and a very incomprehensible, simply also addictive prologue to the plot. We acquire that this daughter, similar Yui and Strea, is an NPC, merely completely devoid of whatever statistics that make up each such character. The heroes think that since they are in the beta SA: Oh, it'south definitely a bug, simply fifty-fifty a certain 7 (known from Lost Vocal) who takes care of the production does not know why such someone appeared in this earth. Nonetheless, our skilful-natured heroes decided that they would give her a name and await after her until the matter was cleared upwardly. So we meet Premiere, who is actually the nearly important person in the game!

Premiere initially offers one quest to go out of town, fight a few mobs and render, for which each gives 1 Col (currency), which is actually very foreign. Unfortunately, this situation repeats indefinitely, then our task is to push her quest forward. How to practice it? Well, no one has a inkling, so nosotros simply explore the world until something happens. With time, however, we notice that our "Enpeck" begins to gain awareness, character and intelligence. While at the start each of her statements ended with "…" and "yes", in the later stages she starts talking to u.s.a. like a existent human being. Information technology is only in the 2nd act that it becomes clear what all these issues are really about.

Recall Sword Art Online was a game of expiry, right? Well, it is similar here, with the difference that instead of players, killed NPCs die irretrievably and are replaced with new ones. And it wouldn't be anything special if information technology wasn't for the fact that in Origin enpece they are like people. They take memories, families, characters, by, dreams, goals, and so on. It makes united states care fifty-fifty more for our beloved Premiere and we have fifty-fifty more determination to solve its mystery. So what is the news of Aincrad nearly? The story, although relatively simple, is extremely addictive, mysterious and more once fabricated me wonder what will happen next after leaving the console all day long.

Every bit for the gameplay, Hollow Realization is a kind of a mix of Hollow Fragment and Lost Song – if these two items had a child, it would undoubtedly be 60 minutes. The work of Aquria studio can be described as a Japanese activeness RPG, which takes tactics from HF, and a very dynamic combat organization with LS. Contrary to his predecessors, this time Kirito is accompanied by not i, but three friends at once, who actively help the hero in combat. The mechanics of the clashes is apparently elementary, simply equally we learn more about it, we find that it has a lot of depth and complication.

The whole thing is to operate with one button attack, numerous sword skills, buffs and dodges . The player has several types of weapons at his disposal, which have a great impact on the gameplay non only due to minor differences in strikes, but most of all the skills assigned to them. Every bit in whatsoever RPG, graphic symbol development is all virtually increasing your statistics and learning new moves. Here it is similar, only it has been divided into two or even iii paths. For reaching a new level, we get a few and so-called "skill points", which are used to learn new buffs, spells and attacks. All the same, in club to be able to unlock them, we must showtime get the advisable level of the weapon to which these moves are assigned.

How it's working? Each weapon category has its own mastery level, which increases with the use of information technology – the maximum rank for all of them is 1,000 points. The more than we progress, the better skills and spells we unlock. At some indicate, the option to cull a class for our graphic symbol is also activated. They are just such neat skills with their own development tree. So in that location are classes similar Tank, Healer, Buffer, Attacker, and Picket . When we activate it, nosotros also increase its mastery level, the development of which is calculated in the same way equally in the previous instance. Of form, nosotros can move freely between them, as long every bit we have them unlocked. I was Buffer commencement, then Healer, and finally switched to Attacker.

The foursquare is responsible for the bones combo, while the triangle and the circle are buttons to which we can assign 4 abilities – each of them consumes a certain amount of points from the SP bar (stamina). By default, the green button is responsible for combat skills, while the cherry-red button is for parrying and other defence skills. However, the game allows us to make various combinations. In addition, with the right side of the touch pad we open a grid in which we can identify whatever we want – items, attacks, spells, taunts and gestures. And to make it not enough, under L1, we open new windows presenting an culling use to arrows and buttons with figures – there are all kinds of commands for our companions, such equally the famous switch, set on, dodge, taunt, healing and the similar. Everything described above is defined in the menu in the Set Pallete tab.

So how can all this be put into practice? When we attack an enemy, we activate the combat sequence. By infusing the bones attack, we increment the damage multiplier that we deal him, so when the given value satisfies the states, we activate the skill sword, for example past rotating the left k**b and pressing the triangle, then Kirito volition start the set on animation. Almost every hit of the monsters can be blocked by parrying (the stronger ones require a special spell) – if we succeed, we will stun the enemy, if not, nosotros can quickly dodge to the side.

By ordering our partners to perform a series of their skills, we can back up them with ours at the right moment by activating special combos that increment damage. In add-on, nosotros throw buffs, heal, pick up fallen comrades and ask for a switch. At that place are literally hundreds of tactical possibilities, and the combat arrangement, despite its relatively high complexity, is intuitive and extremely satisfying. The only affair you tin can complain well-nigh is the switch series known from the series . In previous versions, they worked and then that after saying this slogan, we changed places with our companion as many times equally we want. This created nifty opportunities for cooperation, where every bit ane character had little life, the other jumped in and vice versa. Hither it got badly broken. Why? When Kirito is the target, the switch volition piece of work, only when, for case, the monster attacks, say Asuna, and she has lilliputian HP and nosotros intuitively desire to exchange with her, information technology volition non be possible. No, no and that's information technology.

Throughout the game, we will travel through equally many as six dissimilar regions representing, among others, forests, deserts and lakes. The whole globe has been designed so that we cannot become bored in it, and fifty-fifty after losing hundreds of hours, they were able to return to the first location and find a big challenge there. Beginning, all "continents" are divided into smaller "rooms" with a somewhat corridor, albeit much more open up construction than in Hollow Fragment. In each such sector, you will observe pocket-sized collectibles scattered on the ground, which renew each time you lot re-enter, and there are besides chocolate-brown, blue and red chests.

The commencement of them are disposable and have some weak or medium item in them, the other two are as renewable every bit the ingredients from the basis, with the deviation that to open up them y'all have to defeat several potent opponents or i big boss. Additionally, there are immediate missions ready on the map that volition actuate afterward entering the circle – there are also iii types of them. The dark-green ones are about killing a few creatures, for which we get experience and minerals, the blue ones are the aforementioned simply related to the plot, and the cherry ones are chosen "event quests" and they put a b*****d at over 100 level in front of the states! And no, you tin can't exist turbo boots and approach them on level ane because you won't even bargain ane damage to them.

The bestiary itself is quite rich. On our way there will exist hornets, turtles, crabs, mutated sundews, foreign jellies with poison, slightly fantastic versions of buffalo, skeletons, flying eyes, ents, dragons, golems and many, many other very interesting creatures. Unfortunately, on the 1 hand, there are quite a few of them, and on the other hand, they will oftentimes exist repeated in various variations during our travels. At the starting time you will encounter an ent called "Wild Tree" and another time a pink ent called "Evil Tree". Only the so-called Named Monster and HNM are unique . Each of them, of course, has its own characteristics, attack forms, strategies and weaknesses – but they are usually incredibly powerful and big versions of normal monsters. I fought the hardest with skeletons who have weapons like players and perform quick attacks like bosses in Dark Souls. If you fall into a series of them, you can lose some nerves and life – the best method against them is to parry and counterattack.

The level of difficulty of the game itself cannot be clearly defined. At the beginning, if we want to dart through the story, there is no obstruction to it, because the rivals placed in front end of usa on the path to discovering the secret of Premiere are but ridiculously easy. In add-on, it is facilitated by the combat system. Sometimes I died, but it was more than of stupidity and the desire to "accept on the chest" besides many enemies at once. Moreover, if you spend nearly two-3 hours on the grind similar me, it will be enough for several dozen hours. On the other manus, in that location are NM and HNM and the "effect quests" that I mentioned, which are the last test of our skills caused during the game.

Of course, as befits an MMO false, we will collect hundreds or even thousands of side quests forth the style. And I really am not exaggerating with these numbers. There are two observe boards in the local boondocks (with the same content), from which we collect as the task is going, divided into ii categories – kill and bring. When at some point I started collecting them massively and ignored their functioning, leaving this pleasure for the post-fiction phase, I realized that my list had already exceeded a hundred. And if that was non enough, boosted missions are commissioned past NPC characters from the NPC category and NPC characters from the pretend players category – Yes, I know, it sounds weird. The "City of the Beginning" itself is quite a cozy identify where y'all can relax. When we want to take a interruption from the abiding fight, we tin take someone on a engagement and sit together in a park, in a cafe, by the water or go and buy something overnice to eat. The city was divided into a shopping street, a park, a small entertainment sector and a teleportation gate.

A very cool content for the biggest fans of the serial will be the strengthening of the ties betwixt the characters and Kirito. Y'all know, sometimes there are footling events like "take a walk with Yui", "talk to Klein" or "spend the solar day with Asuna". When we activate such a pocket-size mission, we will curl through trillions of dialogues about zip that innovate such an idyllic temper of friendly chats about flowers, the past, challenges, jokes, dinners, duperelies and other c**p. Equally I am such a piddling psychophane of the universe, I was enjoying such conversations with slap-up joy. For those who like more intimate meetings and want to have fun in dating, for case with Asuna, they will likewise be very pleased. Why? And when we accomplish a high level of familiarity with a given character, we tin can go for walks with her, purchase yourself an orange juice and indulge in romantic conversations on the demote in front of the lake. We still take the option of holding hands and even carrying the heroine in our easily. The last pace is inviting your fugitive to Kirito's room in the inn and gossiping with her while lying on the bed, staring at each other's eyes. . A real paradise for lovers of such things.

The system of improving your possessions is too important, which we can do at ane of the dozen or so blacksmiths scattered around the game world. Each of them has different skills that affect how they meliorate or transform our things, and the pct of success in this process. The more nosotros employ the services of a given blacksmith, the meliorate he becomes in his profession. I highly recommend going to the Lizbeth berth on Marketplace Street from the centre of the second act. As y'all might have expected, to upgrade our equipment, you lot need the right materials that tin merely be found while exploring the world – so don't count on the easy way. Only ane ingredient is required at starting time, then another, rarer, even more rare, and finally i that is really hard to hunt.

Subsequently passing the first act of the story, a multiplayer style is unlocked, which will diversify the fun for those who get bored with tedious grinding to max out their statistics. In multi, we can create a four-person room or join one. Each role player chooses one friend from amongst the NPCs – this creates an exploration squad of 8 people. However, I recommend it only to those who really like information technology or they accept a squeamish crew, because in public rooms other people run similar knocked down and go out slower people behind, deeply respecting what is happening to them. And you need to know that we collect exp only for self-killed enemies, so in such conditions information technology's hard to experience. When nosotros create an on-line session ourselves, we can set up the preferences of players, the difficulty level to the usual, to a higher place 50 and seventy grapheme experience level.

When it comes to purely technical problems, I tin say that the game is running really well. Sometimes there are occasional animation drops, but otherwise everything runs smoothly. As in nigh low-budget jRPGs, there are errors with the interpenetration of characters, objects, and fifty-fifty gibberish such as the fact that Kirito tin can sit in a locked chest. It made me a bit sad that the FPP view, which I liked so much in "one", is only present hither in the city.

In other matters, you tin can see a huge progress of developers and the fact that the default production platform was not Vita, but the solid PS4. The graphics are much nicer, richer in details, and the areas to be explored are no longer dry earth textures. Flowers, grass, pebbles, branches and other things abound on it. Information technology all becomes more cute at dark! The music is at a very high level. The melody in places such as a park or the entertainment sector is very soothing and positive, in moments of terror, music adds adrenaline to the whole action, and when exploring the world, each region has its theme. They were well called to such an extent that even when I closed my eyes equally part of the experiment, I could feel the atmosphere represented by a given location.

Equally for the bonus stuff, information technology's worth mentioning that if you have a Hollow Fragment save, you can upload information technology via the servers (easy process) to Hollow Realization and receive diverse rewards for it. And most chiefly … there is a bit of fan-service .

Generally speaking, the newest Sword Art Online is much more accessible to new players who practice non necessarily know the previous editions, considering the game explains them thoroughly. It is also a brilliant activeness game with a fantastic combat system and a very mysterious storyline that will not let you forget most yourself. However, it is still a title aimed primarily at dice-hard fans of the series who know by centre the legends of Aincrad, the history of ALFheim, who know who Klein, Strea and Yuuki are. Information technology is these people who volition savor indescribable joy in such c**p equally having a romantic conversation with Asuna, teasing Lisa, competing with Sinon, and even a parent'southward walk with Yui.