Sword Art Online Re Hollow Fragment Folk Blood Ritual Guide

Sword Art Online is one of the most popular anime shows currently running. Based on a calorie-free novel serial, the evidence's original premise explored online gaming civilization in a near future, where thousands of players of a virtual reality MMO observe themselves trapped inside the game. In that first arc, the show explored the idea of guilds, player killing, and dungeon diving in a globe where doing those things would actually get you killed.

The story's focus is Kazuto Kirigaya, known simply as Kirito in the game, one of the early on beta testers who uses his knowledge to aid others as the Blackness Swordsman. The initial idea was enjoyable, only Sword Art Online gradually moved away from handling the sociological and psychological aspects to focus on Kirito's growing harem and fanservice (of the sexual and not-sexual variety). I eventually stopped watching the anime and moved onto Log Horizon which has some of the same issues, just goes further into the original premise.

The anime devolved into this, but information technology works in the game.

Sword Fine art Online: Hollow Fragment is partial sequel to Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment for PSP, upgrading the original game with an entirely new zone, improved visuals, and a new plot. Early on Sword Art Online takes place in Aincrad, a 100-floor mega dungeon with players living and fighting on diverse floors. Episode 14 of the anime ended on flooring 75 with the defeat of the floor boss, Skull Reaper, and the game's operator Akihiko Kayaba. It's here that Hollow Fragment picks up its story, tasking the player with fighting their manner to floor 100. Information technology'southward an alternate reality take on what happened at the end of the original story arc.

Hollow Fragment plays similar the games of another "people trapped in an MMO" series, .Hack. Gainsay simulates play in an MMO; you control Kirito and ane partner equally they clear Aincrad's floors or the all-new six-level Hollow Area. This means a lot of repeated tactics and grinding, without the benefit of other players to actually talk to. All of your basic moves - attack, dodge, parry, and stun - use a Flare-up bar, which prevents yous from spamming a single motion. Pressing L and R allows you to switch other skill menus. Early on on, I frequently forgot which skills I had equipped to certain menus, so I'd bring up the wrong menu again and over again. After a couple of levels you'll discover your groove.

Hollow Fragment doesn't teach y'all about the finer points of combat.

There's a skilful scrap of customization here; you start as canon Kirito, but you can change upward his name, hairstyle, face, and voice. (On the topic of voices, there's no English dub hither, so you're stuck with Japanese vox interim just. This shouldn't be a problem for Sword Art Online fans, but I felt it should be mentioned.) You'll always be the canon Kirito in cutscenes though, making the visual customization feel kind of useless at times. Beyond that, you take your requisite equipment, featuring 10 dissimilar weapon styles, each with their own skill trees to unlock. The weapon types and skills are where you'll really become downward and muddy, equipping unlike skills to fit your playstyle. Of course, Hollow Fragment will teach you lot zippo outside of the nuts, so be prepared to research your way to proficiency.

You'll also have to manage your companions. (In true harem style, nearly all the notable companions are women.) They'll mostly play on their own, just you can influence what moves they make past cheering them on when they perform skills you lot like. You can time your own skill use to create damaging team combos. At that place's also the Take chances meter; as y'all utilize your attacks, your risk increases, causing enemies to focus on you and lowering the damage you do. Kirito tin can switch to a companion to lower his Risk, making the Switch a regular function of gainsay.

You'll spend half of the game in boondocks. Dating.

Hollow Fragment may seem overwhelming when you showtime commencement playing, as you'll have to juggle your basic attacks, weapon skills, dodges, buffs and debuffs, and the abilities of your current partner. Once you wade through the skills system (largely on your ain), gainsay begins to get rather straightforward and rote. In fact, exterior of boss fights, most encounters shouldn't present you lot with any problem. Even in boss fights, judicious use buffs and dodging will run into you through to the end, as long every bit you retrieve to manage your companion. Gainsay is decent, simply there are better activeness RPGs on the Vita.

The consequence art is tasteful at least.

The other half of Hollow Fragment takes identify in the game's lone town, Arc Sofia. Hither, you can socially interact with the your companions and the balance of the game's supporting cast. (Be prepared to agree down Fifty to skip the lengthy dialogue.) For many Sword Fine art Online fans, this is where the meat of the game is; most of Arc Sofia's play is based around a dating sim with Kirito at the center. You can romance many of the companions, including characters who shouldn't exist in Sword Art Online's continuity at this point, like Sinon and Leafa, and the all-new addition, Philia. As you're improving your relationships with your companions, you tin also unlock different armors for them, pushing their focus into different directions - Set on, Defense, and Vitrify/Support - and providing them with a different await. Y'all get paw-fatigued art, all the original vox actresses, and it all culminates in a special finishing result, with sexualized, but mostly tasteful fine art.

Where yous come down on the romances is dependent on how much of a dating sim or Sword Fine art Online fan you lot are. Most of the companions are characters that were all near Kirito in the show, but you lot get the run a risk to pursue something other than the Kirito/Asuna catechism relationship. I did find some of the options questionable: Silica is only 13 and Leafa is actually Suguha Kirigaya, Kirito's adoptive sis and cousin by blood. Where you fall on those options is up to you. Similar its combat, Hollow Fragment'south dating sim aspects are decent, but nothing particularly deep or ground-breaking. Information technology's certainly non the best dating sim I've played. I do discover it interesting the the harem aspect that pushed me away from the anime is actually justified as a mechanic inside the game.

It's not all ladies though.

And that's pretty much how I can sum up Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment. Information technology'due south decent. It'due south combat is serviceable, but non great. The game is mostly total of repetitive grind, with the occasional exciting fight. It'southward dating sim is solid, but nothing to brag almost. And yous'll exist sinking 100+ hours into the game, so enjoying Sword Art Online (the light novels or show) helps a peachy bargain. There'south better action RPGs you can get on Vita, leaving Sword Fine art Online: Hollow Fragment as something specifically for Sword Art Online fans. If you've never seen the show, I'd recommend waiting until the game falls in cost. If Sword Art Online is your jam, yous'll probably enjoy this alternating accept on the end of the first story arc.

If you savour Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, you lot'll be happy to know that non only did the Japanese version become a huge content update this month, simply a sequel has already been greenlit. No word on either one heading to Western shores yet, but you lot tin can hope.

Visuals
The PSP-level graphics accept been upgraded, merely the stand-out is the hand-drawn art.

Audio
Decent soundtrack, just I tin't say I remember whatever detail rail.

Interface
Sometimes in the estrus of combat, the interface can brand the vita's screen experience a bit cramped.

Lasting appeal
Hollow Fragment is a big game that you'll be playing for a long time if you jive with what the game offers.

Sword Fine art Online: Hollow Fragment does its best to provide a comprehensive experience, featuring online-style combat and dating sim aspects. Unfortunately, while it does a decent job of presenting the Sword Art Online world, the game itself is just good, not great. Sword Art Online fans volition probably have fun though.

3/5

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Mike Williams

Reviews Editor

M.H. Williams is new to the journalism game, but he'southward been a gamer since the NES first graced American shores. Third-person activeness-adventure games are his personal poison: Uncharted, Infamous, and Assassin's Creed only to name a few. If you run across him around a convention, he's not hard to spot: Blackness guy, glasses, and a tie.

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Source: https://www.usgamer.net/articles/sword-art-online-hollow-fragment-vita-review

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