Of course, the death-game aspect has been helpfully excised from the new title, and the crew apparently feels safe enough to revisit the site of their first ordeal, now that it’s safe to do so. The setting for the latest anime go-around is “Sword Art: Origin,” a quasi-reboot of the original “Sword Art Online,” the game where Kirito and his pals were first trapped in a years-long life-or-death struggle. It’s not entirely novel, of course, and is, in essence, a better-executed take on Hollow Fragment’s approach, helped along by a conveniently familiar premise. hack had gone to pot, and that’s worth appreciating. It’s effectively scratched the itch I’ve had ever since. From fake friends lists, to carefully placed uses of common MMO terminology, and even how the motion-controlled in-game interface appears to pop up near the character models when players use the actual in-game options menus, Hollow Realization is the most successful try yet to foster the illusion that one is actually playing the fictional VR online games the Sword Art Online’s characters play. The interface mimics the MMO look, bristling with icons and even using a faux chat window and “event log” to both track combat actions and remind players of their immediate objectives. It was a real treat to see a single-player RPG attempt to represent the tropes and structure of a persistent online MMO, and Hollow Realization captures the aesthetic masterfully. This was especially true for me, since I’ve always had a soft spot for games that try to riff on other genre’s conventions.

I’ll clarify that last sentence in a bit, but first, the good news: Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a genuine good time, mechanically. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4, PS Vita) Now, if only it weren’t a Sword Art Online game… In short, it’s a game that almost warrants an an unqualified thumbs-up. That said, Hollow Realization would be easy to recommend, and in fits of inspired design, comes the closest yet to really capturing what it might feel like to actually play the online RPGs Sword Art Online‘s cast are constantly engaged with. This is, after all, just the third major Sword Art Online game (fifth, counting revamped re-releases), situated along a quality range firmly within the “inoffensive” spectrum. Then again, we might not be talking about all that much. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization might be the best Sword Art Online game yet.

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