Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is massively fun despite flaws

What is it about MMOs that make us keep coming back for more? Is it the camaraderie we experience with allies when surmounting obstacles together? Is it the sanctuary from reality that they offer in pure, escapist fashion? Or is it because these virtual worlds provide a place where we can be free of the shackles of society’s expectations, opening for us a window into our true selves?

These questions are what “Sword Art Online” has always aimed to explore, which is perhaps why the series, whether you love it or hate it, is so popular with today’s anime-bingeing and MMO-craving crowd. “Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization,” the latest “Sword Art Online” game for the PlayStation systems, echoes the same sentiments, though perhaps to a lesser degree than what we’re used to from the show and manga. It’s more relaxed and cheerful – just a bunch of kids enjoying themselves. But it’s not without its disquieting mysteries, and the creeping dread that comes with the realization that not everything is at it seems.





Everything’s not all right

Three years after Sword Art Online turned into a literal death trap for the tens of thousands of players, the virtual reality MMO is relaunched as Sword Art: Origin. Although this new version of the game bears numerous similarities to its predecessor, the changes are most significant. For starters, players can now log out of the game. In-game death no longer kills you in the real world. And Aincrad, a steel castle of a hundred floors, has been rebuilt into the vast domain of Ainground.

Kirito, his lover Asuna, and their friends enter Sword Art: Origin for some reason. Never mind that Aincrad was where they watched countless friends and allies die, and where they themselves faced their own mortality on multiple occasions. These characters seem impervious to the ravages of post-traumatic stress.

In Ainground, they meet an emotionless, nameless NPC who of course looks like an underage girl. Wandering around with neither direction nor purpose, she invites ridicule from other players. Kirito and company pity her, befriend her, and name her after a condom. And so our heroes embark on a quest to solve the riddle of Premiere the enigmatic A.I. girl.

Full of surprising twists, disturbing revelations, and likable characters, the story has all the markings of classic “Sword Art Online.” It does, however, suffer from the same problem as every arc following the first one – with in-game deaths no longer as costly, the stakes have been drastically reduced. Danger does rear its head to harass our protagonists, but conflicts rarely feel as urgent as they did in Aincrad.

The story is also hurt by its sluggish pacing. The main plot is advanced by completing main quests. Unfortunately, the game often gives the vaguest of instructions on how to complete such quests. When the game simply tells you to “keep exploring,” you’ll find yourself spending hours scouring the world for that which would trigger the next major event.





A game within a game

Because you’re assuming the roles of characters playing a video game, “Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization” goes out of its way to resemble a real MMO – from the user interface, to the enormous realms chockfull of enemies that respawn moments after death, to the millions of repetitive side missions such as fetch quests and monster hunts.

Hundreds of NPC characters walk around town impersonating real “players” with whom you can chat. You’ll even find “players” adventuring and killing monsters outside town.

The lands beyond civilization aren’t only beautiful and a joy to explore; they also throw a whole caboodle of special events at you. One type of event is an MMO mainstay: the “raid,” which has your team cooperating with others in a battle against a gargantuan boss monster. Sadly, the illusion isn’t perfect. Frequently walking right into enemy attacks, the NPCs are so dim-witted they’re noticeably not human. Not to mention you’ll have no choice but to pick up the slack.

Thankfully, the combat system is one of the game’s best features. On the surface, “Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization” is a simple hack-and-slash RPG. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find wonderful intricacy that permits the formulation of various strategies.

You can string together light Combo Attacks, then top it off with a powerful Sword Skill. Using the Sword Skill at the precise moment staggers your target, leaving them vulnerable to a joint assault by your teammates called Chain Attacks. The longer your combo remains unbroken, the higher the damage multiplier, so it pays to know how to parry and evade enemy strikes.

As Kirito (or whoever you choose to be; you can change Kirito’s name and sex), you can form a party of up to four. By issuing orders to your team, you can have them perform the aforementioned Chain Attacks, heal, attack a specific target, lure an enemy, trade places with you, and more.

By complimenting your allies every time they activate a preferred skill, they’ll learn to focus on developing specific skills. This way, they can evolve to your liking.

Kirito himself has a broad range of skills to learn, all of them tied to the different types of weapons he can wield in battle. He can even have blacksmiths equip weapons with new skills. The customization options are almost limitless.

Party members generally do well in battle, but they’re also prone to abject stupidity like the NPC “players.” Every once in a while, an ally will stand still instead of dodging attacks or fighting back.

The game does have a multiplayer mode that lets you party with real players. Unfortunately, you have to quit single player to access it.





Stupid love

Want to take a break from fighting? “Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization” lets you spend quality time with your party members back in town.

Lamentably, “quality time” usually means long cut scenes involving nothing but static 2D character illustrations yakking to each other. What’s an even greater shame is that a number of major plot points are revealed using this same, lazy method.

You can also go on dates with any of your friends – even your own cousin. Of course, you can convince yourself that it’s not really a date, that your cousin just wants to hang out. But then she says, “They might think we’re a couple… not that I mind,” and you feel your skin crawling.

Dating entails taking your partner to different locations around town to trigger Private Chats. These events are as basic as agreeing with everything your partner prattles about, and drawing your face closer to theirs like you’re some kind of terrifying predator. In this mode, otherwise complex female characters are reduced to frivolous girl-children prone to dumb outbursts like “The butterflies are so pretty!!” and “It’s so much fun being with you!!!” and “We’re going to have the best time evarrrr!!!”

Romance culminates in a “pillow talk” scene, where you lie in bed next to your partner. Who’s in (surprise!) lingerie. Who could be your own cousin. Or your creepy A.I. daughter. Or that girl who sounds like she’s high on helium. Pick your poison.

What’s all this romancing good for? The game isn’t clear about that, as it isn’t about its various systems. The tutorials are undetailed, and at worst completely ambiguous. You’ll be forced to comb the internet for answers, only to find others as confused as you are.





Flawed yet fun

“Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization” is riddled with missed opportunities. The dating sim elements would’ve benefitted from more complex interactions and less stereotypical depictions of your love interests. The systems could’ve been better explained. The story’s pacing could’ve been less snail-like, the cut scenes less dull.

But these issues don’t detract from the fact that this is a fine game with exciting and deep combat mechanics; a wide, diverse world of enjoyable events and challenging monsters; and a story that will lure you in with its eerie strangeness and loveable characters. “Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization” may be flawed, but it’s still massively fun. — TJD, GMA News


Rating – 7.5/10
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita