Ah it’s good to be back in Ainc… I mean Ainground with the release of Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization for the PlayStation 4. Let it be known that that I am a big fan of Sword Art Online having read, watched and played all the previous media that’s been put out for Sword Art Online over the past several years. As a lover of MMOs, the SAO franchise and its original life and death story arc just drew me in from day one like an MMO that I’ve ever played.
So here we are with Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, the third title released in the US, where we follow all the still living characters from Hollow Fragment, Lost Song and the original series as they start on a brand-new adventure in an almost exact copy of Aincrad without the floating castle oh and permadeath that is. Here Kirito soon runs across a female NPC that isn’t quite like the rest which is the main focus of Hollow Realization’s story such that it is.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization marks the first time in the game series where players get to embark on a SAO experience from literally the ground level. All characters start at level 1 this time around which is a nice change of pace. Most people who are familiar enough with SAO will know the backstory of how Kirito and the other became friends, how he became a dual wielding badass and their eventual escape from a nightmarish situation.
For first time SAO experiencers though, Hollow Realization does do a good job laying down the groundwork of who these characters are and where they fit into the scheme of things via flashbacks. Players are able to create their own character like in the previous installments but this time it even going so far as to allow you to choose what type of weapon you want to start with. The noticeable downside is that you are still always portrayed as playing the role of Kirito during cutscenes and story moments which in itself makes a character creation system arbitrary. Still, I like the option as it adds to the faux MMO experience that the SAO titles have established thus far.
Hollow Realization as a whole does a good job at continuing the faux MMO experience with its terminology drops and even its very menu systems and layouts at almost every turn. The biggest immersion break to that effect is the sheer amount of text that is common with JRPGs and this franchise as well. When you’re not out fighting in Ainground’s monster filled areas you’ll be in the town hub which acts as your main source of quest and supply gathering as well as SAO’s social simulator. As fan of SAO and JRPGs in general this honestly didn’t really bother me as much as it might for newcomers.
The social simulator does however prove useful in other aspects of Hollow Realization so it shouldn’t be so easily dismissed as mere story progression or filler. Each character reacts to personal interaction with the main character both in and out of battle. This allows you to pretty much tailor each party member into the fighter that you want them to become if coached in certain areas based on their personalities and interactions. You can even go so far as to lock progression in certain areas of their skills to sway them in other areas.
Unlike the previous entries in the SAO game franchise there seems to be much more of a camaraderie feeling to the characters and combat. What I really mean by that statement is that while we already know that Kirito and his pals are best friends by this point here it actually affects the performance of the characters especially in battle thanks to the affinity system. The more you compliment a character on their fighting or by giving them items outside of combat the better they work with you when it really matters.
As I mentioned above, Hollow Realization is the first game in this series to start your character at level 1 so combat is a bit different from previous entries. Kirito (you) are not the badass right off that returning players might be used to and honestly, it’s a nice change of pace. Combat is still just as fast paced but as I remember with much of the combat system intact from previous entries despite being made by different studios. The nice thing about Hollow Realization is that you can tailor your main character in the way you want to fight be it daggers, swords or axes to name a few. I also really like that the attacks feel like they have real weight behind them this time around.
The fun part about the quests in Hollow Realization is that sometimes they evolve into multi-stage events often resulting in a boss fights depending on the quests. There is no shortage of quests to help you level even though they can get repetitive at times, but I’m mean that’s just RPGs in general. The nice thing about Hollow Realization is that much like a real MMO there are no real surprise fights as enemies can be avoided entirely unless otherwise scripted as they appear in the world in real time. One issue I did run into during combat is that the screen can get busy at times. As an MMO player this is something that I’m used to but I when you pull off link attacks or bring up your palette menu to name a few instances its can get really busing on the screen often obscuring the combat itself. This is problematic especially when facing multiple targets and having to watch out for multiple attack paths.
That said Hollow Realization is a really pretty title that captures the style that fans of SAO are used to. Navigating either casually throughout the town hub or while out in the fields exploring and fighting, reward you with beautiful visuals. The environments close up are actually pretty solid and there is plenty of fine details like shadows and even god rays given the right angle. Little details like the movement and sharpness of edges of clothing, and the moving skybox are all well done as well. The hand drawn character art of the conversation stills is still sharp as ever and even the actual CG cutscenes are pleasant to look at. The score is good and hits all the right notes featuring a really cool theme song by Luna Haruna.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization definitely feels more like the world and source material that it is based upon this time around thanks to the work by developer Aquira this time around. Lost Song was definitely a step in the right direction with its more grounded presence, but Hollow Realization is definitely the best entry in the SAO game franchise so far. There are still issues here and there including localization but for the most part Hollow Realization was really enjoyable. While it might feel like a small thing, I also really liked all the little MMO options like kneeling, emotes and even the ability to walk around in first person that might otherwise be overlooked or ignored that Aquira integrated into the game to better immerse you into the world of SAO. If you love Sword Art Online or are just looking into for the first time, then I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization for the PlayStation 4 today.
