Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet a Communication Error Has Occurred
Player-Unvoiced's Battlegrounds
Earlier we begin, a fleck of background: In grooming to write this review of Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, I went over the other SAO game reviews I've written for Destructoid, and it turns out, a common thread runs through all of them: The assertion thatSword Art Online as a franchise has yet to top the original, titular death-game story arc. Everything else Kirito and his VR game pals have done to date has paled in comparison to their original exploits. Information technology'southward for a reason that near, if not all, of the franchise'south works are still branded with "Sword Fine art Online," even if their stories and characters have long since moved on from that detail game.
Again and again, I've stated or otherwise implied that the SAO games would need to shake things up in a big fashion for me to really feel confident about them (and by extension, the franchise) again. They'd need to practice the game equivalent of what happened in the "Death Gun" arc, I basically said, in order to keep things fresh.
Well, guess what? They did it.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet(PS4 [Reviewed], Xbox One, PC)
Programmer: Dimps Corporation
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Released: February 23, 2018
MSRP: $59.99
Indeed, they've not just gone and washed the "equivalent" of the "Decease Gun" arc, but just up and centered the whole damn game effectually its setting!
For the uninitiated, the "Expiry Gun" arc of Sword Art Online opened the anime's 2d season and involved Kirito joining an entirely unlike VR MMO, "Gun Gale Online," to investigate a series of unusual deaths. Dissimilar the fantasy-medieval trappings of the original game and ALfheim Online (his new main), Gun Gale Online (GGO for short) was a sci-fi affair, with combat based mainly around gunplay and carrying a strong competitive player-versus-player scene. The arc mainly served to introduce the character Sinon to the core cast, and today GGO is the setting of Sword Fine art Online Alternative, a spin-off manga with different leads.
Defying expectations, developer Dimps has taken a left plough for its start crack at an SAO game, and non just by setting Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet in the world of GGO. Whereas the marketing might lead one to assume the game's plot would be a game-original remix of the "Death Gun" plot, the truth is rather different, and quite a bit more customizable.Fatal Bullet doesn't actually star Kirito. Instead, the main entrada is focused on a silent protagonist, a player-generated custom character, and begins on his or her first mean solar day playing GGO.
To me, this is a sort of genius twist on Dimps' office. One of the reasons Kirito's game adventures cruel then flat all the fourth dimension is that the scenario writers were beholden to save anything genuinely interesting for the actual source material. Without the liberty to really experiment and reinterpret the setting and characters (like, say, the way Telltale'due south Batman serial did for its source), the narratives had niggling option but to tread water. Centering the narrative on the player's character and a agglomeration of game-original cast members allows for actual stakes while still involving the characters and references people come up to aSword Art Online-branded game for.
While the stars and content may be original to the game, Kirito and his coiffure are all present, and fifty-fifty reference their activities in previous SAO titles to plant the timeline (in fact, one character borderline-spoils the end of Hollow Realization). All the same, though, the simple human action of putting the player character first allows even the most unremarkable conflicts and encounters to feel personal and impactful, no matter how long a shadow the "catechism" characters cast. Even the choices feel meaningful despite the fact thatFatal Bullet indulges the classic JRPG "false-choice" dialog structure as heavily as annihilation else in the space.
For its function, the narrative hinges on a new, mysterious expansion to GGO, a new high-level raid territory chosen the "SBC Flugel." A newly-crashed colony ship on GGO'due south planet, the Flugel's still locked up tight, and tin can only be accessed by players accompanied past ultra-rare AI companions chosen "ArFA-sys." The role player grapheme, drafted into the game by babyhood friend Kureha, encounters i such ArFA-sys early on, narrowly avoiding being ganked by Kirito and Asuna for the prize. Encountering the nigh of import rare driblet in the game on their get-go 24-hour interval quickly singles the thespian out as a giant lucksack, earning them attention from both Kirito and his gang (now 15-strong after Hollow Realization), but also the attention of other loftier-level heavies on the GGO scene, all interested in claiming the ArFA-sys for themselves, or helping keep the ArFA-sys safe. The rest of the story follows the crew'southward attempts to upgrade the ArFA-sys in preparation to unlock the raid, as well every bit await into a larger mystery lying at the eye of GGO.
Finally existence awarded a sense of bureau in presence in the story is a refreshing departure after years of watching Kirito and co. accept fun on their own, and makes Fatal Bullet'southward campaign far more engaging than the directly details of the plot might otherwise imply. In a rather saucy-sounding twist, the classic SAO-game "Pillow Talk" events for nearly half that cast (mainly the game-original characters similar Strea and Philia) are now be triggered by the player character rather than Kirito. You know you've made it when it'due south your grapheme and not the canonical lead that's sleeping – very literally – with all the cute girls and boys.
Farther, even one's sense of ownership over the ArFA-sys reinforces that feeling of existence central to the events occurring. The ArFA-sys is fully customizable and can be outfitted, leveled, and developed according to the thespian's taste. It even handles banking and investment (the "FA" in the name stands for "Financial Assistant"), and can gain the player interest on the money they earn or buy rare items for them.
Fans just jonesing for more than Kirito activity tin get their fill, likewise. During the main campaign all the coreSword Fine art Online characters join up as playable party members, just later on, a special "Kirito Mode" entrada unlocks. This is where the more or less directly recreation of SAO's "Death Gun" arc emerges, though it's quite a chip shorter than the master campaign, with details adapted to business relationship for the game-verse'southward unique timeline. It's close enough though that it allows players to walk the canonical path for a while, at to the lowest degree, as well as play out various event scenes with the bandage (including Pillow Talk events with the core SAO characters).
Perchance most importantly, the narrative doesn't article of clothing out its welcome forcing players to waste fourth dimension meandering. A helpful marker always points to the side by side critical story mission (though actually getting fix for it can take a slight fleck of grinding). Mainlining the story quests can be washed over a typical rental period (or a long weekend, if you're willing), with a few hours tacked on to obtain the "True Ending." Some might call this game "content-low-cal" (especially because the asking price), only for me at least,Fatal Bullet does itself a favor past cutting out a lot of the bloat that eventually made Hollow Realization a chore to complete.
Of course, a short-and-sweet campaign would yet feel like a waste of time if the mechanics didn't engage, and it's hither that Fatal Bullet makes the well-nigh dramatic difference from SAO games by. It shouldn't surprise thatFatal Bullet is a third-person shooter, given that the game is set inGun Gale Online. Players will scamper around the battleground wielding various pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and fifty-fifty a lightsaber photon sword or ii.
People won't be mistaking Fatal Bullet for Gears of War anytime shortly, though. For one, the game lacks a comprehend organization, relying on mobility via dodge rolls and quick-steps to ensure a role player's survival as they avoid the enemies' telltale targeting lines. An additional dimension of verticality is added by the addition of the "fiber gun," essentially a grappling hook that animates quite a lot similar the "Thorn" devices from Freedom Wars, which just so happens to be some other Dimps-adult game. In fact, quite a bit of the combat feels like information technology was brought in from Freedom Wars (sans the melee weapons), though at least hither Dimps has added a generous (and toggleable) auto-aim characteristic to make information technology easier to stay mobile while still doing harm.
Skills and gadgets tin can also be equipped to add JRPG-style debuffs and special effects to diverse attacks, and powerful ultimate moves can be triggered past "Weapon Arts." Individual weapons can also be customized at Lisbeth's gunsmithy, adding various modifiers in exchanged for collectible upgrade fries. Enemies driblet various "unappraised" weapons that can be identified at Agil's detail store likewise, ensuring an engaging gear churn as players climb the progression ladder.
Visually, Fatal Bullet looks quite skilful, though the darker tones and metallic design sense of GGO makes for somewhat unappealing environments. If nil else, the dungeon blueprint feels more than interesting thanks to the new movement options available, and the gunplay-based combat means that players will demand to brand the most of what features in that location are in the various spaces for cover. Virtually enemy blueprint continues to pull from the big book of JRPG wildlife, as well every bit some genuinely rad boss designs, some of which I wish the likes ofDestiny ii would use as inspiration. In a nod to GGO's competitive premise, the game too includes enough of NPC "thespian" enemies, either as "compensation hunting" quest targets or every bit randoms seeking to gank the crew and take their stuff.
All of this represents a genuine bounding main alter in the way that Sword Art Online operates, a path I'd observe easy to recommend…if not for all the jank and rough edges. For every inspired change that makes me desire to call this game "Anime Destiny" (a very high compliment, by my lights), there are a agglomeration of rough edges that reveal just where Dimps had to cutting corners for lack of time or resources, or baffling decisions that make Fatal Bullet look downright amateurish.
For example, barring event scenes, Fatal Bullet's switched over to using its 3D models for about cutscenes and conversation, the improve to accomodate the player'due south custom character and ArFA-sys. That's all well and good, but many of the cutscenes, particularly the character-driven skits and conversations, are still conducted with the dating-sim style layout, with characters lined upward facing the camera. The results are bluntly ugly, as poorly lit, physics-enabled character models slide on- and off-screen similar someone was doing an blitheness rigging test in Gary'south Mod. Voice-over volume levels are oddly not normalized, with some characters sounding strangely quiet. Fifty-fifty some of the cinematically-inflected cutscenes from the get-go of the game autumn flat because someone forgot to turn off the environmental reverb, making every spoken line echo like the characters are shouting into a metallic bucket. That's all a detail shame since the dialog and character interactions have received some strong translation, a far cry from the "Engrish" that plagued earlier releases.
The pacing for fun stuff is too strangely off. Though the critical path is easy to follow thank you to vivid signposting and an extremely generous fast travel system (you can literally teleport from home base of operations to a boss room), graphic symbol events simply appear on the map, with no information as to the conditions for making them happen (usually some kind of analogousness/affection score) or who they involve. They also tend to appear all at the same fourth dimension, playing in sequence, as if the histrion were somehow beingness made to clear their voicemail inbox.
There's even an odd sense of missed potential, considering how dramatic some of the character events are. One such scene had my graphic symbol and his ArFA-sys taking on – and beating – Kirito and Asuna in a doubles PVP duel. In a better game, this would be the culmination of an entire subquest line, with the two heroes of SAO equally sort of hugger-mugger bosses to beat. Simply in Fatal Bullet, the duel is a fade to black…followed past Kirito going "Wow, yous did and so well to beat usa that fourth dimension!" What a waste.
Despite the rough edges, Dimps' work is easy to like if you're a Sword Art Online fan hungry for something new to advance the franchise with. Though ultimately held dorsum by the jank, it's definitely worth checking out, if for naught else than a welcome change of pace and setting.
[This review is based on a retail re-create of the game provided by the publisher.]
Source: https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-sword-art-online-fatal-bullet/
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