‘Sword Art Online: Lost Song’ Review: An Average RPG Effort That’s Lacking in The Most Important Areas

Game: Sword Art Online: Lost Song
Consoles: PS4 (reviewed), PS3, PS Vita
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Developer: Artdink

Anime adaptations are usually relegated to simple fighting games or action/adventure romps that offers up plenty of fan service. Sword Art Online: Lost Song deviates from the usual formula for games of its ilk by transporting you into an virtual RPG world. The events of Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment may have physically and mentally altered the main cast of characters’ real-life states, but they’re still ready for a new adventure to conquer. There are a few associated mechanics throughout that speaks to how much better this game could be, but it doesn’t fulfill its overall potential.

Kirito and his large party make the move from Sword Art Online to a brand new VRMMORPG universe – the floating continent of Svart ALfheim, which is the main hub area for ALfheim Online (ALO). If you’ve never ventured through Kirito’s past treks around virtual environments, then you won’t find much to care about here. For those who’ve become Sword Art Online addicts, Kirito’s humorous side events with his party members provide a great bit of entertainment. Both audiences won’t be too enthralled with the ho-hum main plot, though. The story basically breaks down into guild wars centered around a mega popular player character in ALO. Don’t expect a grand, sweeping tale that pushes you to arrive at the game’s conclusion. You’ll find more events to care about when they involve Kirito getting into flirty exchanges with his female cast mates.

Buy Sword Art Online: Lost Song here.

When it’s time to step out of your virtual safe haven, you and two other party members will get to run and fly around several floating islands. Having the ability to take flight is a much needed addition that makes traversing each section of Svart ALfheim much easier. Like most real-world MMO games, you have to push your characters towards completing main story chapters, side quests and tough extra missions. When you’re making your way around the expansive outdoor surroundings of each island, there’s a good bit of fun to had. The generic dungeons sap a bit of the fun away though due to their simplistic designs and boring play structure. You’ll be thirsty for the adventurous outdoors after spending far too much time running around caves.

Sword Art Online Lost Song

The best parts of Sword Art Online: Lost Song spring up when multiplayer play is involved. You get a true sense of camaraderie when you take on challenges with or against online party members. Not only does the game give you 19 able warriors to play as, you also have the option to create your own avatar. Fighting a horde of flying demons with a party of custom characters will certainly make you feel truly heroic and unstoppable. However, the button mashy combat is lacking. Battles tend to devolve into mashing the light/heavy attack buttons, pulling out special moves that are far from flashy and healing yourself along the way. The recycled use of enemy designs will eventually tire you out and push you to just take care of the main missions that feature cool boss fights. At least everything looks vibrant enough when you’re exploring, fighting and talking to your favorite characters.

Bottom Line

Sword Art Online Lost Song

When measured up against recent RPG releases, Sword Art Online: Lost Song sadly comes up short. Battles devolve into stale button mashing struggles, the story won’t give you much reason enough to care and exploring dungeons is kind of a bore. When you you get a chance to take to the skies, participate in PVP battles/co-op questing and bask in the bright visuals, you’ll see what’s most positive here. But alas, the latest Sword Art Online game does very little to raise it above its mediocre status. Diehard fans of the anime may still find this title of interest, though.

Score: 6/10

Pros:

  • The visuals shine thanks to the game’s refined anime art style
  • The multiplayer options are entertaining and worth creating a dedicated party for

Cons:

  • The combat scenarios grow tiresome after a while thanks to repeated enemies
  • The overall plot is far from interesting
  • Exploring uninspired dungeons is a letdown compared to the more open locations you’ll venture through

Buy Sword Art Online: Lost Song here.

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