Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 114
  3. Negative: 23 out of 114
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  1. VVhiteCrow
    Feb 18, 2019
    1
    Great anime, but really poor game execution.
    Should be renamed Cutscenes & loading screens & no AA in unreal4.
    The cutscenes are voiced, at least so far, but the subjects are boring and the camera positioning is dumb.
    Dont buy above 5$, youll be uninstalling within 2hr anyway, if on steam, refunding if lucky.
  2. Uncompromising
    Feb 24, 2018
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Surprising dull, considering the premise. Ignoring functional (and practical) flaws of the game, SAO:FB leaves a lot to be desired. While the artwork, controls, and overall RPG elements work well, the lack of replay-ability, immersive co-op, and immediate need to grind (which never lets up) make this a less than exciting new release.

    Campaign/Story Mode:

    SAO:FB had potential to make this a game worth playing for years with their story premise. Integration of a persistent online-world sans NPC simulation could have launched this into the atmosphere. However, the game itself relies on the player to read everything (thanks to Japanese voice-overs) and periodically offers the chance to choose between one of two non-impactful options in between dialogue. This doesn't work well, as a huge chunk of the core gameplay is spent either reading dialog or waiting in-between loading screens.
    To put it into perspective: The simple task of leaving your in-game room takes between 20s-45s of loading, within the city.
    Combine this with the cookie cutter dungeon run gaming template, you essentially have a single-player version of every other MMORPG.

    Multiplayer:

    Multiplayer is divided into two parts: Co-op -or- PVP. That's it.
    On the PVP-side, each room is host-based (to include ranked matches) which means you'll either never find a match or if you're too good, host will quit.
    Needless to say, multiplayer is not (nor do I predict it will ever be) populated enough to have a good time.
    On the Co-Op side, you and up to 3 other players can be in a room together where the only thing you do is constantly rematch dungeon bosses you or the host have beaten in the single-player campaign.
    No, you do not run through the dungeon again. No, you do not have the option to run through the dungeon again. No, you cannot explore with the coop group.
    Once you defeat the dungeon boss, you go back to lobby and hope that host has beaten other, challenging bosses. If so, then you 'ready up' and go again. IF not, then you simply stay and keep fighting the same boss over again. When you're done, you leave room and go back to single player campaign.
    There is no substance on the multiplayer-side. Which was the most surprising factor considering this game cannot be played offline.
    In a nutshell, you're forced to use bandwidth to play this game yet there is nothing to do multiplayer-wise and there is no additional content to download.
    Honestly, I believe that the only reason players are forced to stay online to play this is simply to keep the "persistent" leader-board updated with the boss trial numbers (those who were able to defeat bosses really fast in the co-op multiplayer mode).

    End-Game:
    Basically what you see once you finish the two-hour long tutorial is what you get. There is no dedicated end-game nor is there a reason to grind the end-game. You have nothing to show off, compare, or compete against thus making it pretty much a pointless endeavor.
    Should you strive for the end-game for whatever reason, just be prepared for the load times.

    Conclusion:

    Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is not worth $60. The combined value of the story, lack of multiplayer, and overall product is far less than that. My opinion is based on my play preference which I'd define as a hybrid player: 50% Singleplayer-Rpg player and 50% Coop/competitive multiplayer.
    SAO lacks in all areas of what I typically enjoy and despite spending around 8 hours grinding the to the end of the game, that opinion never changed.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
96
#96 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 42
  3. Negative: 3 out of 42
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Jun 4, 2018
    62
    I'm torn over the score for Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. The move from the ever-more-stale MMO combat kept me interested and entertained to the very end, but the painfully slow start, the blah and unnecessary multiplayer, the bland environments, repetitive enemies and almost hilariously bad cutscenes take a change for the better and stack negative after negative on top of one of the best things the SAO series has ever done.
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  2. RPG Fan
    Apr 25, 2018
    45
    You better be a hardcore fan of the series, or you won't find much to like in Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet.
    Read full review
  3. GameCritics
    Apr 13, 2018
    70
    Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is a perfect game for anyone looking to get a taste of what MMOs feel like without wanting to dedicate hundreds of hours of their lives to the experience, and perhaps more importantly, it has an ending.
    Read full review
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