Sword Art Online: Lost Song

We like how SAO went a little bit more action-oriented this time. It's quality over quantity, but we've enjoyed our time with Lost Song, and even though you know the game is not perfect, the feelings you get from it are worth your time.

Sword Art Online comes back to PS4 with a game full of new gameplay mechanics, like aerial combat. It lacks some visual improvements, most likely a burden of the PS Vita version, but the frame rate has been improved since Hollow Fragment. Japanese voice acting and, for the first time, Spanish subtitles.

Much more than a graphical upgrade to the Sword Art Online universe, but not the leap forwards it appears at first.

The maps and monsters are pretty lacklustre and its storyline is basically all fluff, but a unique cast of characters and a fluid aerial battle system give this one a sugary sweet coating that's hard to resist. [Jan 2016, p.94]

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a game for fans of the anime. It relies heavily on players recognizing the story twists and turns and grasping how the anime mechanics translate into gameplay.

Definitely an evolution if you compare it to its predecessor. It’s a bigger and better game, with the possibility of flying thrown in the mix that makes for faster pacing and exploration. Unfortunately, it’s still not that deep of a jrpg, and we recommend it only to fans of the anime or the novels.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song, while polished in some areas and definitely a great buy for a fan of the anime, is only mediocre in it’s own right.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a solid Japanese Action RPG that has enough to keep old and new players interested with touches of innovation here and there, even if it does fall short in certain areas.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song’s story is probably not going to win over non-adherents of the popular anime franchise, but thankfully it’s not required to enjoy the rest of what’s on offer: a fun, lighthearted and breezy run through well-worn action-RPG territory.

Another chapter inside the fake MMO Sword Art Online universe that introduces new gameplay mechanics such as the aerial assaults.

Primarily a game for fans, Lost Song obviously won't appeal to everyone, but those who do enjoy the source material will certainly appreciate its colourful and inviting world that's packed with things to do.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is filled with content but it is a little more repetitive than Hollow Fragment. Fans can enjoy some side quests that follow the anime, but be advised: aerial combat, poor AI and technical problems prevent the game from being as good as its predecessor.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a fan service game with a couple of good ideas. However, the camera and the combat system have a little failures. The multiplayer mode is the best of the game.

Sword Art Online: Last Song might make some great strides forward, but it still isn't an easy game to recommend. The divergent storyline really stuck in my craw from the very beginning, and the tale didn't get much better from there.

Had I been more familiar with, or been a fan of the series, it’s possible I would have enjoyed Sword Art: Online Lost Song more than I did. As a newcomer to the series, the game has a lot to offer, but poor design choices ultimately lead to the game becoming mediocre instead of great.

Most fans of the series will get some enjoyment out of Lost Song. The core gameplay elements are solid, but the superficial story and monotonous questing prevent it from being fun throughout.

Sword Art Online may not be the game fans deserve, but it is at least a nice iteration that they will enjoy. It does not have the greatest game mechanics but its simplicity should appeal to those curious players that would like to taste this game. You will give it a try for the main campaign but stay for the multiplayer experience.

Sword Art Online is a fantastic series with really rich world and cast of characters. Sadly Lost Song is a game that fails in achieving the same essence by offering a really basic and repetitive game with a forgettable story and tedious narrative. It’s action gameplay is something that fans could enjoy in the firsts hour, but after that, we don’t guarantee that hardcore fans will tolerate even further.

Game dedicated to fans of Sword Art Online. The rest goes to see an uninspired and too easy Japanese Role Play Game. Give it a try if you're starting in RPGs.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song has plenty of great ideas, but it definitely doesn’t do enough to make them work in a 20-hour game. A better effort is needed next time.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a game that delivers fan service to players, but fails at delivering graphics for PS4. Also it contains boring surroundings and lacks a decent story. If you buy it, go for the PS Vita version.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is not a bad title, it’s simply an average one. Fans of the anime will be well served by it’s gentle adventuring and light tone, and the combat may attract those who enjoy the Musou games, but the likelihood will be that it’s not likely to be an experience you’ll remember in a few months time.

In summation, fans of the series will come for the single-player story, but they'll stay for the online multiplayer goodness. Conversely, gamers like myself who aren't familiar with SAO will find Sword Art Online: Lost Song to be just another lackluster MMO based on a popular anime.

In the end it's a mediocre experience, and its competitors can do much better. The screenplay is below average, and the gameplay is just business as usual.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song has so much going for it. The battle and flight systems are top-notch entertaining time sinks, the artistic style is nothing short of gorgeous and being able to hang out with characters from the show, with dialogue written by the creator, is an engrossing experience.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is an interesting title, because its intuitive combat is an easy way for newcomers to experience the game. At the same time, it has a story and history that really is geared towards those who are already familiar with the series and the prior video game entry. Those two items are somewhat at odds with one another, but if you can get past that and the middling story, I found the actual characters and humour engaging.

The single-player campaign is paper thin, combat and enemies are repetitive, and the fan service kept to a minimum. On the other hand, adding other players to the mix lets you find the fun in its smooth controls, coordinating attacks against hordes of enemies, and tough competitive duels.

It has some redeeming qualities, but in the grand scheme of things, it stumbles more than it flies. Fans of the anime should really be the only ones that pick this up, and even then, I would say at a discounted price.

To see such frustrating limitations enforced upon what could have been a defiantly meaty JRPG world is a deal-breaking shame. [Jan 2016, p.81]

It doesn’t do anything interesting to make itself stand out, so I would advise anyone who values their time and money to stay away.