Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 92
  3. Negative: 15 out of 92

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  1. Elenoire
    Aug 9, 2015
    8
    For those unaware, this game has been ported essentially 2 times now. From Infinity Moment (PSP) > Hollow Fragment (Vita) > Re: Hollow Fragment (PS4).

    This game is certainly not for everyone, it does not have "mainstream appeal" so naturally it won't review well. The game is a huge improvement over the Vita version of the game. Those who haven't played it will likely not appreciate    For those unaware, this game has been ported essentially 2 times now. From Infinity Moment (PSP) > Hollow Fragment (Vita) > Re: Hollow Fragment (PS4).

    This game is certainly not for everyone, it does not have "mainstream appeal" so naturally it won't review well.

    The game is a huge improvement over the Vita version of the game. Those who haven't played it will likely not appreciate them at all and just take them at face value. That said, the game does have its fair share of problems.

    Let's get the Negatives out of the way first. The game STILL has massive framerate drops in towns. You'd think they'd have fixed this since the problem was so prominent in the Vita version. There are bugs also present that crash the game in certain areas, some trophies are glitched and unobtainable, the game's tutorials are still pretty lackluster, and the button prompts were not fixed entirely.

    -Framerate issues
    This version of the game runs at 60fps while the Vita version ran at 30fps. However, the framerate drops present in this game go below even the Vita's since for some reason they though it was a good idea to add more NPCs to the town.

    -Bugs/Glitches
    Carrying over from the Vita version, in certain areas your game will constantly crash. Also, with the added online multiplayer component, some people are even losing data. Two trophies are currently glitched and unobtainable at the moment, something not present in the Vita version.

    -Other
    The game has you figure out mostly everything on your own since the tutorials don't explain much. Whether you think this as a negative or positive is subjective but not even explaining some crucial basics is bad design.

    Now for the good stuff.

    The game is great for Sword Art Online fans. It's recommended you have watched up to episode 14 of the anime before playing this as it continues from that point. Otherwise you'll be spoiled of those events.

    **said spoilers ahead

    The game continues from the ending of Sword Art Online, where Kirito defeats Heathcliff and the game "ends". However, here the game does not end and you have to clear the remaining 25 floors of Aincrad to escape.

    Going through the floors of Aincrad is pretty fun, they're all unique and have great level design. The boss fights can get pretty challenging as well with having to manage your group so no one dies-- because they stay dead forever, you know.

    The other part of the game is the Hollow Area. Here, you go through a different place separate from Aincrad with a new character named Phillia. The enemies are tougher, the maps are more complex, and the story here is completely new.

    The combat of the game plays like an MMO. You can guard, dodge, attack, but most importantly- use skills. Skills are divided between Sword Skills and Buffs. The amount of skills you can get in this game is astounding. With numerous weapon types to choose from as well, the combat always feels fresh.
    You can even bring partner characters and fight together with them. The combat gets even deeper with Original Sword Skills (OSS), this allows you to create your own skill combos and deal massive damage.

    New to this version of the game is online multiplayer.
    You can now complete hollow missions with friends online. It's similar to something you'd see in monster hunter or phantasy star online. You're in a lobby and are able to select a mission to do. However, the instructions are quite unclear. There is a tutorial but it's hidden in an NPCs menu options that people don't seem to find. So when going online, there are people that have no idea what they're doing and can cause some frustration. However, when playing with people who are knowledgeable, multiplayer is quite fun. You can even trade with other people in the lobby, chat with each other among other things.

    A redone translation.
    The translation for the Vita version of the game was horrible, it had grammatical errors all over. This time it's been redone and it's perfect.

    Remastered
    Although this is a Vita port, it doesn't mean they didn't touch the game up a bit. The game does have new character models, environments, textures, enemy models (bosses especially) and higher quality 2D artwork.
    Running out of space so I can't go into detail about everything, but in the end, the game is a good JRPG. It just doesn't hold your hand through it like most of the casual audience wants it to.

    Other features the game has that I won't go into detail about:
    -Character Creation
    -Romance
    -Events
    -Crafting
    -Extra content (Level cap raised, New side stories, more gears, etc.)    … Expand
  2. SwitSwat
    Aug 10, 2015
    9
    I passed on the Vita version when I learned about this version. (Pre-purchased Lost Song and got this for free. I couldn't let this offer slide). But it wasn't just for the offer. This version has improved visuals, extra content, and most importantly, a better translation that the infamous Vita translation. It plays very much like an MMORPG, very similar to FF XIV, and while the main storyI passed on the Vita version when I learned about this version. (Pre-purchased Lost Song and got this for free. I couldn't let this offer slide). But it wasn't just for the offer. This version has improved visuals, extra content, and most importantly, a better translation that the infamous Vita translation. It plays very much like an MMORPG, very similar to FF XIV, and while the main story is a single-player experience, it is worth noting that the PS4 version includes an online multiplayer mode. One of the game's biggest drawbacks is the amount of useless dialogue it includes. As a fan of the anime myself, it was pretty interesting to read various character interactions, but eventually, it does get a bit tedious. That aside though, the game offers a solid combat system, tons of sidequests, and a very lengthy campaign that is sure to keep any SAO fan playing for 100+ hours.… Expand
  3. GhoXen
    Sep 16, 2015
    10
    This review is going to be a bit different. In short... this game is not everyone's cup of tea. Please select the most appropriate review based on how much of a SAO fan you are.

    TL;DR: Only SAO fans will enjoy this game, but the enjoyment is absolutely immense if you are a huge fan. 1. SAO Uberfan (10/10) If for whatever reason you are an uberfan of the SAO series. Watched all the    This review is going to be a bit different. In short... this game is not everyone's cup of tea. Please select the most appropriate review based on how much of a SAO fan you are.

    TL;DR: Only SAO fans will enjoy this game, but the enjoyment is absolutely immense if you are a huge fan.

    1. SAO Uberfan (10/10)
    If for whatever reason you are an uberfan of the SAO series. Watched all the anime multiple times, read all the LNs up to Aliciazation, read all the side stories, supporting materials, etc. and think of all the what-ifs. And on top of that if you always have fond memories of the Aincrad arc and can't wait for Progressive series to be animated? The short answer is simply that this game is an absolute must-play for you. You will end up having an absolute blast over hundreds of hours simply because this is more of that stuff you wanted to smoke.

    2. SAO General Fan (8/10)
    If you watched the anime, or perhaps read a few LNs, and consider SAO one of the more enjoyable series out there, you should still be able to reap some fun from this game, especially considering its value. You will find Aincrad a fascinating place, and certainly appreciate all the opportunities to see how the good ol' Aincrad characters can develop in an alternative timeline. However, you may end up finding the grind and gameplay somewhat dreary, so don't expect the game to break any new grounds for your experience.

    3. JRPG fan watched anime (6/10)
    If you enjoy JRPGs in general and have at least watched the original SAO anime series or read the first few LNs, then this game is still a fair option on PS4. Let's be frank, there aren't that many exclusives out there at the moment. There are some interesting gameplay mechanics, but SAO is probably what you'd expect in a fairly traditional JRPG with a fair bit of grind, somewhat typical storyline, and generic environments. Nothing will stand out to you at the start, but you may end up appreciating the series if you find the characters, setting or story interesting.

    4. JRPG fan (4/10)
    If you are not familiar with the original series at all, this game will confuse the hell out of you. It will just be a bunch of random characters talking about random topics you don't understand, and the story itself may seem non-sensual to you. Coupled with the fact that the gameplay, graphics, performance, etc. are not stellar, it's highly unlikely that you will like this game.

    5. Not a fan of JRPG (1/10)
    If you don't even like JRPG and also never heard of SAO, then this game is not for you. Even for an entry title into the JRPG genre this game is not your best bet. Perhaps you can still give it a try if someone gifts it to you. Maybe you'll start liking anime or something.    … Expand
  4. consolfreak1982
    Nov 9, 2015
    6
    For me, someone who doesnt know the anime/manga series, the beginning hours of that game were complete uninteresting and not quite understandable - the game doesnt explain itself, its characters and systems very well. Quite a shame because the whole universe and the characters themselves are interesting! The gameplay itself is a bit "samey", the graphics are ... well, PS3-like (in the bestFor me, someone who doesnt know the anime/manga series, the beginning hours of that game were complete uninteresting and not quite understandable - the game doesnt explain itself, its characters and systems very well. Quite a shame because the whole universe and the characters themselves are interesting! The gameplay itself is a bit "samey", the graphics are ... well, PS3-like (in the best moments), and the dialogue between the characters in the "novel/dating-sim"-Part of the game are somewhere between funny, annoying and "to be shamed of". - the Action RPG system of the game is quite some fun actually, but theres so much room for improvement that its obviously "just" a cheap Vita Port. Might as well be best played if someone is a Fan of the SOA Universe and maybe by playing the original Vita Version.… Expand
  5. nastybutler224
    Aug 10, 2015
    9
    This game is not for everyone. BUT if you like Sword Art Online, Character dialogue, .Hack games, and Anime dating simulators then this game will be your 10/10. It is essentially two vita games combined into one, so it has a LOT of content with aggressively mediocre visuals. Treat it like the most beautiful PS2 game ever created and you won't have a problem with the graphics and you mightThis game is not for everyone. BUT if you like Sword Art Online, Character dialogue, .Hack games, and Anime dating simulators then this game will be your 10/10. It is essentially two vita games combined into one, so it has a LOT of content with aggressively mediocre visuals. Treat it like the most beautiful PS2 game ever created and you won't have a problem with the graphics and you might score some simulated nostalgia points in the process.… Expand
  6. TakeshiR
    Feb 23, 2016
    8
    This is a special game for a selective audience, who find fun games that mix anime and action video game is a good game with good story line , and it allows people who watched the anime Sword Art Online and Sword Art online 2 , the joy of seeing the characters in a new adventure. It provides a good game play , more than 70 hours , and a great fun.
  7. Crisiscore7iet
    Dec 10, 2015
    8
    This game is very fun to play with. It has so much content into it, you can spend over 100 hours playing it. The graphics are really good, though some places might be a bit cheesy, and the fighting is pretty simple and easy with tons of new moves set. There is a lot of grinding so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't like that. And the dungeons can get really repetitive (REALLY).This game is very fun to play with. It has so much content into it, you can spend over 100 hours playing it. The graphics are really good, though some places might be a bit cheesy, and the fighting is pretty simple and easy with tons of new moves set. There is a lot of grinding so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't like that. And the dungeons can get really repetitive (REALLY). There really isn't a real true story to the game, but its humor side stories and quest make up for it. I highly recommend it for someone who loves SAO!!… Expand
  8. doushi
    Aug 6, 2015
    4
    Mediocre, this game has lots of content and "fluff" to do, but soon as I started playing I noticed some things that bothered and still bothers me, FPS drops, the game is Vita port and bad port at that, the character movement, the running speed is way too high, I mean really high, it feels off and bad.
    Unless you are hardcore SAO fan, pass this game. It is a bad port and feels like a cash grab.
  9. Impirus
    Sep 3, 2020
    8
    its a fine game , i had a lot of fun with it and liked the story/characters and music, i also really liked the obscurity of some of the stuff ingame i was like finding hidden skills and how to use them, i adored that and the characters you meet they will countine with u into the other SAO games which was nice
  10. NakedNinja
    Sep 30, 2016
    6
    If you are a fan of the show is worth a play for sure. If this was a game where you pick your own character and start from lv 1 on floor one I can see it easily being rated 9 or 10
  11. CoinOpTV
    Nov 23, 2016
    7
    Sword Art Online Hollow Realization is an action Japanese Role Playing Game from Bandai Namco. The Sword Art Online games are quickly becoming serialized and almost annual like the Tales of series or Call of Duty. Before playing Hollow Realization I may have considered this a bad thing, but my mind has been changed. The game is based in the Sword Art Online universe – a popular animeSword Art Online Hollow Realization is an action Japanese Role Playing Game from Bandai Namco. The Sword Art Online games are quickly becoming serialized and almost annual like the Tales of series or Call of Duty. Before playing Hollow Realization I may have considered this a bad thing, but my mind has been changed. The game is based in the Sword Art Online universe – a popular anime and manga – created by Reki Kawahara. What makes Hollow Realization special is how Kawahara created an original story for the game instead of the game relying on previously-released storylines.

    What impressed me the most with Hollow Realization is the amount of improvements that have been made from the previous iterations. The graphics are improved, especially in town and in the character design. It’s still a little muddy when the action is hot and heavy, but compared to Lost Song or Hollow Fragment, it’s a vast improvement. The combat has also been overhauled. They have gone from a heavy dose of button mashing to a style that resembles an actual MMO, which is great because the premise of SAO is that the characters are playing an MMO. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but I can appreciate the effort to make it better.

    Where Hollow Realization comes up short is how everything feels so overwhelming. You can strike up relationships with everyone – literally everyone in the “game.” So, I stop to talk to people and fulfill collections for them and now I’m trying to maintain dozens of relationships outside of the main group of characters, which numbers close to ten itself. Speaking of fulfilling side quests, I’m the type of person that picks up all side quests. At any given time, I was juggling 50 side quests/collections on top of the main story quest. Then there are Event Fragments and smaller fight events that also distract from the main experience. It just becomes too much.

    Overall, Sword Art Online Hollow Realization is for the hardcore Japanese Role Playing Game player or fan of the SAO universe. This is especially true for the fans of the series. You really don’t want to miss out on this storyline, as I would consider this now a part of the canon. That said, this is not for the new or casual player. The unfamiliar will get lost in the mammoth systems and non-linear design.    … Expand
  12. bartalex
    Dec 7, 2016
    6
    Historia muy pobre y no muy fiel al anime.
    Jugabilidad muy mala al estilo " ps2 ".
    Muchos personajes aun que muy lineales.
    Poca personalizaciones de los personajes mas alla de dos o tres trajes y pocas armas.
  13. Jakob_Kane
    Jun 11, 2018
    7
    SAO Re: Hollow Fragment is interesting to say the very least. To say the most would probably take a while. I'll just settle for summarizing my thoughts here.

    Immediately when starting the game you are presented with the iconic "Link Start!: cinematic so many SAO fans remember from the very first episode. Then you are right into creating your character. No dilly dallying, no menu screen,    SAO Re: Hollow Fragment is interesting to say the very least. To say the most would probably take a while. I'll just settle for summarizing my thoughts here.

    Immediately when starting the game you are presented with the iconic "Link Start!: cinematic so many SAO fans remember from the very first episode. Then you are right into creating your character. No dilly dallying, no menu screen, the game puts you straight in. Nice!

    While the character creation is by no means terrible, it's very pointless. In SAO Re: HF you play as Kirito and you will constantly be reminded that you are Kirito because that's what all the characters call you, regardless of gender, too.

    So once you made your pointless character (unless you stayed Kirito) you get plopped into an unknown area and meet an unknown orange player. You fight this player, then fight a boss, then talk a bunch. And talk. And talk. And you might talk some more. This game really likes its "cutscenes", which aren't actually cutscenes at all, just a visual novel type conversation. I liked these conversations because I liked talking to the characters as Kirito but I can definitely see where someone who isn't an SAO or visual novel fan would be slightly put off by these scenes. Especially since there a lot of them.

    After you talk to this unknown orange player you go on an adventure, finally exploring this new Hollow Area a little. The gameplay isn't anything to die over because it can be very repetitive. However it does have a certain charm to it, as well. You basically just tap a few buttons and watch Kirito and his partner slash away at a monster while that same monster slashes away at you. It's not particularly enjoyable but it has an element many JRPG fans, such as myself, enjoy. The best way to compare the combat is to Final Fantasy XII (12) combat. it's almost autonomous but you can somewhat control the flow depending on what you press.

    Slashing away at all these monsters are nice, killing them off one by one, watching the blood and cling of metal in a very narrow forest valley with trees all around. If I'm making the game sound like it looks nice then I'm sorry to off-put you. I think one of my main gripes with the game is that the environments are kind of bland. The game does a nice job of visualizing where you actually are and how you should feel but it fails when it comes to graphics and design, especially of the characters actually in game. The character's CGs and conversation art are nice but their actual 3D models aren't very good looking. (Please note!!! - This game has been ported about three times through different consoles!!!)

    So fast forward a little bit to after I met this orange player in the new Hollow Area. I'm back in Aincrad about to fight the 82nd boss. I decided to get off for the night and play again tomorrow. The next day I get on, start the game, let the loading screens go through their routine, about to loa- wait a second. "Link Start!" I hear from my TV. I look up and I'm back at the character creation screen. Yes, my game had started over without any warning or sign. At this point, since I was grinding every single area I could, I was about 50-60 hours in. I couldn't believe all those hours I had spent went to waste.

    I looked up to see if I had done something on accident. Nah, it's just a game bug; the game will sometimes just flat out decide to start your game over. Ya know, it just feels like it sometimes.

    I was so distraught... I made Kirito again, went through the same stuff I went through when beginning the game, talked to the orange player, traveled a little through the Hollow Area, and finally got back to Aincrad. I was done. I didn't want to play anymore. I had already put so much work in and to just lost it all like that is just heart wrenching.

    So... I don't want to say SAO Re: HF is a bad game because it isn't. It's actually a very fun experience so long as you're an SAO fan. The fanservice in this game is very funny and only SAO fans would enjoy it, but in all honestly, unless you're also a hardcore JRPG fan then it's hard to pick the game back up for another go sometimes.

    IN CONCLUSION - Pick this game up if you are an SAO fan; you shouldn't be disappointed. It's not a masterpiece by any means but it is fun to talk with all your favorite characters and play through. Just make sure to back your save up, yeah?    … Expand
  14. Adriella01
    Feb 22, 2020
    3
    I was a big SAO fan and thought this might be good. The graphics quality is honestly underperformed for a 2015 game. Most of the time I don't mind bad graphics, except this time they charged too much for bad performance. It looks like a bad game version of the good old classic 2004 flyff but in HD and the gameplay is the same. Most of the time after half an hour of fighting and exploring II was a big SAO fan and thought this might be good. The graphics quality is honestly underperformed for a 2015 game. Most of the time I don't mind bad graphics, except this time they charged too much for bad performance. It looks like a bad game version of the good old classic 2004 flyff but in HD and the gameplay is the same. Most of the time after half an hour of fighting and exploring I had to watch static character portraits talking to each other. At the beginning I had enough interest to listen to the long dialogues, which got less and less after some hours and after a while it got a bit annoying listening to SO MANY pointless conversations.

    Still waiting for namco to make a good sao game of the first arc.    … Expand
  15. cheburagen
    Jul 13, 2020
    10
    Эта самая удачная реализация аниме в игре. Тут все на высшем уровне. Те кто занижают не понимают что они делают.
    Она полностью передает атмосферу аниме-ранобэ.
    1.Никакой магии 2. Сюжет аля продолжение 75-100 этажей + отдельная история. 3. Побочки доставляющие удовольствие. 4. Неожиданные встречи (если лезть везде *плак) 5. Боевка идеал - в других будет хуже (играх) 6. Контента    Эта самая удачная реализация аниме в игре. Тут все на высшем уровне. Те кто занижают не понимают что они делают.
    Она полностью передает атмосферу аниме-ранобэ.
    1.Никакой магии
    2. Сюжет аля продолжение 75-100 этажей + отдельная история.
    3. Побочки доставляющие удовольствие.
    4. Неожиданные встречи (если лезть везде *плак)
    5. Боевка идеал - в других будет хуже (играх)
    6. Контента тонны.    … Expand
  16. LuizDaBike
    Dec 31, 2021
    7
    Vamos la. Eu esperei termina o jogo pra fazer essa analise pra ver se realmente vale a pena comprar ou não , ja adianto que esse jogo não é pra todo mundo, lembrando que estamos falando de um porte de um jogo de 2014 então releve algumas coisas dele.
    Eu avia comprado o jogo a bastante tempo, porem quando comecei a jogar achei muito sem graça e sem sal , porem resolvi dar uma chance e me    Vamos la. Eu esperei termina o jogo pra fazer essa analise pra ver se realmente vale a pena comprar ou não , ja adianto que esse jogo não é pra todo mundo, lembrando que estamos falando de um porte de um jogo de 2014 então releve algumas coisas dele.
    Eu avia comprado o jogo a bastante tempo, porem quando comecei a jogar achei muito sem graça e sem sal , porem resolvi dar uma chance e me surpriendi em algumas coisas.
    O jogo é um "E SE..." de sword art online que conta o que aconteceria se Kirito não tivesse derrotado Kayaba no andar 75°. a ideia em si é ótima porém mal explorada e uma outra historia em paralelo .
    Pontos negativo:
    o jogo em si é ultrapassado, cheio de ctrl C e ctrl V, inimigos repetitivos que fica a ser ridiculo a pouca originalidades dos monstros ( isso inclue o bosses ), dialogos com imagens estaticas no fundo, alguns bugs ( n tive bugs que estragavam a experiencia mas acontecia ), I.A que não serve pra muita coisa alem de bater e te ajudar nos combos
    Pontos positivos :
    poder saber como teria acabado a anime se tivesse continuado os andares.
    Um aprofundamento maior em alguns personagens.

    Eu cheguei apenas a zerar a parte dos 100° andares e não me senti motivado a fazer a parte do hollow land. sendo bem sincero tava cansativo.
    apenas no andar 98° que eu achei que o jogo começou a ficar bom ( sim no 98) porque era sempre a mesma coisa até chegar lá , até tinha algumas coisas nos outros andares mas nada wow!.
    EM FIM
    para quem eu recomendo esse jogo: PESSOAS QUE GOSTAM MUITO DE SAO e que queiram saber mais sobre a historia do anime, se você não manja nada do universo do anime e quer tentar jogar esse jogo , vai passar tedio ou raiva.
    Minha nota é 7/10 levando em conta a época e eu senti que a empresa estava apenas testando esse jogo    … Expand
  17. imalynxcat
    Apr 1, 2023
    5
    This game is really bad and not for everyone. If you love SAO and dating sim, It is playable but still not good.

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. Worth Playing
    Jan 21, 2016
    60
    Sword Art Online - Re: Hollow Fragment is definitely for the fans, especially since it makes no real effort to ease newcomers into the world.
    Read full review
  2. SpazioGames
    Oct 28, 2015
    65
    Repetitive and with a weak story, Hollow Fragment is not that great of a game, even if fans of the anime will still like it. The budget price helps it getting passing grades.
    Read full review
  3. Brash Games
    Oct 21, 2015
    80
    Overall Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment is a game for true anime fans. For those looking for a traditional RPG, I suggest watching the first part of season one of the series before diving into this game as it will make more sense.
    Read full review
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