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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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

All reviews »
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.
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  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.
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  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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