Anime have become a major part in the lives of Japanese game fans, and by this I mean fans of Japanese games, not people living in japan who like games. The storytelling in both anime and games has become similar enough that nowadays whoever is a big fan of these Japanese RPGs such as Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and the like, becomes also a fan of anime. One anime which definitely has the potential to have a kickass game after it is Sword Art Online.
Sword Art Online has a mixture of elements which make it stand out from other anime. First of all, it is located in a video game which by itself is enough to create a game about it. Second, it features a cast of characters who are very easy to like and empathize with. Last but surely not least, the setting and tone of the anime are sometimes dark and sometimes light, so there is enough mixture to not bore fans either in anime or also in games. Unfortunately, that blockbuster SAO game which fans have been waiting for is not found under Lost Song, but with the announcement of Hollow Realisation coming in 2016, fans might still have hope of one day re-living the epic acts of Kirito in his prime.
Sword Art Online Lost Song may have already signed up for failure when the developers decided to stage the game in Alfheim Online, the location for the second half of the first season. Alfheim Online was the most disappointing of the story arcs so far, heavily criticized both for the novel and for the anime, so for a game to reverse the trend, it was already highly unlikely. What probably did make the developers decide for Alfheim is the fact that, being true to the anime, characters are allowed to fly, which although feels weak at first and solid later on, still does not reward the game enough to make it more than acceptable.
Lost Song features a new story, different from the anime storylines, and maybe this was another mistake which developers did not account before proceeding with coding. Gamers who might want to get more close and personal with Sword Art Online will not find a proper introduction to the series here, since there is little or nothing in the way of presenting the characters. It is true that games based on anime tend to have the majority of sales towards the same people who watch the anime, but ultimately the aim is to make as many sales as possible, so anyone who wants to try the game is obviously welcome.
When it comes to combat, the game makes a few steps in the right direction, but like many hack and slash games out there it commits the mistake of repetition. A game where repeatedly attacking the hell out of anything which moves must place a lot of attention on how players will react when their arsenal will run out of new moves. Unluckily, combat in Lost Song gets old quickly, since all you do is combine shoulder and face buttons for the length of the game. Slicing and dicing foes is honestly rewarding but when there’s not much more to do, it gets to you. This is not to say that the fighting in Lost Song is dull; on the other hand, it probably is one of the game’s best features, but when you run into the “ilostcountwhichnumber” dungeon and encounter similar if not the same enemies you have fought for ten hours previously, you get a little bored. Thankfully, the fighting party which you assemble, made out of a quite sizeable cast of SAO characters, is almost fully independent, and will not drag you down in battle very easily. Having the characters also running with you is also great since fans of the series will have an opportunity to look at their favourite characters up close.
While Lost Song obviously aims itself at those who either played Hollow Fragment or watched the anime, which will feature a high percentage of people who have done both, the game could have featured a small presentation chapter in the beginning of the game, welcoming all audiences as a matter of fact. It definitely does not diminish the achievements of the game, which while not that many, signify solid improvement for a game which is honestly a little niche and does not receive the attention which it deserves. Being my favourite anime of all time, I looked forward to Lost Song, and while not completely disappointed, there is a lot of room to improve on this and make it a blockbuster hit, rivalling AAA titles as well.
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