SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET Complete Edition
- October 27, 2017
- AQURIA
- 28h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Get the full SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET experience with the Complete Edition which includes the main game, three DLC packs, the ""Dissonance of the Nexus"" Expansion, and bonus in-game items! Your choices are heavier and faster than a bullet. Create your own character and log in to Gun Gale Online, a world of guns and steel, where a chance encounter partners you with a rare support AI calle…
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Reviews
- Engaging combat system with a variety of skills and weapon types.
- Rich story and character interactions, especially for SAO fans.
- Large open world with plenty of content and side quests to explore.
- Poor keyboard and mouse controls, better suited for controller use.
- Frequent bugs and glitches, including character getting stuck in terrain.
- Long cutscenes and dialogue can disrupt gameplay flow.
- story556 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization" is a mixed bag, with many players expressing disappointment over its execution and pacing. While some appreciate the connection to the anime and the presence of familiar characters, others find the narrative lacking depth, often feeling like a series of tedious fetch quests and lengthy dialogues that detract from gameplay. The game is described as more of a visual novel experience, with significant portions of the story delivered through static cutscenes rather than interactive gameplay, leading to a sense of disconnect for those seeking a more engaging narrative experience.
“The story is good and there is a ton of content to explore, at least 80 hours to complete everything.”
“The main reason I'd suggest this game aside from the almost perfect transitions between the story and explaining the events of ALO and SAO is that the storyline is pretty fantastic with a lot of unexpected turns and constant anticipation.”
“The story is creative and adds some backstory to the creation of Aincrad, which many SAO fans would find interesting.”
“The overall story is pretty mediocre and really started to become boring 12-15 hours in before I just decided to uninstall.”
“The story is so bad I want to replay Breath of Fire 2 for the plot.”
“There are story quests in which you don’t even do anything, just dialogue, endless, useless dialogue which you’ll end up skipping after the first 10 minutes of the game because they rattle on for 15 minutes not having said anything.”
- gameplay216 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive quest structure and lack of engaging mechanics, leading to a sense of monotony. While some appreciate the smooth combat and interesting mechanics once mastered, others criticize the game for its technical issues, convoluted controls, and excessive cutscenes that disrupt the flow of play. Overall, the gameplay is seen as average, with potential for enjoyment primarily for fans of the franchise, but marred by significant flaws and a lack of depth.
“This game was fantastic, and I like the game mechanics.”
“The gameplay is great, and I would honestly buy an SAO game with no story and it's just an MMORPG.”
“The gameplay experience was quite enjoyable and the game is feature-rich.”
“With only two types of quests—collecting a set number of monster drops or slaying a specific number of monsters—the gameplay quickly devolves into monotony.”
“Basic things like changing party member equipment are locked behind pointless mechanics while things like fighting monsters are only worthwhile if you need to beat them to get to a chest or farm upgrade materials.”
“The short of it is this game is a poorly made PS Vita port with repetitive and horrible gameplay, lackluster story, and terrible level/world design.”
- graphics123 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as decent and immersive, while others criticize them as outdated and poorly optimized, likening them to titles from a decade ago. Many users report performance issues, including low frame rates and graphical glitches, particularly on higher-end systems, suggesting that the game may not be well-optimized for modern hardware. Overall, while some appreciate the art style and character designs, the consensus indicates that the graphics do not meet the expectations set by contemporary games.
“Features stunning graphics and smooth gameplay, immersing players in the familiar and beloved world of the anime.”
“The graphics are incredible and the game system is almost flawless.”
“The graphics are quite good in this as well, I rarely get FPS lag because my PC is quite good, not god-tier though.”
“I'd say the graphics date themselves to 2010, but even back then I played better-looking games.”
“Clearly this has to be a very badly ported game or just poorly optimized; it's crazy I play games with much better graphics but this one lags to hell and back.”
“The graphics look like they are from a PSP port.”
- grinding101 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game features significant grinding elements, which can be both a draw and a drawback for players. While some enjoy the extensive farming and leveling mechanics, others find the grind tedious and repetitive, especially in the late game and with DLC content. Overall, the experience is described as enjoyable for those who appreciate grind-heavy RPGs, but it may deter players who prefer a more streamlined progression.
“I genuinely like this, as it provides something to do when you're not grinding your butt off.”
“Way too tedious and painful to actually be worth playing.”
“Gameplay is too good but grinding in late game (100 hours+) is so boring.”
“The game itself just feels slow... at least while you're grinding or are in dungeons.”
- music53 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and mood, contributing to an immersive experience. While some noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive, others highlighted standout tracks that elevate key moments, particularly during combat and boss battles. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, with ratings often ranging from good to excellent.
“One aspect that manages to shine amidst the disappointments is the music and graphics.”
“The music also manages to capture the right mood, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“It has awesome music and you can get immersed in the world of SAO.”
“Boring music”
“The graphics are alright and the music is repetitive.”
“Repeating enemy design and boring music.”
- stability37 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent crashes, freezes, and various glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experienced issues such as freezing during loading screens, unresponsive controls, and bugs that can trap characters or disrupt game flow. While some found the game playable despite these problems, the overall consensus is that it suffers from poor optimization and a lack of polish, making it frustrating for many users.
“Game runs great.”
“This game runs great, has decent character interactions, and smooth combat.”
“But the worst part is the persistent crashes and freezes during gameplay.”
“I can't recommend this game because it can be a buggy, crashy, typo-filled mess of lazy iterative content.”
“This game is buggy as hell and simply is unplayable for me.”
- optimization35 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many users citing significant performance issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor control responsiveness, particularly on PC. While some players report stable performance under certain conditions, the overall consensus is that the game feels like a poorly executed console port lacking necessary updates and optimizations for PC. Users recommend using a controller for better gameplay experience, but frustrations with control settings and loading times persist.
“Other than that, this game runs smoothly and can distract you for hours at a time.”
“Very well optimized!”
“Great performance for a console port, recommend for people who like anime.”
“Horrible optimization; since this was originally a console game, the PC port is very lazy. Therefore, this version has many issues even on a high-end PC like mine, including freezes, FPS drops, and tons of crashes.”
“Clearly, this has to be a very poorly ported game or just poorly optimized. It's crazy; I play games with much better graphics, but this one lags to hell and back.”
“The game is a poorly optimized port with no real quality control behind it, or desire from the devs to attempt to fix what doesn't work in it.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of low-key jokes, sexual innuendos, and amusing interactions among characters, often leading to laugh-out-loud moments. Players appreciate the comedic elements in cutscenes and dialogues, particularly in the context of the game's quirky narrative and character dynamics, despite some inconsistencies in the storyline. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, making it an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
“The combat is satisfying and the story, although a bit long-winded at times, is good and will put a smile on your face with its low-key humor.”
“It's funny though, as field bosses take a lot longer to kill (depending on what you're fighting) than the actual area boss, which makes no sense in my eyes.”
“They can be hilarious, like the conversation with Philia, Klein, and Agil in the café lol.”
- character development5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the depth in mechanics and party-building, others criticize the lack of meaningful character growth and connection to the main story. Many feel that character development is primarily relegated to cutscenes, with the actual gameplay focusing on repetitive fetch and kill quests, leaving little room for genuine character interaction or evolution. Overall, the experience of character development varies significantly among players, with some finding it rich and others feeling it is superficial.
“From what I see so far, the game has a lot of depth in its mechanics and party-building/character development.”
“It is an MMO world, with great, nuanced quests and lengthy character development.”
“So there is no character development and it doesn't connect to the main story in any way.”
“The storyline can be accurately summed up in a couple of sentences and there's next to no actual character development even with the new characters.”
“And the lengthy character development?”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Hollow Realization" is highly praised for its well-crafted soundtrack that effectively enhances the game's mood. Despite being a single-player experience, it successfully simulates the immersive feel of an MMORPG, allowing players to enjoy a communal atmosphere through its setting and story elements.
“The music also manages to capture the right mood, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“While 'Hollow Realization' is essentially a single-player game, it creates an atmosphere of an MMORPG that can be enjoyed by a group of players through a variety of elements.”
“The game does a good job of simulating an MMO atmosphere.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, particularly for players interested in experimenting with different builds and party setups, as well as exploring its numerous levels and items. However, it features a single save system and limited replayable events, which may restrict some aspects of replayability for certain players. Overall, fans of the genre and the associated anime are likely to find value in revisiting the game.
“The game has great replay value if you want to try different builds and party setups.”
“This is definitely not a game that you can speed run and be done with; it has a lot of replayability and is definitely worth the money.”
“There are so many levels and items, making it a game with significant replayability.”
“It's an MMO-like: there's only one save, and most events aren't replayable (some of them are).”
“Has replay value if you want to try different builds and party setups.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through its ability to blend action and strategy while maintaining a strong narrative connection, particularly in relation to the characters' emotional depth. Players appreciate the nuanced portrayal of relationships, especially in the context of a harem dynamic, which adds to the overall emotional experience.
“But SAO: Hollow Realization is a great way to combine controller action with JRPG strategy and keep up with the emotional ride that SAO offers.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is perceived as a blatant cash grab, particularly targeting fans of the original series, leading to disappointment over the quality of the port and overall content.
“It's an obvious cash grab for the weirdos like you and I that unironically enjoyed SAO back in 2013 or so.”
“I feel like this was a cash grab resulting in a bad port of a content-rich game.”
