SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET Complete Edition
- October 27, 2017
- AQURIA
- 31h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition" is a virtual reality MMORPG set in the game world of Sword Art: Origin in 2026. Players, controlling protagonist Kirito, explore a vast world and uncover an original story supervised by creator Reki Kawahara. The deluxe edition includes a season pass and bonus costumes. Multiplayer mode allows up to four players to team up for raid battles. The game aims to capture the experience of traditional MMORPGs with its interface, large teams, and difficult bosses.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- story737 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization" is generally viewed as a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its connection to the anime while criticizing its execution. While some enjoy the unique narrative and character interactions, others find the pacing slow and the dialogue excessively lengthy, often leading to a reliance on visual novel-style storytelling that lacks engaging gameplay elements. Overall, fans of the series may find value in the story, but newcomers might struggle with its convoluted nature and repetitive quest design.
“I especially like that the story is separate from the anime, so whoever plays this game will get a completely new story!”
“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 so far and a lot of constant anticipation.”
“The story is good, the only downside to it is the amount of cutscenes; there are so many!”
“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 lacking and is padded with long-winded visual novels; thank god for the fast forward button.”
“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.”
- gameplay278 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the action RPG mechanics and combat systems, which offer a variety of skills and weapon types. However, criticisms arise regarding the repetitive quest structure, convoluted mechanics, and poor optimization, leading to a frustrating experience for some. While fans of the franchise may find enjoyment in the gameplay, others note that it can feel grindy and lacks depth, particularly in terms of enemy variety and engaging story integration.
“Gameplay is fun, and with it being more action RPG than MMO, I can actually stand playing it, unlike something like FFXIV.”
“The combat section of the gameplay feels extremely satisfying and rewarding, and was one of my favorite parts about the game.”
“The gameplay is great and I would honestly buy an SAO game with no story and it's just an MMORPG.”
“But the worst part is the persistent crashes and freezes during gameplay.”
“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.”
“The short of it is this game is a poorly made PS Vita port with repetitive and horrible gameplay, lackluster/stupid story, and terrible level/world design.”
- graphics162 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as decent and atmospheric, especially for a title of its age, while others criticize them as outdated and poorly optimized, likening them to those from older consoles like the PS2 or PSP. Many users report performance issues, including lag and flickering, particularly on higher settings, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the art style and character designs, noting that the graphics can still provide an enjoyable experience if the technical issues are managed.
“The graphics are incredible and the game system is almost flawless.”
“Features stunning graphics and smooth gameplay, immersing players in the familiar and beloved world of the anime.”
“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.”
“Graphics look as if they came from 10 years ago, but the gameplay is not bad.”
- grinding126 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention among players, with many describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming, particularly in the late game and DLC content. While some players enjoy the grind as a core element of the RPG experience, others find it overwhelming and detracting from the overall enjoyment, especially when it comes to leveling up, farming materials, and completing quests. Overall, the game caters to those who appreciate grinding, but it may not appeal to players looking for a more streamlined experience.
“I genuinely like this, as it provides something to do when you're not grinding your butt off.”
“And that was with no grinding done at all.”
“Way too tedious and painful to actually be worth playing.”
“The game itself just feels slow... at least while you're grinding or are in dungeons.”
“Grinding in this game as if I'd be playing a real MMORPG kind of defeats the purpose of playing a single player game, in my opinion.”
- music71 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, while others find it repetitive and unmemorable. Many appreciate the soundtrack's fitting nature during gameplay, though some express a desire for more variety. Overall, while the music is generally considered good, it often falls short of being truly memorable, leading some players to prefer listening to their own music instead.
“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.”
“Music is beautiful and well made.”
“There are not more than five musical notes.”
“This is awful, most of your time will be spent lightly jogging throughout the dull boring levels, with that god awful background music over and over again.”
“The graphics are alright and the music is repetitive.”
- optimization49 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 37 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as bugs, stuttering, and frame drops, particularly on high-end PCs. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, others criticize it as a poorly optimized console port with long load times and inadequate support for mouse and keyboard controls. Overall, the consensus leans towards the game being poorly optimized, requiring players to navigate various technical challenges to achieve satisfactory performance.
“The game is well optimized, it runs perfectly for me!”
“Very well optimized!”
“Everything besides the controller support bug is a fairly good port, even running in 4k with everything turned up all the way while running things on my other 2 monitors all on the same graphics card I have had no frame rate issues at all, so seems well optimized like a proper PC port should be.”
“This is the buggiest, least optimized game I have ever tried.”
“Plus it’s somehow 40 gigabytes, so you can just tell it’s poorly optimized even without opening it and realizing the load times are awful.”
“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.”
- stability43 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of persistent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. Players have experienced issues ranging from graphical glitches and unresponsive controls to game-breaking scenarios that require restarts. Overall, the game is deemed poorly optimized, especially as a port from console, leading to a frustrating experience 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.”
“The game decides to freeze entirely once I finish the tutorial and make my first visit to the town for the first time, stopping at a direction I go even if I'm heading just to the market. It freezes on the loading screen, making the game unplayable.”
“I can't recommend this game because it can be a buggy, crashy, typo-filled mess of lazy iterative content.”
- humor19 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its witty writing, sarcastic dialogue, and amusing interactions among characters, particularly in side quests and cutscenes. Players appreciate the blend of low-key humor and sexual innuendos, alongside comedic moments that arise from the game's mechanics and character dynamics. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable despite some narrative inconsistencies.
“The writing is funny; I can actually read the sarcasm.”
“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.”
“They can be hilarious, like the conversation with Philia, Klein, and Agil in the café, lol.”
- character development7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the depth and nuance found in cutscenes and visual novels, others criticize the lack of meaningful development in the actual gameplay, which is often reduced to repetitive fetch and kill quests. Overall, the disconnect between the rich storytelling in cutscenes and the limited character interaction in the game world leaves many feeling unsatisfied with the character development experience.
“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.”
“It provides a lot of 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?”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing frustration over poor quality ports and deceptive advertising. Many feel that the developers prioritized profit over creativity, resulting in a lackluster experience that fails to justify its cost. Overall, the sentiment reflects a strong discontent with the game's financial practices and perceived exploitation of fans.
“Really get annoyed with cash grab ports; these rich companies just want to take your hard-earned money with the least effort. The game is still on v1.00!”
“I feel like this was a cash grab resulting in a bad port of a content-rich game.”
“It just seems like a cash grab really... they couldn't even do something interesting and mix in the other Gun Gale Online elements and make an awesome mash-up; they had to make it its own separate game for more money, and I don't doubt it's probably as dull and bland as this game.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is effectively crafted, with graphics that may feel dated but contribute to a unique charm. The well-composed soundtrack enhances the mood, while the setting and story successfully simulate a multiplayer online role-playing game experience, making it enjoyable even for single players. Overall, the atmosphere is immersive and engaging, inviting players to adapt and appreciate its distinct style.
“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. While it features a variety of levels and items that encourage multiple playthroughs, the MMO-like structure limits some events to a single play, which may affect overall replay value for certain players.
“The game has 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 engaging narrative and character dynamics, particularly in the context of relationships, such as a harem of well-developed characters. Players appreciate how the game effectively blends action and strategy while maintaining an emotionally resonant experience, reminiscent of the emotional depth found in the Sword Art Online series.
“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.”
