Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Brings People Closer Together
Sword Art Online Video games are either good or bad. You have games that aren’t bad like Lycoris Alicization and then there are the surprisingly good things like The Fatal Bullet. Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream It may not seem like the best game in the series so far but it offers the most variety out of any game so far according to my recent preview at Anime Expo 2024.
I got a brief 10-minute preview of the upcoming game, where I got to explore a vast desert area and complete a quest. Right from the start, Broken dreams make clear how vast the cast is. I start with Llenn, the star of Gale Gun Online. But then I quickly got access to three other characters, including Kirito.
These characters don’t interact with each other very often throughout their respective series. So this game feels like a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate– Collection in style with everyone here. Perhaps the most appealing part is how each character feels completely different from the other.
Llenn plays like a lighter version of the game from The Fatal Bulletwhere the player shoots from a distance. The aiming system is messier than the previous shooters in the series, which is annoying, but it gets the job done. Then there’s Kirito, who is much faster than Llenn with his impressive and powerful sword skills.
The unique playstyles don’t stop there, as Leafa is also part of our team. She plays more like her flying Alfheim Online counterpart. All three of them feel like they come from different games. This variety means that some characters may be more valuable than others in combat, but I still appreciate the variety.
Everyone has basic attacks, plus tons of skills to use. Some of these can include dashing forward to attack an enemy or jumping into the air to perform a jumping attack. Each move is pretty flashy and fun to perform. The main problem I have with combat in Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream The preview has been targeted.
There is a target lock feature but it doesn’t work very well, especially when there are multiple enemies on screen. I feel like the camera can’t keep up with my character. I’ll try to throw a skill at an enemy I’m locked on and the character will miss completely. This happens even if I start throwing the skill right in front of the enemy.
The preview ended with a big boss fight. It seemed pretty easy in terms of difficulty, as I just smashed it with Kirito’s twin swords. Some characters, oddly enough, fared better than others. The scorpion boss, for example, was resistant to Llenn’s gun attacks, so I had to switch to other characters like Leafa, who had their weaknesses. While the fight itself was easy, the biggest challenge again came from the awkward camera and aiming controls.
For the most part, this Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream The preview focuses on the single-player mode. That said, the main aim of this game is to bring together 21 playable characters for online multiplayer. Up to 20 players will be able to participate in real MMO-like raid battles for the first time.
Unfortunately, this preview doesn’t offer any glimpses of that. Given how this demo focuses on single-player, I’m curious to see if there’s a dedicated single-player story mode. For now, though, we’ll have to wait and see. Although I’m not convinced it’s the best mode STAR However, I do at least appreciate the variety in its character roster and gameplay.
Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream will be released for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and computer on October 4, 2024.
