Guest Review by
Ryan Byers
Obscure Games and Consoles
Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris is an action RPG developed by Aquria and BNE Entertainment, and published by BNE Entertainment; that is based on the Anime and Manga of the same IP.
I have never watched the Anime nor have I read any of the Manga so I was headed into this game blind. Now I had heard of the game series and briefly played one of the previous games in the series for Switch and never dived into one of these games until this entry. I must say that what I got from this game was a beautifully detailed game with a lot of things going for it.
Story:
Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris tells the events of the anima/Manga using engaging battles, exploration, and a very engaging story that does a great job of keeping you interested even if you aren’t familiar with the media the game is based on. You play primarily as Kirito, who works with various people he meets along his journey to find out why he ended up in the world he’s in. The main character Kirito must make connections with characters to determine their intentions and either choose to help them or not. Characters he meets in this world have their own words and phrases for things and he works through relating the words and phrases to ones he’s familiar with. The game does a great job of blending “real world” aspects and the virtual game world along with the characters’ ability to try and decipher what’s real and what’s part of the virtual world that he’s a part of.
Gameplay:
At its core, Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris is an action RPG with a lot of depth and really good mechanics. The game has you controlling characters in your party that you can switch between during battle or have the AI control as well. The game has the party of characters go from town to town purchasing weapons/armor/items along with crafting items based on the materials they find while going through quests. You can take on quests from various townspeople along with following the main quest in a vast open world that feels like an MMO but at the same time a traditional action RPG.
The battle system in the game as traditional RPGs go gives you the ability to use consumable items that will allow you to heal yourself or fellow party members and items that will help aid you in battle by dealing damage or status effects to your foes. In battles, you have the choice of using the main character to take control of or any of the other characters in your party if you don’t feel like the AI is doing a good enough job or when the situation arises where you need to take control of a specific character in order to change the tide of the battle.
Magic abilities in the form of Sword Arts along with offensive and defensive spells are present here that provide a good balance of close and ranged combat. In addition to magic, you have a guard system that based on your timing in battle will reward you and is a nice change of pace from other games in this genre. Group attacks are also available and will change depending on the people you have in your party, your relationship with them, and what equipment they have been set up with.
Graphics and Performance:
Graphically, the game is rather impressive both in actual gameplay and the Anime cutscenes. The draw distance is at a point where there isn’t a lot of popping in and out of buildings and set pieces and yet still looks really good on the Switch. Towns are full of buildings and people, there are plenty of enemies and items around the world you can engage in and search for, and it all flows together nicely. Animated cutscenes add to the immersive story and are beautifully done; making it seem like you’re watching something on Crunchyroll rather than playing a game. There are a few times the game slows down a little here and there when playing either docked or handheld but nothing game-breaking and generally only happens while on the world map.
Sound:
The in-game soundtrack really adds character to the game. The music fits the game well and again makes it feel like you’re playing and watching an interactive anime rather than playing a video game with each town, dungeon, casual enemy encounter, boss fights, and animated cut scenes background music changing dynamically. The ambient sounds, sound effects, and even the characters’ emotes all fit the game very nicely without becoming annoying or repetitive and instead feel like the game has depth and feeling.
Conclusion:
I have played a lot of RPGs in my decades of gaming, and I have never found a game that quite checks all the boxes like this game does. It has magic, special attacks, group attacks, relationship building, a rewarding battle system, animated cut scenes, and dynamically changing music, and it makes for a very well-rounded and satisfying experience. Fans of the anime and/or Manga will love this game while RPG fans will also find something to love about this game as well.
For those that have never played any RPGs, this game might be a bit of a steep learning curve but I would highly suggest checking this game out as it’s a relatively complete package as far as RPG games go.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided