Analysis of Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream for Xbox

Return to the virtual world with Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream on Xbox

Sword Art Online It is one of the most popular licenses in the subgenre Isekai manga and anime, leading it to have more than one video game adaptation. From here we can emphasize Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, Sword Art Online: Last Memoryamong others.

As you can see, there are several forays into this saga, with varying degrees of success; as well as focused on different playable aspects. In this way he receives these days Sword Art Online: Fractured Reveriethe new opus which offers a change in the playable concept that we have experienced until now. On this occasion, Fractured reverie introduces for the first time an online multiplayer aspect closer to the MMO experience with the ability to host up to 20 players per game.

Nevertheless, Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream offers playable offerings for all types of playerssince it also has a single-player story mode. This has an original script created by Reki Kawaharathe author of the manga himself. The principle takes us back to Alfheim Online, where we will accompany Kirito and his friends who will resume the events of the last arc of the anime. In this document, we will participate in a new feature of the Alfheim online universe: the Galaxy. This allows us to relive events from the past, so in this adventure we will see how many worlds that we had seen so far in the series come together; as if it were a multiverse.

The story mode is a good homage to the material it’s based onas well as a gift for die-hard fans of Sword Art Online. However, the pacing of the story, the presentation, as well as the narrative itself don’t help much, so it ends up being more than a collection of good ideas that ultimately feels like a bit of chaos. In the same way, the approach, or structure, ends up becoming repetitive since it is always the same: get rid of waves of enemies and explore areas using indicators on the map until finally facing a boss final. This is something that we have seen ad nauseam in these types of games and which has unfortunately become obsolete today. However, completing this mode will give us access to unlock weapons, characters and other customization elements that will be useful for multiplayer.

Leaving aside the story mode, we will discuss the multiplayer aspect of the title. This is undoubtedly the highlight of the proposal, the most fun and entertaining. In this aspect we can play with all the available characters as we unlock them. In total there are 21 and they are the following: Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Oberon, Sinon, Argo, Agile, Fukaziroh, Eiji, Yuna, Alice, Yuuki, Lisbeth, Silica, Klein, Administrator, Yui, Death Gun, Heathcliff, Nautilus Yes Eugeo. Everyone feels different and has their own skills, weapons and specialties, forming a solid compendium and marking different playstyles. Thus, we have more balanced characters or others more focused on attack or defense. With this, we have a good mix of possibilities and a good portion of hours testing each character.

On the other hand, Fractured Daydream has one of the most comprehensive customization systems we’ve seen in the SAO saga. Therefore, we can customize both the appearance and the equipment of our characters, being able to equip objects such as: accessories, weapons or aspects, which even modify the passive abilities of our protagonist.

As we mentioned previously, this new opus is the first to offer such ambitious multiplayer and with a more marked MMO experience and similar to the essence of the work itself. In this mode we will join forces with friends or colleagues from around the world to cooperate in the different missions that the game offers the player. In total we have three offers available with which to enjoy this facet of the title: Free mode, boss raid and cooperative mission.

He Free mode It offers us an open space that we will share with 19 other players. In it we can interact with the rest of the people in the game, as well as explore and test the abilities of our character. This way we can familiarize ourselves with each character’s playstyle before embarking on a more serious mission, reducing the risk of defeat.

The other two modes: Boss raid and cooperative mission These are the two heavyweights of this multiplayer offering; turning out to be two pretty fun modalities that we will share with up to 19 players. First of all, boss assault He divides us into teams of four to face a very high-level boss who is going to make things really difficult for us. These enemies are really tough, they have different states or shapes, as well as difficulty levels. This experience reminded us in a way of certain World of Warcraft Raid. On the other hand, Cooperative mission It borrows the mission structure of the story mode to face different waves of enemies in teams and complete different objectives until we finally get to duel against a final boss, which is not as difficult as the one in Boss Assault mode.

It is certain that the decision to concentrate Fractured reverie playing multiplayer is risky to say the least, but it is also true that the evolution of this characteristic is remarkable compared to previous deliveries. The multiplayer leaves us with very good sensations and knows how to have fun, especially with friends. Furthermore, this Includes cross-platform playwhich greatly facilitates compatibility between systems and extends their long-term lifespan. However, the lack of additional modes makes the repetition palpable despite a fairly considerable variety of characters. We therefore hope that the title will be updated with new enemies, characters, raids, bosses, maps, accessories or aspects; Otherwise, it may lose its relevance in the market very soon.

Regarding the audiovisual section, note that the game knows particularly well how to capture the artistic style of the anime itself, from which it must be said that it is influenced to recreate its animated sequences. The title has a colorful and lively graphics section, while the characters have a good finish and clarity in their modeling. The scenarios, on the other hand, have a more correct and generic design, although they serve their purpose well. On the other hand, the performances are quite stable at 4K 60fps with some occasional drops when we are in mass fights of up to 20 players. And regarding the audio, comment that the soundtrack fulfills its function, thus being a good accompaniment to what is happening on the screen; In other words, he is calm or intense when necessary. As for the voices, they are in English, while the text is perfectly localized in Spanish.

Conclusions

Sword Art Online: Fractured Reverie It’s a good experience for anyone who enjoys the permit, but it may not be the best way to get started for those who are returning. The title offers very spectacular mass combat for up to 20 players in its online aspect, while it also offers possibilities for a single player in its story mode. However, the lack of additional game modes or content makes the end result a bit bitter as it feels repetitive after a few hours of play or during long gaming sessions.