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Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is the latest in the SAO game series, and much like it predecessors, it contains a mass amount of captivating and detailed gameplay. Although the premise may be a little confusing to those who aren’t quite caught up on the anime and game series, it is fairly easy to catch up on what is happening.
Plot:
Kirito finds himself in the midst of the war between the human realm and the underworld, and once again he is called upon to save everyone alongside his friends. It takes place in the second arc of the 3rd season of Sword Art Online (War of Underworld), and as it always has, it sits on it’s own timeline of events.
Gameplay:
The gameplay for the latest instalment of the Sword Art Online game series feels so smooth and vibrant. The pace of this game feels longer than previous games, but I found that to be a fun addition as I prefer the lengthier storylines and not being rushed through combat after combat sequence.
The gameplay consists of real-time combat, skills and buffers that can all be activated at the push of a button, and as per usual, the combat scenes and sword skill effects look incredible and well detailed.
My favourite of the abilities is the chain link ability which has appeared in numerous games so far, it consists of your party (You plus 3 companions) unleashing a chain attack on a single enemy, boosting each one of your parties' stats and doing bonus damage with each strike.
You as the player can constantly switch between your preferred weapon types and build up a skillset that is perfect for you, even down to choosing which party members suit your playstyle the best, whether it be needing a tank, an extra healer or a speed based NPC to cover the gaps in a slower attack.
Quests:
Some chapters of Sword Art Online: Last Recollection only consist of story-based narrative, whereas others have a bundle of side quests which are not only entertaining but also add to the lore of the world and the characters you encounter. Players that are brand new to the franchise may find this a little confusing, but other new players may find the complete blank slate being slowly filled with information intriguing and enjoy that kind of narrative.
To complete only the story only you’ll be looking at an average of 20 hours to finish all of those quests, whereas if you’d like to complete every achievement, side quest and challenge, you’ll be looking at really pressing yourself on time with an average completion time of 140 hours!
Levelling and Skills:
There is a giant skill tree in this game consisting of each of it’s 13 weapons having an individual skill tree to unlock and master. Although our max player level is 50 we don’t stop there as the skill trees, armour and weapon perks are enough to keep us occupied and moving forward.
I’m partial to the one handed sword skill myself and find that it makes me easily manoeuvrable all whilst keeping me a safe enough distance from any monster I may come across. My secondary choice of skill class is a ranger skill, it provides me with a safe difference from my enemy and I can construct my party in such a way that they can keep the monsters occupied up from whilst I get strong ranged attacks from a safer distance.
The last part of the skills to master are the sacred arts, which is the games version of magic spells. From ranged and heavy attacks to healing arts there are a range of them to practice, learn about and master as you progress. I find that I prefer using a healing art to any potion, but you may find that potions are the best route for you to take as you move forward.
Summary:
Overall, I consider this to be one of the best Sword Art Games released to date! Everything from customisable outfits, weapons and skill sets, to the vast array of NPCs, quests and storylines, it is all a great display of how hard the development team worked on this game and sets a high hope for future Sword Art Online games. There is so much detail in this game and so much to uncover that I’m sure it’ll keep you busy for hours on end.
I was so immersed whilst playing this game that I surely took longer to complete it than most other players, but I’m more than happy to do it again as it was all so captivating.
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