Sword Art Online: Lost Song Reviews
Repetitive combat, recycled enemies, and a boring story prevent this action RPG from taking off.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song has so much going for it. The battle and flight systems are top-notch entertaining time sinks, the artistic style is nothing short of gorgeous and being able to hang out with characters from the show, with dialogue written by the creator, is an engrossing experience. The issue lies in how Bandai Namco did not take full advantage of the talent available to them. This title is simply hamstrung by a lack of investment. The decision was made, for better or worse, to not create an experience that lives up to its true potential, instead recycling assets and hoping for the best. The end result is a title for series fans only. Those who are not invested in the universe already would be better off moving along.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a solid Japanese Action RPG that has enough to keep old and new players interested with touches of innovation here and there, even if it does fall short in certain areas.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is not a bad title, it's simply an average one. Fans of the anime will be well served by it's gentle adventuring and light tone, and the combat may attract those who enjoy the Musou games, but the likelihood will be that it's not likely to be an experience you'll remember in a few months time.
In summation, fans of the series will come for the single-player story, but they'll stay for the online multiplayer goodness. Conversely, gamers like myself who aren't familiar with SAO will find Sword Art Online: Lost Song to be just another lackluster MMO based on a popular animé.
Unfortunately, Lost Song stumbles hardest when trying to engage players outside that sphere of pre-existing investment, and in some ways ends up an even less suitable jumping-off point for newbies who want to get in on enjoying the franchise. My advice to those folks would be to watch the anime or try out Hollow Fragment first. If they're still jonesing for some more of this motley crew of irredeemable MMO nerds when they're done, then Lost Song will be music to their ears.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song's story is probably not going to win over non-adherents of the popular anime franchise, but thankfully it's not required to enjoy the rest of what's on offer: a fun, lighthearted and breezy run through well-worn action-RPG territory. Aside from the game's breathtaking flying mechanic, the rest of the mechanics can feel a bit stiff and even dated, but that surely won't be able to dissuade anyone enamored with the addictive quality of beating quests and raiding dungeons.
As a newcomer to the series, the game has a lot to offer, but poor design choices ultimately lead to the game becoming mediocre instead of great.
While I feel like I would get more out of the game if I knew who any of the characters are, they do try to explain in a small introduction who everyone is, but I still missed a lot of things, and I can't help but feel like this is just a standard game. The combat is a bit boring and repetitive, the characters all share almost the same personality, and the areas and encounters are somewhat lackluster. I was never having a bad time with the game, but I wasn't having anything I could really write home about. It has some redeeming qualities, but in the grand scheme of things, it stumbles more than it flies. Fans of the anime should really be the only ones that pick this up, and even then, I would say at a discounted price.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song plays it safe, but there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. Combat and quests could stand to offer a little more depth, but there's still an enjoyable, addictive RPG to be found here, and it's topped off by a refreshingly pleasant means of traversal in your ability to sprout wings and take to the skies. Primarily a game for fans, Lost Song obviously won't appeal to everyone, but those who do enjoy the source material will certainly appreciate its colourful and inviting world that's packed with things to do.
Most fans of the series will get some enjoyment out of Lost Song. The core gameplay elements are solid, but the superficial story and monotonous questing prevent it from being fun throughout.
Yet, even with its wonky camera and story that sometimes alienates newcomers, Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a solid game. The repetition is countered by the variety of playable characters and interesting dynamic brought on by flight, and the central story is simple yet easy to get into.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song, while polished in some areas and definitely a great buy for a fan of the anime, is only mediocre in it's own right. Its solid play mechanics and interesting characters are quickly overshadowed by a convoluted and self-referential narrative that only the most dedicated enthusiasts of the franchise could really appreciate. If you are just looking for an anime-like title to spend some time with, better options are out there. Sword Art Online: Lost Song was really only built with fans in mind.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song has plenty of great ideas, but it definitely doesn't do enough to make them work in a 20-hour game.
Embarrassing, quite frankly
Looking back at Hollow Fragment, and then playing Lost Song is somewhat jarring. While the gameplay elements of Lost Song lend themselves well to an action game, and the flight mechanics are fun, I can't help but feel this game lacks the finesse of Hollow Fragment.
If you dig Sword Art Online you'll enjoy this game, but repetitive combat and a lacking story drag it down.
SAO: Lost Song is an awesome game for both SAO fans and people who like a good, adventurous, sword-fighting RPG. The game is fun, with a bright plot and refreshingly unique gameplay. It lacks the intensity of the death game story, but it is still worth picking up. SAO: Lost Song is worth playing if you want to go on a high flying adventure and fight your way through hordes of monsters with epic sword play.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song is a great sequel to its predecessor Hollow Fragment and introduces a plethora of new and interesting mechanics. However, the majority of these mechanics like spells and healing are put in the backburner in the singleplayer story, and are only ever viable in multiplayer mode.
It really is a shame because with a slightly more captivating story and deeper customization both in terms of characters and combat, this could have been the game that welcomed a new breed of SAO fans and gave renewed life to the series on the whole. What we are left with instead is a typical lite action-RPG set within the world of ALfheim and geared exclusively at people like me who can't wait to take another bite out of anything remotely Sword Art Online.