Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Reviews

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is ranked in the 37th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Jun 12, 2019

Having a game like Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization on-the-go made my experience with the title a positive one, one I believe that if I had played it in one swoop on my PS4, I may have had a differing opinion. But for fans, this is simply awesome, and I definitely can’t wait to jump back in, and grind a little more. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization on Nintendo Switch, is a must have for JRPG lovers.

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7 / 10
Jun 11, 2019

At the end of the day, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is the kind of game that you probably already know if you’re interested in or not. This is an anime-inspired, in-depth RPG that comes with all the trappings, good and bad, that your mind associates with that description.

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Rice Digital
I love Japanese games
Top Critic
Jun 10, 2019

Sure, it might take you a couple of solid evenings to break though the barrier for it all to make sense, but when you do? It's easily one of the best action RPGs on Switch.

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5 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2019

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition is based on an engaging premise. However, this clumsy port of a title not exactly excellent fails to realize the potential that has fascinated the public.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jun 4, 2019

Regardless, much of the content is either repetitive or forced reading, and the story isn't going to win any awards. To enjoy this title, you have to want to spend more time with characters you already know. If you aren't interested in Kirito and Asuna's budding romance or Yui playing the dual-roles of both game guide and in-game daughter, you aren't likely to derive a lot of entertainment from Hollow Realization. There are better action-RPGs on Switch, such as the aforementioned Ys VIII, but certainly none that give the freedom of exploring and interacting your favourite SAO personalities.

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2 / 5.0
Feb 2, 2017

Hollow Realization shows no progress for a series that appears to be relying solely on its base franchise for sales.

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80 / 100
Jan 14, 2017

Hollow Realization is a vast, open game. If you enjoy aspects of MMO’s and have always wanted to play one offline and single player, this is a great title to jump in and do that with. Sure, it doesn’t have everything that an MMO typically offers, but what is there is really well done. The story is interesting enough at times, the combat continues to shine, and the exploration will keep fans of the genre and of the anime busy for months to come.

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3.3 / 5.0
Jan 4, 2017

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization feels like a game that’s on the cusp of something great but is held back by a few hiccups. The story is interesting and quite fleshed out, and the base combat has potential. The inconsistent pacing, sketchy AI and grindy nature of the game, however, make it feel like a slog after a while. If you’re a fan of SAO, though, this is worth checking out just to re-experience Aincrad’s rebirth once again.

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Dec 29, 2016

Things like grinding, incompetent AI and unrealised affection and attribute systems mean the experience isn’t going to compare against other RPGs on the market. If you’re a fan then there’s a lot to take in, but otherwise there’s little here to keep you interested for long.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
6 / 10
Dec 23, 2016

Fun MMORPG-style mechanics aside, this game lacks much of the excitement the license is known for.

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Atomix
Top Critic
71 / 100
Dec 19, 2016

Hollow Realization is easily the best game based on the SAO Series; however its far from perfect. Albeit it offers a functional scheme of controls, a rich world to explore and an ambitious relations system, its weak and boring story, confusing menus and poor character AI make this game a hard test for all those die-hard fans. If you are a desperate gamer then maybe you will have a difficult time with this game; if you prevail all of its flaws, then you will get rewarded with a game that overflows with personality and fanservice.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

51%
Dec 18, 2016

Skip it unless you're a diehard Sword Art Online fan.

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5 / 10
Dec 12, 2016

Sword Art Online is built on high-stakes drama and a compelling premise--Hollow Realization delivers on neither.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2016

I feel conflicted about Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, because while it’s never been more interesting to play as a game, the fact that its narrative is typical of latter-day Sword Art Online stories has actually become something of a liability. A bolder story, one that took more risk, established a better sense of stakes, or even did something other than tread water would definitely not be Sword Art Online-like, and would make it much easier to recommend to people outside the show’s fanbase. As it stands, though, Hollow Realization remains a Sword Art Online game, for better and worse.

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7.8 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2016

Though fans of the series will feel right at home with the latest release, those that are not familiarly with the world and the stories of the main characters may feel a bit left out, even though there are a few attempts at explaining the backlog of events interspersed in the first hour or so of the game. With its wonderful visuals, compassionate, if naive story and character development, plethora of customization options, and wonderful relationship builder wrapped up into a universe that is beloved by many, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a fun action-RPG romp that does an amazing job masquerading around as an MMO.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2016

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a faithful representation of the source material that unfortunately has flaws in gameplay that can be infuriating at times. This is an unfortunate consequence of trying to follow the aesthetics of an MMO world.

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Digitally Downloaded
Clark A.
Top Critic
Dec 1, 2016

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization augments the formula of past entries and largely succeeds by doing so.

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Nov 30, 2016

Aquria have created a game that really does feel like an MMO.

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3 / 5.0
Nov 28, 2016

In summary this is a game that fans of the genre will love and those new to it will most likely give up on. You can tell there has been a ton of work gone in to tweaking this game, making it clearly the best of the series to date, but the onerous nature of the storyline along with the static nature of the interaction during dialogue will put a lot of people off. Into the series? You will love this game. Hopefully I’ve helped with the pros and cons. Have fun!

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50 / 100
Nov 28, 2016

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is a game that places too much of its emphasis on its dating sim mechanics rather than a polished RPG experience. Dodgy armor designs mar the progression that the weapons add to the game, and a rather stale storyline does not give enough motivation to want to progress through the game.

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