Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet Reviews
A complete failure to make the setting interesting, insipid progression, and mediocre gameplay make for a thoroughly underwhelming experience, with the primary appeal being to fans of the franchise who simply want to see the characters extol the unshown virtues of fictional VRMMORPGs.
The focus may be on you and your avatar but sadly Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet relies too heavily on it's source material and won't let you leave the shadow of the series protagonist. Repetitive gameplay, undeveloped systems and a story that is forgettable leave this entry in the series rather disappointing.
You better be a hardcore fan of the series, or you won't find much to like in Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet.
Fatal Bullet sets itself up for excellence, only to fall short in almost every area. Fans of the Sword Art Online universe might enjoy the ability to play alongside characters from the series, but Fatal Bullet struggles to keep itself afloat, even with its relatively short runtime.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet may be a good change of pace for fans, but it misses the mark in a few too many places to really recommend to new players.
A slow start to Fatal Bullet makes way for some great gunplay, but that peters out as derivative dungeon design and bullet sponge bosses take hold and throttle the life out of it.
Fatal Bullet isn't a bad game, but it didn't hold my interest for very long. It's fun to be surrounded by familiar faces from the anime series, and I could see glimmers of depth in Fatal Bullet's combat and upgrade systems. However, the poor story pacing and the repetitive nature of exploration dragged it down. While it's a good change of pace for games based on SAO, it still lacks the polish needed to really stand out.
A good pick up for people fond of Japanese animation, even if it lacks a compelling narrative.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is a surprisingly enjoyable third-person shooter that's unfortunately bogged down by poor level design and an intrusive story. Cut-scenes occur far too frequently, and for too long, while the core design stays relatively static from start to finish. It's especially disappointing because the actual gunplay is quite enjoyable and the controls are some of the smoothest in the genre. With a trimmed down narrative, a better gameplay to story ratio, and more complex level design, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet could have stood out as a particularly impressive licensed game. As is, however, it's a decent attempt held back by some unfortunate design elements.
The foundation laid by the game offers a surprisingly fun experience, even for those who aren't that interested in the franchise, but thanks to poor AI, a boring story, and uninteresting characters, it isn't able to become a great JRPG in its own right.
SAO: Fatal Bullet shakes things up with new locations and mechanics but fails to grab the attention of anyone but fans
Introducing a third-person shooter into the Sword Art Online universe means Fatal Bullet isn't your typical fantasy game. Thanks to the Unreal Engine 4; it has some polish, but uninspiring environments and generic gameplay mean that only hardcore fans of the SAO series will get the most out of Bandai Namco's latest effort.
Sword Art Online : Fatal Bullet has some flaws, but it can be a satisfying game if you're a fan of the anime.
Review in French | Read full review
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is easily the most polished Sword Art Online game to date, but it's also one of the least imaginative. A strange union of third-person shooting and role-playing action, it offers up quite a unique mix of gameplay and a progression loop that's really quite addictive, but the overall package rarely thrills. By stepping away from Kirito and the gang, the story definitely benefits, but it's not enough to inject life into a game that often feels bland and monotonous. Fatal Bullet's still a solid anime-based title, but unless you love to grind, you'll likely lose interest.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, for somebody only remotely aware of the source material, is an enjoyable game with interesting tricks in design held back by an otherwise intrusive plot. Somebody who loves the source material will think the game deserves a higher score, and somebody who hates the source material will think the game deserves a lower score, but that's ultimately what holds the game back from being something successful; it wants to be the anime, not a game. And as a game about an anime about a game, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Dimps Studios could have gone further with a brand like Sword Art Online. Fatal Bullet has a too classic design and, finally, the previous video games are more fun and original than this third person shooter-JRPG. Its main attraction is in the cooperative missions.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet has Numerous Problems but yet it’s worth your time and money, specially if you are a fan of Sword Art Online anime series and games. Fatal Bullet is one of the good games in this series and you experience an entertaining adventure with Kirito and his friends, In the form of a beautiful Action RPG game for fans. Also I must mention that If you are not interested in Sword Art Online series, probably Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet can’t satisfy you enough.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Overall, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet was not as perfect as I wanted it to be, but it's a step in a very good direction. I thought the previous games were pretty spammy with attacks, and many enemies felt like mobile sponges, and although the same occurs in Fatal Bullet, the enemies are far more badass. The guns lead to ranged combat, and since you see enemy attacks coming from miles away, it can sometimes seem boring, but the game has a way of keeping you on your toes. I don't remember how many fights I thought were going to be quick and easy but ended up being more difficult and tenser. The story may not be good enough to be considered a mainstream option, but for the JRPG community and SAO fans, there is an extreme amount of fun to be had here. If you've played the previous games, Fatal Bullet is an overall improvement and a step up.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is a game that is great for fans of the series. Unfortunately, I do not see this game doing well outside of that. ==
Sword Art Online fans will be thrilled, and even those who don’t care much for the anime or the franchise, in general, will still find themselves having days worth of a good time. At the end of the day, I still find myself turning my PS4 on and playing until all my quests are complete. Will I play the game all over again though? Probably not. And though the PS Plus feature may be a let down for most, it’s still only a small part of the entire game.