Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet - Complete Edition

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is one of the stronger outings for the series in a video game format. However, it’s still bogged down by heavy-handed and often thematically troubling melodrama that’s delivered at a glacial pace and prefers to eschew the potentially interesting aspects of the world it depicts in favour of stereotypical male heroics, teenage matters of the heart and questionable attitudes to its female characters.

As ever with the SAO games, I find that so many dismiss them out of hand – are perhaps overly critical of the less than perfect mechanics, or find the universe somewhat confusing. To do so, however is to ignore a series that, to my mind has consistently delivered colourful ARPG's brimming with content and genuinely satisfying depth. If you have the patience, then to date, Fatal Bullet on Switch is as fine an entry point as you'll find.

Now that’s not a bad thing, as Hollow Realization is quite a solid game, but changing the mechanics and formula can be risky, which is something I highly respect the developers for trying. Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is awesome. It met my expectations as a Sword Art Online fan in every way. While it might not be the perfect JRPG, I will cherish my experience with this title, and will continue to enjoy it for what it is, a great adaption to one of the best Anime’s ever made.

Go into Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet – Complete Edition expecting solid third-person shooter mechanics and you’ll be disappointed. You’ll be disappointed if you go into it expecting excitement and fun from the outset, too. Initially it’s a hard game to like, let alone love, but those with patience and an interest in trawling dungeons for the best loot might just find themselves sticking with it until the end.