Sword Art Online has gone through a lot – northwardot only when it comes to the anime serial, but likewise throughits many gaming adaptations. SAO, the original light novel about realistic virtual worlds, ever seems to detect a new way to recycle its ideas – be it with a new chapter for the series' narrative, or by presenting an entirely new setting via a spin-off. This second option is what yous'll discover in Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet – Complete Edition. Set in a kind of alternative timeline, you're thrown into a new MMO-like world where everything gravitates effectually guns and bullets.

Yep, that looks like a wall to us.

Many of the major characters from the series – Kirito included – are still present here in Fatal Bullet. However, differently to Hollow Fragment or Lost Song , you'll create an entirely new avatar for yourself. Later going through the circuitous and detailed character creator, y'all're thrown in the world of Gun Gale Online. If you're a fan of the main SAO serial, you lot'll annotation that the fantasy setting is ditched abroad in favour of a military setting. Unfortunately, this is one of the get-go of numerous drawbacks.

Instead of the highly stylised fantasy world found in other SAO games, for the most part, Fatal Bullet's Gun Gale Online looks like a arid universe that is filled with machines and insectoid creatures. In consequence to this different setting, y'all'll be constantly exploring factory-like environments and technological laboratories, all of which are similar to the betoken of blending in with themselves. Variety is not a strong asset of Fatal Bullet; even the are repeated over and over during the campaign, just with different colour patterns to differentiate them.

Fan-favourite characters make an appearance – complete with some rare vibrant colours.

Being a game about guns, yous'd expect Fatal Bullet 's combat to be focused on aiming and shooting – just that'southward only true in parts. Firstly, y'all do have melee weapons at your disposal. By equipping beam swo r ds, you can perform shut-range combos, in a similar fashion to previous SAO games. However, t hey aren't the best arroyo, due to the fact that most enemies volition attack yous from afar. The meat and potatoes of the combat will take place as a third-person shooter. However , Fatal Bullet 'south gainsay system overall is heavily hindered by its clunky controls.

Even if you try to adjust the game's settings, in Fatal Bullet , it feels you're fighting against the camera all the fourth dimension. As a issue, it is very hard to aim properly. The game seems to acknowledge that, as it utilises a weird aiming organisation that expands your gun'due south hitbox to a very wide range. Even with that , though Fatal Bullet 's gunplay feels very bland, and doesn't resemble anything you'd await from a modern 3rd-person shooter. With no cover arrangement, combat doesn't offer whatever depth in terms of its level of tactics.

Although non optimal, melee is an option.

Despite some blurry segments when playing in handheld mode, the graphics in Fatal Bullet are satisfying enough, with the game quite faithful to the original characters. On top of that, if you're later a brainless activity game to sink your time into, Fatal Bullet comes with an astonishing amount of content . Its lengthy campaign has hundreds of missions, and rewards players with progressively ameliorate loot to boot. In addition to the lengthy entrada, there's also some multiplayer options for you lot to explore.

In the end , if y'all're a fan of Sword Art Online  (and if you've already played the other titles), Fatal Bullet may have something for you.

Sword Fine art Online: Fatal Bullet - Complete Edition £49.99

Summary

Every bit a " Consummate" Edition , Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet offers tons of content in a single package. Yet, its banal combat and repetitive universe won't have much entreatment unless you're a really faithful fan of the series.