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At Tokyo Game Show 2024, I had the opportunity to get a hands-on experience in a timely manner with the latest Sword Art Online game SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream. There, I and 20 other players were thrown straight into a boss battle against a giant dragon. It was a mess… but an enjoyable mess.
For this demo, I was allowed to choose from a list of 23 heroes and villains spanning the series' main story (e.g. Kirito), games (e.g. Strea), and side stories. margin (e.g. Lynn). These characters are divided into six types that represent their role in battle — i.e. fighter, tank, rogue, ranger, mage, and support. I chose Yuuki (a rogue) because Yuuki is the best girl. On the next screen, I was able to customize her appearance a bit so I dressed her in a sleek 3-piece suit.
After that, all 20 of us were singled out for a battle with the great dragon—with no instructions other than to kill it. This resulted in 20 people poking the Dragon's legs—you know, before it decided to do a giant sweep with its tail and send us all flying. Soon, small enemies start appearing and helping the boss, dividing us as everything turns into a random melee.
As we deplete the health bar of boss after boss, the boss unleashes new attacks and changes his strategy. Likewise, when we damage it, we will unlock new skills that recharge over time, significantly increasing the amount of damage we can deal individually.
That said, these skills are a double-edged sword. Just like in the death game, once you start using a sword skill, it will continue until the end. Using one regularly means you're locked in one place for five seconds or more — and during that time, you can't do trivial things like block, dodge, or run away from a giant blast of fire breath. This makes them high-risk, high-reward options in battle.
While playing, I was able to see who the veteran MMO players were. They are the ones who have ignored both the boss and normal enemies to focus on the portals that spawn those enemies or the towers that power up the boss. They are the ones who know immediately that if you are standing in the red circle, get out of there because the boss's attack will hit there soon. Of course, that didn't mean they had successfully dodged said attacks. Sometimes, there isn't enough time to do that even if you run or dash. Most of the time, you have to block and deal with the amount of damage you take.
While it was certainly a battle of attrition in the end with players constantly being knocked down and others bringing them back, we emerged victorious in the end — and the game highlighted a number of characters in the raid was MVP throughout the war. I'm sure that once people get their hands on this game and learn the details, the chaos will be replaced by strict precision. But for anyone who picks up this game next week, get ready for it.
SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on October 4, 2024.
