Off the heels of its initial announcement, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization has some new details released, courtesy of Dengeki Playstation. Dengeki recently had an interview with Aquria producer Satoshi Hirayae and Bandai Namco producer Yosuke Futami. The interview went over aspects such as the gameplay, the new heroine, and the setting of the game.
From the interview we learned that you will start the game at level 1 with Kirito, unlike Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment where you’re already around level 100 on Floor 76 of Aincrad. Also though the world looks very similar to Aincrad it is indeed a different world. The world itself won’t be divided into individual floors like the original Aincrad, instead every place in the world is connected by land. Other details were talked about such as how you can now take along three members with you as you explore. The skill palette from the previous games will also return. The unnamed heroine from the trailer was revealed to be an AI in the interview with the producers. You can check out excerpts from the interviews below.
Regarding the development concept…
Futami: “We wanted to make a game where Kirito starts from Level 1 at the beginning. That’s the kind of concept it is.”
Hirayae: “We want people to play in the world of the early days of Sword Art Online and then gradually start to feel like something is off as they progress.”
Futami: “The setting looks like Aincrad, but as a matter of fact, it’s a different world. It’s a world where everything is connected buy adjoining land, not a world divided into different layers.”
How are the action elements compared to Lost Song?
Hirayae: “You’ll fight and raid using a skill palette, and there are a number of management elements where you can direct your party members and such. One of the main features of the system is how these action and management elements coexist. Unlike Hollow Fragment, this time, you can take along up to three people. For example, one person could raise the toss, the second person could use a sword skill, the third person could restrain the enemy, and finally Kirito can deliver the finishing blow.
Regarding the heroine…
Futami: “She’s about 14 years old. The heroine is an AI character, and that AI will develop as she adventures with Kirito and friends.”
Aside from these details it was revealed that the Auto Attack from previous games would be removed and the ability to jump would be added. There are also plans for the game to have online multiplayer and it is possible the PS Vita version of the game will have a touch-enabled skill panel.
Now in addition to the interview from Dengeki Playstation, the official website for Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization updated with new screenshots. The about section and the character sections for the game were also updated.
Information from the About section can be seen below. (Translation from Gematsu)
About
A reconstructed virtual world—the “people” did not demand this world.
Logged in. This is a somewhat familiar world. An origin world. This “world” is not the world we live in.
The year 2024—.
“Sword Art Online” (commonly called “SAO”), which is set on the floating castle “Aincrad,” turned into a death game where getting a game over means you die in real life. When the player known as Kirito cleared the game, the virtual reality world collapsed—.
This incident, known as the “SAO Incident,” caused a great ripple in society.
Some time passed—.
From the life-threatening virtual reality hardware “NerveGear” came the the guaranteed-safe “AmuSphere” virtual reality hardware, which ushered in the golden age of virtual reality.
Under the pretense of research and development for new possibilities in virtual reality, a new game was built on the old Sword Art Online server.
The name of this new game is “Sword Art Origin” (commonly called “SA: O”), and in this new virtual reality MMORPG reminiscent of past incidents, Kirito receives a message.
“I came back to Aincrad.”
A new adventure for Kirito and friends begins.
Next is information about the characters from the official website.
Characters
Kirito – A virtual reality MMO player, from Sword Art Online to ALfheim Online. He is known as the “Black Swordsman.” Although thin, he is a top class fighter in virtual reality MMOs. He is an SAO returnee.
Asuna – During the SAO era, she was sub-leader of the “Knights of the Blood,” one of the game’s best guilds. After meeting Kirito, they decided to live together. Thanks to her brilliant sword skills, she earned the nickname “The Flash.” She is kind to others, but powerful at her core.
??? – A mysterious girl. With no expression, she gazes at Kirito from a distance, and leaves them a message.
You can check out the new screenshots from the official website below.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is scheduled for release sometime in 2016 for the PS4 and PS Vita. The game is a successor to Sword Art Online: Lost Song. You can check out the game’s official website here for more information on the game as more details get released.
