SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET

Hey look, it's an SAO game where you AREN'T Kirito....except him and his gang are a decent chunk of the story...and he still has anime harem protag powers who inserted himself into your story, but hey you're at least the hot shot and not him. I wish the series wasn't specifically about this player's experience playing VRMMOs and more about said VRMMOs but hey that's just me.
So the good: for a third person shooter, the gun play isn't bad. Personally I like the Assist mode square where technically it's auto aim, except you still have to account for distance, accuracy of weapon, size of square for assist targetting depending on the weapon type (Sniper rifles are much smaller compared to pistols which are half the screen) so it's not full on aim hacks, but it's much easier on my casual controller hands. And if you wanna hit crit zones, you still have to aim, bullet circle shots are usually center mass.
And now the bad, and I have a list:
The story is barely interesting and 95% of the time, you have dull looking models staring blankly while they talk at you in Japanese, I'd swear it was a visual novel with the blankest looking faces I've ever seen on 3d models.
Speaking of dialogue, why does my little AI companion moan anytime I get a combat medal if she's in the field...? It's worse since she calls you master.... (they don't have to be female, male ones probably don't moan loudly, but it would be concerning if they do )
Speaking of AI, I could be typing this while one of my companions dodge rolls repeatedly on me and then dies, only to have it happen again by another AI teammate...and most of these teammates are supposed to be "humans" since you're playing a single player game set in an MMO. Although my time in actual MMO's may prove this may actually be more accurate than I'm letting on. I wish I was joking...
The stat climb is so weird, you barely feel anything change unless you're literally dumping into it, especially VIT. Most of the time from my experience, they were really just guidelines so I could wield what I want. STR is pointless unless you're doing melee damage, but you need a specific amount of it to wield specific guns, however it's actual practical use is in how much you can carry before you reach a detrimental speed breakpoint.
Gadgets feel redundant, except for the AR Field. It sets down a force field barrier that lets nothing in, but lets your bullets out. The downside is it's small but you can crouch behind it effectively unless you get flanked, also the assist targetting doesn't work, which is fine. Every other gadget either feels like the worst thing I could do, or does literally nothing.
Skills are useless from what I could tell with the exception of a few, and among them I'm still annoyed with or are specific to a weapon type to make it useful:
Explosive bullet is great for a really powerful sniper rifle, shit for everything else since it scales off the base power of the gun. A pistol using EB hits like a lego being thrown at you while with an AMR Sniper Rifle that has like 100x the base physical power, hits with the power of 2 suns and sends them to God first day shipping. Wouldn't say it's "Broken" but it's excessively underwhelming on any other firearm.
The "Forms" (Physical, Speed, Armor) and rapid reload have to constantly be renewed, with needing less time scaling on your INT. I would of much preferred it as a passive, with INT scaling the efficacy of it.
Whatever the beam sword's bullet block skill is. But this requires I wield a melee weapon in a gun game where I'll die pretty fast unless I'm coked up on Defense, which I can't spare because I'm too busy stacking strength so I can wield a sniper rifle because I'm cringe. (the sniper rifle also has an entire extra digit compared to literally anything else, so yeah I'm fucking using it. AMR Breakthrough 4 if you're curious)
The rest of the skills are either too useless, doesn't add any fire power and is just flair, or is literally an active detriment to your survival (why the fuck am I gap closing WITH AN ASSAULT RIFLE?!). There's probably more useful ones but I wouldn't come across them with my play style.
God help me with the button inputs. Maybe I'm too used to button queueing, but EVERYTHING has an Animation and you can't queue actions, you have to be pressing the button after the animation is done. Yes, even setting up your forms, and there's no way to make them faster. (this is why I wish they were just passives)
I can't tell if this game is well made or incredibly shit. I feel like they worked the model programmers to the bone for hit zones on bullets and monsters, and gave the rest of the team a vacation. Where other games would be lenient with a crit or even a hit for that matter, I've straight up whiffed a shot an imp's dick from the target. This is a git gud issue, but it's still odd that this part seems the only well made part of the entire game. Seriously, hit zones are to the pixel, I'd kill for that specifically when I'm getting decked on Monster Hunter and no other time since I'm bad at video games.
And speaking of poor design, the game is garbage on keyboard and mouse, I tried. Obviously being a console game port, it's sure to be jank. But why...why don't I have a cursor to navigate the menus, and menuing from tab to tab is....1 and 2.... I have no other words, just play on controller unless you can get used to it.
There's more interesting story in the slice of cheese that's been in my fridge for a reasonable amount of time than this game. (I'm doubling down on this, they're terrible at making you like the characters unless they have 2 bouncy personalities ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )
you have a dodge roll for immunity frames, but good luck getting used to that
Now you might be asking, if it's got so many downsides, why the fuck are you recommending it? Cuz it's a fun game. It's shit, so buy it at a REALLY good discount, but it's a fun game. If any developer with a good mindset about good gameplay mechanics had made this game, it'd be a top tier idea, but unfortunately it's an SAO Title which is basically 2 debuffs for a game.
TL;DR it's a fun third person shooter if you're not any more nitpicky than me about game mechanics and story. Just...buy it on sale, a GOOD sale.

Steam User 59

Reviewed 10.2022

Hey look, it's an SAO game where you AREN'T Kirito....except him and his gang are a decent chunk of the story...and he still has anime harem protag powers who inserted himself into your story, but hey you're at least the hot shot and not him. I wish the series wasn't specifically about this player's experience playing VRMMOs and more about said VRMMOs but hey that's just me.
So the good: for a third person shooter, the gun play isn't bad. Personally I like the Assist mode square where technically it's auto aim, except you still have to account for distance, accuracy of weapon, size of square for assist targetting depending on the weapon type (Sniper rifles are much smaller compared to pistols which are half the screen) so it's not full on aim hacks, but it's much easier on my casual controller hands. And if you wanna hit crit zones, you still have to aim, bullet circle shots are usually center mass.
And now the bad, and I have a list:
The story is barely interesting and 95% of the time, you have dull looking models staring blankly while they talk at you in Japanese, I'd swear it was a visual novel with the blankest looking faces I've ever seen on 3d models.
Speaking of dialogue, why does my little AI companion moan anytime I get a combat medal if she's in the field...? It's worse since she calls you master.... (they don't have to be female, male ones probably don't moan loudly, but it would be concerning if they do )
Speaking of AI, I could be typing this while one of my companions dodge rolls repeatedly on me and then dies, only to have it happen again by another AI teammate...and most of these teammates are supposed to be "humans" since you're playing a single player game set in an MMO. Although my time in actual MMO's may prove this may actually be more accurate than I'm letting on. I wish I was joking...
The stat climb is so weird, you barely feel anything change unless you're literally dumping into it, especially VIT. Most of the time from my experience, they were really just guidelines so I could wield what I want. STR is pointless unless you're doing melee damage, but you need a specific amount of it to wield specific guns, however it's actual practical use is in how much you can carry before you reach a detrimental speed breakpoint.
Gadgets feel redundant, except for the AR Field. It sets down a force field barrier that lets nothing in, but lets your bullets out. The downside is it's small but you can crouch behind it effectively unless you get flanked, also the assist targetting doesn't work, which is fine. Every other gadget either feels like the worst thing I could do, or does literally nothing.
Skills are useless from what I could tell with the exception of a few, and among them I'm still annoyed with or are specific to a weapon type to make it useful:
Explosive bullet is great for a really powerful sniper rifle, shit for everything else since it scales off the base power of the gun. A pistol using EB hits like a lego being thrown at you while with an AMR Sniper Rifle that has like 100x the base physical power, hits with the power of 2 suns and sends them to God first day shipping. Wouldn't say it's "Broken" but it's excessively underwhelming on any other firearm.
The "Forms" (Physical, Speed, Armor) and rapid reload have to constantly be renewed, with needing less time scaling on your INT. I would of much preferred it as a passive, with INT scaling the efficacy of it.
Whatever the beam sword's bullet block skill is. But this requires I wield a melee weapon in a gun game where I'll die pretty fast unless I'm coked up on Defense, which I can't spare because I'm too busy stacking strength so I can wield a sniper rifle because I'm cringe. (the sniper rifle also has an entire extra digit compared to literally anything else, so yeah I'm fucking using it. AMR Breakthrough 4 if you're curious)
The rest of the skills are either too useless, doesn't add any fire power and is just flair, or is literally an active detriment to your survival (why the fuck am I gap closing WITH AN ASSAULT RIFLE?!). There's probably more useful ones but I wouldn't come across them with my play style.
God help me with the button inputs. Maybe I'm too used to button queueing, but EVERYTHING has an Animation and you can't queue actions, you have to be pressing the button after the animation is done. Yes, even setting up your forms, and there's no way to make them faster. (this is why I wish they were just passives)
I can't tell if this game is well made or incredibly shit. I feel like they worked the model programmers to the bone for hit zones on bullets and monsters, and gave the rest of the team a vacation. Where other games would be lenient with a crit or even a hit for that matter, I've straight up whiffed a shot an imp's dick from the target. This is a git gud issue, but it's still odd that this part seems the only well made part of the entire game. Seriously, hit zones are to the pixel, I'd kill for that specifically when I'm getting decked on Monster Hunter and no other time since I'm bad at video games.
And speaking of poor design, the game is garbage on keyboard and mouse, I tried. Obviously being a console game port, it's sure to be jank. But why...why don't I have a cursor to navigate the menus, and menuing from tab to tab is....1 and 2.... I have no other words, just play on controller unless you can get used to it.
There's more interesting story in the slice of cheese that's been in my fridge for a reasonable amount of time than this game. (I'm doubling down on this, they're terrible at making you like the characters unless they have 2 bouncy personalities ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )
you have a dodge roll for immunity frames, but good luck getting used to that
Now you might be asking, if it's got so many downsides, why the fuck are you recommending it? Cuz it's a fun game. It's shit, so buy it at a REALLY good discount, but it's a fun game. If any developer with a good mindset about good gameplay mechanics had made this game, it'd be a top tier idea, but unfortunately it's an SAO Title which is basically 2 debuffs for a game.
TL;DR it's a fun third person shooter if you're not any more nitpicky than me about game mechanics and story. Just...buy it on sale, a GOOD sale.
Steam User 69

Reviewed 03.2023

I need to flirt with kirito just to have a good ending
Fucking cringe
Can I shoot him next time
Steam User 51

Reviewed 08.2022

- I start game
- I customize character
- I customize AI buddy
- I explore Glocken
- I talk to Yuuki
- Yuuki invites me to motorcycling
Immediate 10/10
Steam User 42

Reviewed 07.2022

I saw a review for this game saying that you wouldnt like this game if u played cs or cod, well jokes on I have 1k hours on cs and this game baller. + I only read dialogue when mommy sinon is talking.
Steam User 29

Reviewed 12.2022

You can date almost everyone. 10/10 would date again
Steam User 29

Reviewed 11.2022

LLENN is in this game
Steam User 35

Reviewed 03.2023

i just want to date sinon

SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET

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