When Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment debuted on the Vita, it had some problems. Despite the popular property, there were problems with the localization, and the script had major issues. It was confusing, which made the MMO-esque gameplay more difficult to navigate, and near impossible unless the player was dedicated enough to the franchise to decipher everything themselves.

With this PS4 re-release, in addition to the silky-smooth frame rate and extra content, the translation has been totally redone, and is much nicer and legible. My time away from the horrors of the Vita experience made me willing to give it another shot, and the refreshing legibility made the process that much more palatable. Here’s the verdict: it is clear Re: Hollow Fragment was a PSP game at some point in its life, but it’s full of content and customization, which is exactly what this kind of pseudo-MMO/action RPG kind of deal needs. Think .Hack or Phantasy Star Online, but with a much smaller budget.

Re: Hollow Fragment starts off assuming you know something about Sword Art Online. I didn’t, and was almost getting antsy about being thrust right into an unfamiliar world with no primer. Luckily, one is given soon after the introductory dungeon, and newbies are given a crash course in lore. Sword Art Online is a hyperreal MMO, and an evil developer has trapped players inside. The sort-of-but-not-really namable protagonist defeats the evil developer, but things don’t go as planned—a new, unstable version of the game presents itself after the “final” showdown. As if that wasn’t worrisome enough, the protagonist also finds himself sucked into another, even more mysterious area nobody else can access.

It’s up to him and his pals to stab everything in sight until somebody or something coughs up some answers. Re: Hollow Fragment is structured about what one would expect considering the setting. There’s a hub world, and a mission board. Some missions advance the story and some offer lots of goodies. Play is all about the dungeon crawling, and combat is all about taking the visual cues from a MMO and making the action engaging in a single-player context. The result is a very intimidating, but fast-paced and deep combination of systems that seem to deliberately toe the line between intriguing complexity and cluttered busywork.

The player has a pretty substantial skill tree, with about three separate sets of macros based on which button is held down. What is available is based on, of course, where skill points have been set, and what can be used depends on SP and a somewhat obtuse aggression mechanic that limits the player’s basic attacks if they rely on themselves too much.

Basic attacks siphon from this meter, which fills more and more slowly the more attention the player brings to themselves. In order to get the meter charging quickly again, the player has to chill out and pass the buck over to an A.I. partner, who can redirect the heat and give the meter enough time to recharge for a renewed onslaught. The A.I. partner will also often suggest specific actions, and if the player takes the suggestion everyone benefits with synergetic buffs. The player can also complement their allies, which will restore SP and also provide some stat boosts.
All of this going on, and the player still must be aware of monster levels, positioning and defense. It’s a lot to take in all at once, so the game being able to actually explain how everything works goes a long way towards making Hollow Fragment any sort of fun to play. At worst, the player can generally stumble their way through a fight, and at best, everything comes together and the screen lights up with cool, synergetic action. 

As fun as it can be, there isn’t much else to Re: Hollow Fragment. Being able to cruise around and bop monsters with the Sword Art Online cast will be great for fans, but outsiders might not find enough outside of the dungeon-crawling and fanservice to keep them playing for the countless hours one can sink into this thing. As far as mid-budget PSP action-RPGs go, this is as solid as any, but a niche is a niche. Luckily for Sword Art Online fans, this is a niche that is properly filled. Just…be wary about the Vita version.

Hint: Don’t be afraid to back off and take time to collect yourself in a fight. The protagonist will continue to swing his sword in those familiar, auto-MMO-like intervals, allowing the player to think about their next option without losing their momentum entirely.

by Lucas White