Sword Art Online: Lost Song on PS4

There's something about licensed games that fascinates me. The act of translating an experience from one art form to another has made for some wild pieces of capital-infused art. Ever played the Napoleon Dynamite PSP game? What about Pimp My Ride: The Game? Sword Art Online is a franchise that, in my opinion, is simply not very good. It's a power fantasy dressed up in conceits that try to be profound but often are just an opportunity to show off how cool and badass protagonist Kirito is. What started as a somewhat interesting exploration of speculative game design quickly devolved into Kirito being a cool badass who always saves the day by the second half of season 1. By extension, the viewer feels like that vicariously, but that power fantasy robs the series of being able to investigate the nature of the worlds created. So, if it's going to lean into the power fantasy, a game based on a show about games should work. 

The strangest part of SAO: Lost Song is that it does work. Really well in fact. The game places you in the boots of World's Strongest Man and allows you to cut enemies down with abandon. You've got an Action RPG setup, with light and heavy attacks, as well as special moves. This hack and slash style serves the game well, allowing you to get lost in the power fantasy that SAO ultimately is. You feel like God here, sucker. There is a party system featuring supporting characters from the show, though I stuck with Asuna and Leafa as they were the only ones I remembered. You can even replace Kirito with one of them, which is neat for fans of the series. There's a "Union" bar that powers up your party, but generally combat is pretty standard. What SAO: Lost Song does well is in the execution. Each hit feels weighty through sound and visual design, both yours and the enemies. The specials are unique, and the dodge mechanic is fluid. This means that the actual feel of the combat is far more interesting than its composite parts. I'd be remiss to not mention the flying mechanic. As Alfheim is a fantasy world, all the players are fairies, giving them wings. Flying is by far the most interesting aspect of the game, and it works flawlessly. It feels like Anthem but with less weight to it. It leads to some interesting sky matchups and makes getting around the open-world areas a breeze

This does mean that combat indoors is less dynamic, as flight is not allowed in indoor areas. The core gameplay loop starts in the hub area (no flight allowed). You accept quests, then select the open world that quest is active in. Go there, fly around, kill some baddies, complete quest. It's simplistic but it also doesn't need to be more. This loop perfectly plays into the power fantasy of SAO, and makes it feel like the MMO Alfheim is supposed to be. In addition, while completing quests you can stumble upon AI adventurers doing their own thing. This faux-MMO feel is charming to be quite honest. The story is... there. There's not really any stakes, the gang just want to be the first to beat Alfheim. There are some neat character interactions, but as a non-fan, the story just kind of passed me by. The fact that this is a vita port to PS4 may have something to do with this, as I can imagine a more laidback story being preferable for an on the go experience.

As someone who isn't a fan of MMO's or SAO i'm not sure why this all resonates with me. Perhaps its the power fantasy of it all.  Perhaps it's my licensed game fetish. Regardless, Sword Art Online: Lost Song, is an enjoyable experience that I wholeheartedly recommend to fans of the show and any gamer looking for a respectable and unique hack and slash experience.