'Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet' Is All About The Player's Custom Character
Unlike previous games set in the world of the hit anime, "Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet" is set in the fictional video game world of "Gun Gale Online." The focus has shifted because instead of playing as Kirito or other characters from the series, the emphasis is now on the player's custom character.
Still, Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, and other characters for the original series but this time, they only serve as support characters. The story, supervised by series creator Reki Kawahara, revolves around the custom protagonist as well as three other new characters.
For those unfamiliar with the anime, "Sword Art Online" tells the story of a group of young kids who are trapped inside a virtual reality video game where dying translates into death in the real world. The only way to escape is to reach the highest level and beat the final boss which is later revealed to be game's developer.
While previous games in the franchise did have custom characters, they were pretty much all about Kirito and his adventures in the various virtual Massively Multiplayer Online games. This time, however, Bandai Namco decided that player choice will be the game's main theme.
Since "Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet" is set in "Gun Gale Online," the gameplay is pretty much a blend of action role-playing game and third-person shooter. According to the game's producer Yousuke Futami, in developing "Fatal Bullet," the team referenced games like "The Division" and "Destiny."
The game was showcased during this year's Tokyo Game Show where the in-game footage was shown featuring its third-person shooter gameplay. The video also showed player take on the role of a custom character, who fights alongside Kirito and Asuna.
"Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet" is set to be released early next year Xbox One, Windows PC, and PlayStation 4.
