A new mixing-of-the-worlds title has come potentially to our gaming library courtesy of Bandai Namco. With Reki Kawahara’s creations of Accel World and Sword Art Online coming together in the latest game called Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight for both the Playstation 4 and Vita, it will be interesting to see how this universe crossover is going to turn out.
Here, the characters from both worlds come together to battle it out against the evil force that wants to bring down the Alfheim Online. If you have been been playing the previous Sword Art Online titles, then this game should be familiar in terms of gameplay. Also in this case, I find there aren’t a lot of cutscenes that you have to watch for a long period. So for those who want to jump in and play right away, this may be a good thing.
The whole idea behind the gameplay mechanics in Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight is that you go around your world and have combat strategies to employ as you battle it out against various in-game opponents. The characters from Sword Art Online have the ability to fly while those from Accel World do not at majority. As such, if you end up using characters from the latter, this can be annoying when your enemies are hovering above you and you need to battle it out. Nevertheless, the combo system and teaming up makes this whole fighting mechanics exciting and enjoyable, especially when facing bosses.
The minor issue I have with Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight is that I find the various areas in the world to look uninspired and lack uniqueness. As you explore the world, you may think that there are areas that you revisited since they look somewhat similar to each other. This makes this aspect of the game tedious. But keeping it from being totally repetitive is the MMO aspect with the inclusion of side quests and the opportunity to develop your characters and build up their attributes and skills. So it can be quite involving if you can see past the blandness of the environments.
Presentation-wise, Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight looks pretty with its diverse use of colours, despite the lack of variety in the background look. However, the graphics seem to be rough around the edges and is comparable to a Playstation 3 game. On the Playstation Vita, the whole visuals look fine, but on the big screen, that is a different story. Audio-wise, Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight does give some excitement with the employment of top-notch sound effects and engaging music. So as a package, the presentation is acceptable at best.
Accel World vs Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight is game that does satisfy. But that’s not to say that it is without any shortcomings. That said, fans of either anime series presented in this game will obviously have a ball with this title. But for the rest of the audience, it can be a mixed bag result. If you do have the choice, the Playstation Vita version is the way to go while the Playstation 4 version may require a little more evaluation on your part before jumping right in.
