Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Review: Dive into a Chaotic, Fun, and Flawed SAO Game

Developer DIMPS Corporation and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment have unleashed their latest title, ‘SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream’, aiming to deliver the most authentic SWORD ART ONLINE (SAO) experience yet in the realm of Sword Art Online Games. For long-time fans, this game might feel like the closest we’ll get to a modern, multiplayer ‘.hack’ experience, echoing its predecessors in character depth, diverse playstyles across five classes, and epic boss battles. Adding a welcome touch, this Bandai release allows players to change the display language directly within the game—a small but significant quality of life improvement.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream marks a decade of SAO gaming from Bandai Namco. Stepping beyond the usual focus on Kirito and his companions, this installment broadens the roster to include villains from past SAO arcs. Unlike previous console SAO titles, Fractured Daydream is primarily designed as an online experience, with online connectivity deeply woven into the progression system. Players will gather weapons and items through both single-player and online modes. After spending considerable time, including grinding through the first season pass, it’s time to fully analyze this new chapter in Kirito’s ever-evolving virtual saga and see if it truly elevates the sword art online game experience.

Let’s dive deep into this action-packed title, exploring its highs and lows.

Immersive Sword Art Online Gameplay

Fractured Daydream kicks off with an unexpected scenario: Kirito alongside the Administrator, the antagonist from the Underworld arc. This bizarre school scene quickly escalates into a sword fight, jarring Kirito into the realization that something is drastically wrong. The illusion shatters, and suddenly, Kirito and the Administrator find themselves in the familiar landscapes of the original Sword Art Online game. Forming an uneasy alliance, they embark on a quest to unravel the mystery, encountering both familiar allies and notorious foes along the way.

As players progress through the game’s five chapters, they unlock a diverse cast of characters for the online multiplayer mode. With over 20 playable characters in the base game, each boasts a unique play style dictated by their class and weapon. While weapon customization might be absent compared to previous titles like Last Recollection, Fractured Daydream compensates with a vast collection of accessories and weapon upgrades obtainable through dungeons.

Delving into the combat mechanics, Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream adopts a left-justified camera perspective, granting players near-complete 3D control. Each character is equipped with three skills, an ultimate ability, and both weak and strong attacks mapped to the X and Y buttons. These attacks can be charged and chained into combos. Character-specific enhancements are accessible via the left bumper, adding layers to combat strategy. Movement is class-dependent, with variations in character weight, though notably, there’s no stamina system to restrict actions. Some characters even possess flight capabilities, although the roster of male fliers is limited to less appealing characters from the series.

Technically, Fractured Daydream streamlines combat compared to Last Recollection by simplifying move sets and reducing weapon types. However, this refinement works in its favor, enhancing character differentiation through distinct gameplay traits and skillsets. Take Lisbeth, the mace and shield-wielding blacksmith, for example. While primarily an attacker, her charged normal attack allows her to aggressively advance while guarding against incoming damage. Fan-favorite Yuuki, known for her speed and agility, shares Kirito’s moveset but amplifies it with increased speed and a stance that boosts damage at the cost of health. Eugio, Kirito’s steadfast ally, brings crowd control with his freezing skills, crucial for building up stagger on bosses, as the stagger gauge only diminishes once the freeze effect wears off.

The game shines when these diverse characters come together in 20-player co-op. Each character class has a vital role to play, with stuns and poisons liberally applied to manage the relentless hordes of enemies Fractured Daydream throws at players. Whether playing solo or online, objectives often revolve around defense against waves of enemies unleashing wide-area-of-effect (AOE) attacks. However, with a team of 20, cooperative quests are generally manageable, provided you can find a match. Players can also engage in “chain attacks,” triggered by an as-yet-unclear mechanic, but activated by a right stick input when prompted, unleashing a powerful attack that passes to the next player.

Combat in Fractured Daydream emphasizes positioning and utilizing character-specific attack patterns effectively. While some characters feel fluid and responsive, others, particularly gun users like Death Gun and Fuka, can be challenging. Fans of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online will recognize Fuka and LLENN, the pink-clad protagonist. Ranged characters like Death Gun struggle due to limited gun range and camera issues obscuring targets. Fuka, wielding a grenade launcher, is intended for AOE damage, but her attacks suffer from a small, precise hitbox, making it difficult to consistently inflict significant damage.

Surprisingly, some of the most effective characters are unexpected picks, such as Argo. Her skillset excels at maintaining positive status effects on enemies while delivering wide-ranging attacks, complemented by her high base speed. This makes her ideal for controlling the game’s somewhat limited enemy variety and setting them up for sustained assaults.

Exploring the Fractured Worlds

Beyond character balance, Fractured Daydream’s shortcomings become apparent in its level and world design. The environments, seemingly designed for expansive free-roam and co-op modes, feel hastily constricted for the single-player story. “Cut down” translates to awkwardly placed invisible barriers and a clutter of mission objectives within zones that are not clearly delineated on the in-game map, which displays the entire world rather than mission-specific boundaries.

This issue is compounded by the single-player mode’s collectible costumes and name cards scattered across the five chapters. Their locations feel arbitrary, forcing players to blindly explore map edges in search of floating bytes or specific bosses. Some mission areas are vast, leading to tedious hunts through empty landscapes, hoping to stumble upon the desired item. On a positive note, the draw distance is impressive, even on consoles, allowing distant player actions to be visible.

Fractured Daydream’s levels lack environmental interactivity beyond basic platforming and objective markers. The absence of interactive elements or Points of Interest contributes to a repetitive experience. Enemy variety is also limited, primarily consisting of spiders, lizardmen, sword and gun-wielding automatons (headshots are thankfully not one-hit kills), and recolored variants with increased health and identical attack patterns. Once enemy behavior is learned, subsequent encounters become predictable, leading to boredom. This issue, also present in Last Recollection, highlights a missed opportunity by DIMPS to create more engaging maps, especially considering their work on titles like Sparking! Zero with dynamic and destructible environments.

Focusing on the narrative, Fractured Daydream’s story unfolds across multiple SAO worlds due to a malfunctioning “Galaxy” functionality test. Kirito and the Administrator are trapped, unable to log out, amidst a chaotic system. They encounter original characters Fuuka and Neige, and together they seek the test room to shut down the rogue system.

The game’s twenty-plus story missions involve the SAO cast splitting up and encountering familiar faces—both living and deceased. Fractured Daydream acknowledges these reunions, a first for the SAO game series, allowing characters like Asuna to reconnect with Yuuki. While these interactions can be emotionally resonant for fans, the narrative arc itself remains fairly standard. Two chapters feel like filler, and the original characters lack sufficient development to make a significant impact.

Despite narrative shortcomings, the character interactions, both in cutscenes and menu dialogues, are a strong point. For SAO enthusiasts, these moments of camaraderie and drama are a definite draw.

The Fractured Online Experience

Fractured Daydream’s games-as-a-service model feels somewhat fragmented. Positives include free battle passes alongside optional paid DLC for cosmetics and characters. Each eight-week pass offers name cards, costumes, and in-game currency, which can be used towards paid cosmetic packs—a reasonably fair system. However, two months post-release, the server situation is concerning, even with cross-platform play. Finding matches for lower-tier co-op quests is slow, and higher tiers are virtually inaccessible on North American servers.

Switching servers is possible but results in high ping, averaging around 154ms, leading to rubberbanding and lag. Even regional connections are not consistently stable, with frequent disconnects from Free Roam quests, resulting in lost progress and rewards. Fractured Daydream’s online dependency is absolute; offline play restricts access to everything except the story mode, including weapon crafting. Internet interruptions during story missions send players back to the main menu, losing up to 15 minutes of progress spent navigating repetitive environments for collectibles.

A collaboration event ran alongside the battle pass, but details were obscure. Unlockables were tied to serial codes distributed via social media, not communicated in-game, leading to missed rewards for many players.

Despite these issues, when online play functions smoothly, Fractured Daydream delivers enjoyable co-op experiences. The chaotic 20-player battles, filled with screen-filling explosions and coordinated callouts, capture the vibrant energy of MMO combat. SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream, despite its flaws, offers a unique and chaotic cooperative action experience reminiscent of classic MMOs.

Pros and Cons – Is Fractured Daydream Worth It?

Pros:

Engaging combat system with diverse character playstyles, a hallmark of sword art online game adaptations.
Fun and visually spectacular online co-op quests, capturing the essence of a sword art online game multiplayer experience.
Enjoyable interactions and dynamics between the extensive cast of characters from the sword art online game universe.

Cons:

Limited enemy variety and repetitive encounters across the sword art online game world.
Bland, expansive levels with minimal guidance or interaction. Collectible placement in story mode exacerbates exploration tedium in this sword art online game.
Obscuring foliage and environmental elements hinder visibility, particularly for ranged characters in this sword art online game.
Unstable server connectivity and matchmaking issues detract from the online sword art online game experience.

Verdict:

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream offers a chaotic and occasionally thrilling cooperative action experience for fans of sword art online games. However, it is marred by repetitive design choices, server instability, and a somewhat fragmented online structure. While the core combat and character interactions provide enjoyable moments, the game’s flaws prevent it from reaching its full potential. If you’re a dedicated SAO fan craving a multiplayer sword art online game, Fractured Daydream might offer enough to warrant a look, but be prepared for a somewhat fractured experience.