Online game "Sword Art 2"

Sword Art Online 2 is based on the anime series of the same name. This is a free-to-play browser-based role-playing game available on both PC and mobile platforms. In it, you take control of a swordsman hero, assemble a squad of different characters and take part in turn-based battles against beautiful scenery. Along with high-quality visuals the project stands out for its unusual plot - in the genre it is rare to find such a creative approach to storytelling. Let's find out what else makes this work noteworthy.

The action unfolds in the fairytale world of Aincrad, the inhabitants of which know that they are drawn characters and are inside the game. Newcomers they call beta-testers, openly discussing bosses, experience points, guild bonuses, artifacts from the store and find out who has what level. And wanting to hurt their opponent, call him a "cancer". It looks very original and even funny, but in fact the reception is taken from the anime, where players were trapped in a virtual RPG and trying to find a way to get out of the fictional universe into the present. "Sword Art Online 2" takes the idea of the cartoon of the same name further, offering an escape from the digital trap to a hero under your control. If the rumors in Aincrad are to be believed, freedom is granted by defeating the most powerful monster.

But before testing the veracity of these rumors, we must decide on the class of the hero. There are four options to choose from - unlike most games of the genre, all the protagonists somehow know how to handle a cold weapon. There are no pure mages or archers, but rather fighters of related skills. Sword of flame strikes a single target hard, Hurricane Shield hits weaker, but reduces the damage received by himself and his companions, Blue Blade cuts a whole group of enemies in one fell swoop, and the Staff of Earth, besides hitting the same staff on the head, is able to heal comrades. After receiving the starter bonuses in addition to the newly created hero, you go to the city, where among other characters you can find familiar from the anime Asuna, Kirito and their friends.

Of course, the characters in the series are allowed to make their own partners: some keep you company in the story, while others are available for resources. Support is sure to come in handy, because only a whole team can cope with the villains living in Aincrad. You're challenged by various swordsmen, packs of wild beasts, dwarves, orekoppers, elementals, brigands, and even the demonic Santa Claus with his "Eternal Christmas" ultimatum attack. When you're not fighting, you can grow something useful on your personal homestead, chat with your guild mates, improve your equipment, or trade rare items for the items you need most.

Separately worth noting the visual design, making interesting any activity in the game, whether it's fighting or peaceful communication. The detailed backgrounds of Sword Art Online 2 last a long time to look at, and cleverly executed animation diversify the battles. It's nice to see how the wind blows the clothes and hair of the heroes, how the enemies move threateningly and strikes effectively - such thoroughness is not expected from the browser entertainment. Nevertheless, the developers have done everything to ensure that the user does not get bored, even during a series of single-type battles. In addition, the game passed over the usual misfortune of fellow genre players: there are no problems with the resolution of the picture, in full-screen mode on your computer displays everything as clearly as possible.

Fighting in the game is a lot, often and for any reason, from the simple desire of the hero to stretch his arms to solve personal problems of partners. At first, the enemies are all kinds of animals - wolves, wild boars. Then there are bad guys of different calibers and fairytale creatures like dwarves and kobolds. In addition, almost at the start of the plot open bosses of two kinds - personal, which you can only fight, and the general. In a duel with the latter is usually impossible to get through because of the queue of applicants, but if you're lucky enough to be among the opponents of this dwarf, the reward for his murder will be generous. Each of the bosses are allowed to be killed 10 times a day to get valuable equipment items. If not enough of these fights, there are also open challenge chains with squad-to-squad battles and dueling arenas for players to fight with each other. In short, no one's stopping you from swinging your sword for hours on end - until your arm gets tired of chopping.

At the beginning of the battle a separate window opens showing the formation of your squad and the enemy forces. There can be up to nine combatants in these groups, and each has its own tactical advantage. Some deal damage only to a single character in the enemy team, others hit the vertical line in the vanguard, while others wound everyone horizontally in a particular row. Add support like healing and reinforcing partners, and you've got quite a variety of tactics that you can experiment with on your own or leave to the automatic mode.

An interesting discovery awaiting the player at the stage of acquaintance with the battles, is that the algorithm of enemy behavior is not always straightforward. For example, one and the same boss in a repeated encounter with it can hit different characters in your team. This brings an element of surprise to the battles and looks unusually cool for an anime-style browser RPG.

It's hard to imagine the genre without the gradual reinforcement of anything and everything. In this sense, "Sword Art Online 2" does not stand out much against the classics: victories in battles bring experience, spent on increasing the level of the hero - hence, and on the force with which he lays down enemies. And since the main character carries other members of the team, their characteristics are also important - they are raised at the expense of special vials with potions. But here there is a nuance. The number of vials is limited, because they are awarded for victories in battles. So already on the 18th level when the hero has a free place in the squad, the new recruit may not have enough potions to pull him up to the other characters. For battles with monsters this is not critical, but the results of the fight with a live gamer will certainly be affected.

You can buy the missing bottles for a fee - or spend a little more time to get them for feats of arms. In the same way, the situation with the equipment, which also adds to the squad power. Whoever is impatient, free to invest in uniforms with real money. However, change the whole horde of the usual "gray" things in the rare "purple" is not difficult for 30-40 raids on personal bosses, that is, for several game sessions. Here you can do without extra costs - and to gawk at the spectacular battles, while the sword masters move to the next level or rarity helmet.

Although "Swordsmen Online 2" uses familiar to fans of the genre mechanics, against the background of other browser RPG it stands out for quality visual design, interesting tactics in battles and unusual storyline. Therefore, despite the standard approach of the developers to many aspects of their work, it is able to captivate beginners and experienced users. Especially because the exploits and adventures of virtual swordsmen do not require installation of any programs - just register and click on the button "Play".

December 2020