To wrap this up, Sword Art Online: Variant Showdown is an improved take on the SAO mobile game formula. This is one of the few games that lets you pick up more than a single copy of the rarest characters/abilities on a tutorial summon.
Drop rates are pretty standard, but you are allowed unlimited re-rolls on the beginning 10-pull. Basic gacha expectations apply: the rarer, the better. This is an expected element in Sword Art Online mobile games. You obtain both Characters and Abilities through limited-time raffle banners. You can attach up to 3 Ability cards per character. Read the card description to know the best characters to go with your stat sticks. Abilities are cards you can attach to your active party. Variety takes the form of alternate outfits of the cast, elemental attributes, skill/move sets, and character roles. You’ll see the usual Sword Art Online fanfare when forming your Beater Party. The RPG aspects of the game are simplified into 2 categories: Character and Ability. You’ll have to improve your attack and evasion skills to last playing this. Some of them leave little room for you to deplete their hit point gauge, making characters with huge burst damage skills somewhat easier to use. This is a big factor when taking on bosses with considerable power over your party. Enemy characters have attack patterns you can memorize, and this will start to matter when you get to mid-game stages. You’ll have to balance your tactics between mobility and being able to dish out punishing damage to specific targets. Most active skills automatically lock on to the nearest enemy target. Some characters have their recovery abilities accessible by changing between party members. These are usually improvements to offensive or defensive capabilities. The game makes use of the Switch mechanic, where characters’ trigger skills are activated.
There are dedicated function buttons for attacking, using skills, and evading. Swipe up or down to move towards or away from a target, and swipe left or right to move sideways. Game controls are pretty basic mobile fare. While some of the humor could be understood by those who follow SAO’s game canon, they’re easy enough to figure out if you’re not into the media. Events are time-limited tasks, typically boss battles, that have their own subplots. Quest missions let you progress through the game’s main story the more enemies you cut down and the stages you overcome. Game content is divided into the Quest and Event menus. It’s quite easy to follow, so all you have to do is watch through essential plot points. There’s plenty enough serving of story narrative that switches from real life to game proper.
There’s not a lot to say that you’ll have to beat the game as the Black Swordsman and his merry band. You’re going to join them to find out the mysteries behind this new title called Cross Edge. You’re invited to play a brand new game whose elements were lifted off from a title Kirito and crew didn’t have fond memories of. If you’ve been following the anime, game, or manga, then you’ll have an idea of how far the adventures of this gaming group have gone. Sword Art Online has come a long way since the Aincrad saga. This is the 10th Anniversary commemoration game of the anime version of one of the first otherworld fantasy franchises. Win various rewards in limited-time events. Call on the expertise of Kirito and the company to take on threats. Unlock the mysteries of Cross Edge as you navigate through its hazards.