Tokyo Game Show 2024

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream's 20-Man Co-op Raids are Pure Chaos

At Tokyo Game Show 2024, I was able to get some hands-on time with the newest Sword Art Online game SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream. There, I and 20 other players were thrown headlong into a boss battle against a giant dragon. It was a chaotic mess… but a fun chaotic mess.

For this demo, I was allowed to pick from a list of 23 heroes and villains from across the franchise's main story (e.g., Kirito), games (e.g., Strea), and side stories (e.g., Lynn). These characters were split into six categories denoting their role in battle—i.e., fighter, tank, rogue, ranger, mage, and support. I chose Yuuki (a rogue) because Yuuki is the best girl. On the next screen, I was able to customize her appearance a bit so I put her in a slick 3-piece suit.

Then all 20 of us were dropped directly into the battle with the big dragon—with no instructions other than to kill it. This led to 20 people poking at the Dragon's legs—you know, before it decided to make a giant sweep with its tail and send us all flying. Soon, minor enemies began to spawn and help the boss, dividing us as things turned into a random melee.

As we depleted one boss's health bar after another, the boss unleashed new attacks and changed its strategy. Likewise, as we damaged it, we unlocked new skills that recharged over time, vastly upping the damage we could do individually.

That said, these skills were a double-edged sword. Like in the death game they come from, once you start a sword skill, it continues till it is finished. Using one often means you are locked in one spot for five seconds or more—and in that time you can't do little things like block, dodge, or run away from a massive spray of fire breath. This makes them high-risk, high-reward options in battle.

While playing, I could tell who the veteran MMO players were. They were the ones who ignored both the boss and normal enemies to focus on the portals spawning those enemies or the towers supercharging the boss. They were the ones who knew right away that if you're standing in a red circle, get out of it because a boss attack will soon hit there. Of course, that didn't mean they successfully dodged said attacks. Sometimes, there isn't enough time to do so even if you run or dash. Most of the time, you have to block and deal with the damage you take.

While it was undoubtedly a battle of attrition in the end with players constantly going down and others bringing them back up, we were victorious in the end—and the game highlighted several characters in the raid who were MVPs throughout the fight. I'm sure that once people get their hands on this game and learn the ins and outs, the chaos will be replaced with tight precision. But for anyone picking this game up next week, get ready to embrace it.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream will be released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on October 4, 2024.