Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

Episode 3

When you think about it, the whole “kill Pitohui and Llenn” alliance was destined to end in a bloodbath. Even if they somehow managed to take out the team of four, what then? Surely, someone on some team or another would take the chance to put a few bullets in the backs of their former allies. Of course, there are always people like Clarence who don't plan to wait that long, not when they can trick the alliance into separating into small groups that are easy enough to pick off. Then all that's left is to play the same trick over and over: call out for help and then attack her unsuspecting allies when they respond.

If that weren't chaotic enough, there is Shirley. While Clarence is a wolf in sheep's clothing, Shirley is a born-and-bred hunter. With a massive amount of players all grouped, she has the perfect opportunity to shoot her unsuspecting prey. This is doubly true because she's figured out how to exploit the system. Like Sinon in the main series, Shirley is a good enough shot that she doesn't need to rely on the game's auto assist. This means no bullet lines to give away her position. Then, she uses the fact that the team leader, not the team, is exposed by the satellite scans. Moving independently while the rest of her team scatters, she is nearly undetectable.

Unfortunately, her big mistake is letting her bloodlust take over her reason. She had a perfect sniping location and an unblockable weapon. If she had simply waited, she could have picked off Pitohui or anyone else before they even noticed. However, she moved into close range, negating her biggest advantage—i.e., that her opponents couldn't hit her. This leads to her confrontation with Clarence, and they both lose the tournament.

In the end, this episode is a nice little diversion. It lets some side characters take the spotlight and shows that it's not only our heroes who are clever. In the end, it is not fancy tactics or special weapons that let them walk away unscathed; it's simple patience.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• How depressed will Pitohui be when she finds out there are no enemies to fight when they break out?

• I wonder if Llenn and Pitohui jumping out of the train car was simply a tactic to make the alliance waste a flair and reveal at least one group's location.

• I understand why Shirley spent so much on bullets, but wouldn't it have been a better use of money to buy Death Gun's invisibility cloak? I mean, she could wear it, or they could put it on their leader, so none of them showed up on the scan at all. It'd be much easier for them to hide that way.

• Shirley really needs to join a team not so full of self-defeating losers. I mean, how hard is it to hide under a bush or not walk by a window?