Optimization issues aside, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is a solid entry in to the SAO game series. Inviting visuals, recognizable characters, and action packed battles await those willing to put in the time to get past chapter one.

For my taste there is too little gameplay between the many dialogue sequences.

Fun combat and decent characters aren’t enough to save a convoluted story, terrible pacing, and tons of performance problems.

Overall, the game is a mess in its current state and desperately needs patches.

With an expansive main campaign that takes far too long to get started and quite a few underdeveloped mechanics, this Sword Art game is a tough sell for anyone but the most dedicated fans.

Most games will attempt to “hook” you within the first couple of hours — this includes RPGs with run-of-the-mill introductory and fetch quests — combined with epic moments and multiple concepts. In Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris‘ case, those epic moments and engaging concepts happened far too little too late, and you had no choice but to sit through hours of banal and monotonous linearity.