Sword Art Online: Lost Song

Sword Art Online: Lost Song (ソードアート・オンライン －ロスト・ソング－) is an Action RPG (ARPG) developed by Artdink and published by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) and PlayStation 3 (PS3) as the third game adaption on console for the series. Unlike the previous games, Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment and Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, Lost Song is set in an alternative ALfheim Online (ALO). The game was released on March 26, 2015 in Japan, April 28, 2015 in Traditional Chinese. An English version, translated differently than the English version for Hollow Fragment, will be released on May 12, 2015 in other Asian countries.

In its first week of sales in Japan, the PS Vita version of the game sold 139,298 copies at retail, while the PS3 edition sold 55,090 physical copies, for a total of 194,388 units sold.

Story


Lost Song includes a completely original story which primarily involves the exploration of "Svart Alfheim", a new area of ALfheim Online comprised of a series of floating continents close to the World Tree. The game skips past the Fairy Dance arc. The story takes somewhere between 20 and 30 hours to complete.

Having arrived at the new hub city, Kirito's group encounters the «Shamrock» guild. Although led in practice by Sumeragi, this guild's official leader and most conspicuous member is Seven, aka Professor Nanairo Sharvin, an MIT alumna conducting research on virtual societies forming within online networks. By encountering "Rainbow Arshavin", who is said to stand as the light in contrast to the darkness belying the world of ALfheim Online through the legacy of Kayaba Akihiko, Kirito's next great adventure is put into motion.

Gameplay
For the first time in the series, players are able to play as characters other than Kirito. In addition, players are able to create their own custom characters, though the story mode will still progress as if you were playing as Kirito. Parties of up to three characters may be formed, up from two in the prior games. In keeping with being set in ALfheim Online, players are able to fly as well as walk on the ground. However, walking within dungeons is mandatory. Auto-attacks are disabled while in flight mode, but players may instead target individual parts of an enemy's body as they see fit. In addition, this game adds the ability to use magic to attack enemies or to provide support to one's party. The game is the first in the series to allow for four-person online multiplayer.

Characters
There are approximately 20 main characters in this game. The following characters have been confirmed as being included thus far:


 * Kirito (Kirigaya Kazuto)
 * Asuna (Yuuki Asuna)
 * Yui [In-Game Daughter of Kirito and Asuna (MHCP-001)] - NPC only
 * Silica (Ayano Keiko)
 * Leafa (Kirigaya Suguha)
 * Lisbeth (Shinozaki Rika)
 * Sinon (Asada Shino)
 * Klein (Tsuboi Ryoutarou)
 * Philia (Kotone)
 * Strea (Strea-MHCP002)
 * Argo
 * Pina - NPC only
 * Yuuki (Konno Yuuki)
 * Seven (Professor Nanairo Sharvin )
 * Sumeragi 
 * Rain 
 * Alicia Rue 
 * Sakuya 
 * Agil (Andrew Gilbert Mills)
 * Recon (Nagata Shinichi) - NPC only
 * Eugene  - NPC only
 * Lux (Kashiwazaka Hiyori)

Other characters, including a number of newly-created ones, may be introduced in the wake of the game's Japanese release.

Svart Alfheim
As an echo to the introduction of the Hollow Area to Hollow Fragment, Lost Song introduces "Svart Alfheim", a series of floating continents located adjacent to the World Tree. Each continent, reported as measuring approximately one square kilometre in size, has a particular area type: plains, deserts, icebergs, and so forth. Each of these regions may be reached from a central city location, Sky City Ryne, which includes a town square, an inn, Lisbeth's workshop, and a tavern. The first of these continents to be revealed is Vorklinde, a grassland region featuring windmills and other large structures. . The second island region is known as Annular Iceberg Frost Hilde, and features a sweeping snowstorm blocking adventurers' paths.

Soundtrack


A Sword Art Online -Lost Song- Soundtrack was bundled with the game's limited edition on PS Vita.

The game has two theme songs: "Sincere no Hikari" by Aoi Eir, and Yoru no Niji wo Koete by Haruna Luna.

Trivia

 * The word "Lost" in the game's title refers to the usage of "lost" in "get lost" (i.e. lose one's way) instead of in "to lose something".
 * In an interview during his appearance at the 2015 Taipei Game Show, the produce of Lost Song, Futami Yosuke, expressed his desire to bring the game to the PlayStation 4, though such a port has not been announced thus far.
 * "Svart" means "Black" in Old Norse, which is also the basis for the «Words of Power» in ALO, and inspiration for other parts of the game.
 * Unlike Hollow Fragment, Lost Song does not allow importing save data from the previous games due to the difference in settings.

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