Should we buy lost song to be sure to get hollow realization localized?
From what I've seen in videos LS looks empty and repetitive but I tried a demo of the ps4 version a couple of weeks ago and I really liked flying around in the world.
How are the enemy variations, level design, quest structure? There is a mixture of ground and air enemies and the boss fights can be very large thanks to the flying ability. The level design in the dungeons mirror HF but the outside exploration is fully open. The quest structure mirrors HF but you don't HAVE to complete missions to unlock the bosses; they are tied to the story progression.
Does it contain crafting and loot? Those systems from HF return and you do with all the playable characters.
Are there things to find through exploration or is it pretty much just a couple of big but empty terrains? There is a lot to see and do but its locked off to zone altitude limits (flying ability) that open up as you progress through the story.
Does the game have the same mechanics as HF (as in stun, switch, block, buffs)? Buffs and blocking return but they work differently then before (you have a period of time that lets you block all attacks, but it slowly refills; think Smash Bros Shielding but it going down faster) and the spells can act as buffs.
Bolded are direct answers to your questions
.
SAO Hollow Fragment continues to chart on PS Vita sales lists in both NA and EU plus Lost Song will be a hit as well; don't worry about Hollow Realizations localization, as that is a big franchise for Bamco now, so they won't leave it in Japan.
How the game works is that its a more movement-focused combat system compared to HF; you can jump, run and fly now, making fights far more dynamic. Plus you have the combat system mirroring something like Ys (with light/heavy attacks). You still have the sword skill system and the new magic system; the former is faster to pull off but using Magic takes time to cast.
The games structure is both larger and smaller than Hollow Fragment; everything in Lost Song is brand new assets and locations (compared to HF, which was half a PSP remaster and half a brand new game). So, that leads to everything looking great but you are not getting a game as massive as HF. But the worlds are still very large and its more plain-centric.
How the level progression system works now is that you have altitude limits for your flight in the maps, which block off higher planes to explore. Those locked-off plans have dungeons you need to explore, story events and the like. So, you go from the bottom all the way to the top of a map; exploring everything and progressing through the story, unlocking more places to go as you play the game.
Similar to HF, you only have one hub town to explore, but you have two locations to explore; a tavern where the shops and Liz's Forge from HF are combined into one and a teliport location at the center of town.
The biggest change from HF is the fact that you are more restricted with what weapons you can play around with.....but in reality, the different play-styles are just implanted into extra playable characters. This means that leveling up your party (which you can have one playable character and two party members at a time) and managing their stats is very important.
But the weapons are different and it pushes you to play with every playable character at least once (and with 15+ characters, you have a lot to select from).
The story is also stronger in Lost Song than in Hollow Fragment; the characters aren't pressured into leaving the game world, they are in it to have fun, and that is shown with the tone of the game. Its far more grounded than Hollow Fragment and the characterization is better too; Kirtio isn't blind to others hitting on him anymore and neither is Asuna. So, those 'fan-service' moments are far fewer in Lost Song compared to Hollow Fragment (but they are still in Lost Song, just not as much and less in your face).
Overall, its a good sequel to Hollow Fragment that while it doesn't expand what made that game so great gameplay wise (mirroring MMO gameplay styles, its Phantasy Star Online/Xenoblade style combat system), its still a great game that everyone should check out
.
