Review for .hack // GU load recode. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 03/11/2017
Today we will deal with a rather particular title, or rather, a collection: .hack // GU load recode. The .hack // GU trilogy that never had the opportunity to shine in a Europe. There seemed to be no possibility for us Europeans to play the trilogy - or perhaps it would be better to call it quadrilogy now - dedicated to the events of Haseo and his companions in "The World", yet here it is Cyberconnect 2 e Bandai Namco decide to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the .hack series // by churning out a complete remaster of the GU series on Playstation 4 and Steam, adding a fourth and unreleased volume and making it available all over the world.
What remains, then, if not to take this dip in the past?
The World: R2: an Online and Offline danger
In .hack // GU Last Recode we will venture into the MMORPG “The World R: 2”, taking on the role of Haseo, nickname of the protagonist. His entry into the video game will not be one of the best, as he will be lured by two PK (Player Killer) in a trap that will lead him to the defeat of his character, but thanks to the intervention of the mysterious Ovan, the boy will be able to save himself. Over the next eight months, Haseo will use all his strength to become an unstoppable player who will torment all the PKs on the server, claiming the title of “Terror of Death”. Although Haseo will strive to punish all PKs, his real goal will be to find the identity of a mysterious player named "Tri-Edge", apparently capable of inflicting permanent damage to the characters it defeats, but also to the real people who command the characters in question.
Tri-Edge will prove to be responsible for inducing a comatose state in many players, including a girl named Shino, on excellent terms with Haseo. Although the power of the latter, the clash with Tri-Edge will not go at all as the young player had foreseen, and after the defeat he will find himself forced to re-log into the game, starting mysteriously from level 1. Determined to understand what is happening, and increasingly blinded by the desire for revenge, Haseo will return to The World in search of the truth and Ovan, who could also provide answers on who or what Tri-Edge really is, and where his coma-inducing gift comes from. Thus begins the first of four volumes of .hack // GU Last Recode, which suggests a long-lived plot full of twists.
A video game within the video game: a well-constructed mood
As you can guess, our adventure is based solely on Haseo's online life, but if that seems like something boring, you know it's not. Except for some forcing of the plot, you can really do a lot in The World, giving the player the feeling of actually being inside a second video game, with all that goes with it. Just like in a real MMO, it's almost as important to make friends and care for teammates as it is to empower yourself. The wide variety of characters available to enter a party with Haseo, will allow the player to devise various strategies and customize the fighting style of their group. However, establishing a good bond and proving yourself a valid friend, as well as an ally, will play its vital part.
In .hack // GU Last Recode you can give in-game items to the characters, who will thank you and once equipped they will show themselves more useful during the battles, or you can log out of the game and send private emails, exchanging a few words and getting to know each other better, in order to increase your affinity. It will be thanks to your companions that you will be able to facilitate your various - and sometimes repetitive - side quests in areas with enemies of a higher level than yours, or try your hand in the PvP arena, where a group of at least three people is necessary to access it. Among wizards, priestesses, sharpshooters and many other classes available, it will be up to you to decide the approach against the various events and the storyline, also giving particular directives to teammates through the special strategic menus.
As for the Battle System itself, you may already have an idea of what you are up against if you know the perennial style of the Tales Of series. Engaging in a fight with enemies will automatically mean ending up in an area bounded by virtual barriers within which you can move freely, as well as fight. However, we will only be able to command Haseo, who will still acquire different fighting styles and will be able to use different weapons as he gets some power ups over the course of the plot.
In addition to the classic Level Up in fact, even the ability to use weapons can be leveled properly, increasing the offensive capacity and allowing the "Terror of Death" to acquire new techniques unique to that type of weapon. From double blades to broadsword, from scythe to double pistols, Haseo can actually be a jack of all trades, although almost only from the offensive point of view. In addition, some "scrolls" will allow you to learn offensive, healing or support spells and it will be up to us to choose the character - including Haseo - who will learn the magic in question.
A Remaster worthy of praise
.hack // GU was unable to reach Europe, as mentioned in the preface and consequently you may have wondered what the title in question was actually like in its version born on PlayStation 2 in 2006. We reply by stating that a reinterpretation of this video game was more than necessary, beyond its possibility or not to reach us. Just take a look at the launch trailer released by Bandai Namco himself, which compares the two versions, to understand the freshness and fluidity that is felt compared to the original version, particularly woody and mechanical especially in fights.
From a technical point of view, an excellent job was undoubtedly done. Between instant loading from one zone to another and the smoothness with which the movements of the characters have been rendered both in exploration and in combat, the new experience in .hack // GU Last Recode will surely be more than pleasant. Furthermore, the freshness that is felt in this Remaster compared to the almost pixelated graphics of the models present in the PS2 version it is worthy of more than positive notes.
Unfortunately, however, as in the original, the expressiveness of the characters during the non-animated scenes is a bit meager.
As for North America, this is a long-awaited big return. For us Europeans it is a new arrival, and we will have the good fortune to feel it in its best guise. .hack // GU Last Recode is a good demonstration of how the JRPGs of the last decade have nothing to envy to today's ones, indeed. We can guarantee you that you will spend many hours inside “The World: R2”, thanks also to the new fourth volume released to celebrate the occasion. If it's a JRPG with solid foundations, a pressing storyline and gameplay capable of entertaining the player - also thanks to the mood faithful to that of an MMO - what you are looking for, .hack // GU Last Recode is for you. So, what about: Welcome to the World!
► .hack // GU Last Recode is a JRPG type game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco for PC and PlayStation 4, the game was released on 03/11/2017
