JRPG fans are living in a fortunate time where so many classic titles that they might have missed are making a grand comeback.
The .Hack//G.U. series is one of these cult classics that was loved by fans when it first appeared in 2006.
The series now finds itself being released on a Nintendo console for the first time to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
.Hack is a multimedia franchise made by CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco that consists of manga, anime, novels and games.
The franchise was split into two parts, Project .hack and .Hack Conglomerate which is set in the same world but focused on different sets of characters.
The .Hack//G.U. series has already been remastered for the Playstation 4 which saw the addition of new gameplay features and the final chapter/Reconnection.
.Hack//G.U. takes place in an alternate version of Earth in the year 2017, following the events of the first collection of games which saw the protagonist Kite who while playing the MMO called The World R:1 saved everyone from the 2nd Network Crisis.
Several years later and after some world-changing events a new MMO called The World R:2 is released but isn't as popular due to being plagued with player killers.
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode story focuses on Haseo, as he hunts another player named Tri-Edge, who killed his friend Shino within the game and left her in a coma in real life.
Haseo joins an organisation that is also tracking Tri-Edge. Haseo finally confronts Tri-Edge but is utterly defeated and killed within the game, however, he respawns and sets on a quest to regain his lost power and defeat Tri-Edge.
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode is a captivating collection of stories that's highly entertaining from start to finish.
However, it does feel somewhat dated as its anime-inspired storytelling is filled with familiar tropes that we’ve seen time and time again.
Saying that fans will fully welcome the nostalgia of the game which retains everything that made it such a classic. Visually .Hack//G.U. Last Recode has a dazzling anime aesthetic, with characters sporting alluring designs.
The entire world of .Hack//G.U. Last Recode is vibrant and fun with so much intricate detail being paid to enemies, especially bosses.
Even though .Hack//G.U. Last Recode is lacking some finer details and high res textures, I do think it's aged pretty well with its characters models and attack animations looking great in this HD remaster.
The music is great with the tone and compositions of the soundtrack always helping to invoke some emotion during important scenes.
There is a diverse range of music from exciting piano melodies to big orchestra pieces, the music was always a great accomplice throughout the game.
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode has dual audio with both Japanese and English voiceovers being available. The heartfelt voiceover performances for each character sound amazing during battles and cutscenes.
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode is a combat-heavy action JRPG, where battles take place in real-time. Players will be able to initiate battles by surprising their enemies which will grant an advantage, from here combat is very accessible.
The core mechanics of this active battle system allows players to chain together attacks mixing in elemental skills to deal more damage.
Chaining attacks together will enable players to deal more damage and fill up the Moral meter.
Filling the Moral meter will let players unleash their Awakening attacks which are devastating and feature great cutscenes.
There are also special Avatar battles that will see Haseo transform into a powerful mech to fight huge bosses. These fights are stunning and a good change of pace from the other battles.
There is an extra level of complexity to combat that grants players the ability to dodge or delay an opponent's attack by timing how the skills are used. This adds another level of strategy needed to keep things competitive.
Overall the combat system is very accessible and by the fourth chapter players will be pros at the game, the main issue is that the enemy A.I. is so underwhelming that players won’t have to use much of a strategy to defeat them.
This remaster also includes two quality of life features, Cheat Mode and Retry Mode which make the game much easier to digest.
However, I don’t think players really need to access these as the game is very straightforward already and cheat mode takes the fun out of everything.
The majority of the action will take place in dungeons, but aside from that, there’s a lot of content for players to get stuck into.
Outside of the main story, there is plenty of side quests and world-building that allow players to learn more about the characters and delve deeper into the game's lore.
All the extra content also opens up the replayability aspect of the game to give this title longevity.
Verdict
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode is a huge walk down memory lane that offers tons of content and replayability.
The game does suffer from some repetitive features and a lack of strategic enemies. But overall .Hack//G.U. Last Recode is a great JRPG that feels perfectly suited to the Nintendo Switch.
.Hack//G.U. Last Recode is out now for the Nintendo Switch
