PS Vita game to ship on April 24 with "Dengeki NerveGear Vol. 2" booklet

The Namco Bandai Games began streaming a one-minute promotional video for Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment PlayStation Vita role-playing game on Tuesday.

In the beginning of the video, the game's new mysterious "orange player" character Filia (voiced by Yui Ishikawa) says, "I have killed someone. And so, here is where I say goodbye." At the end of the video, she says, "I — I wish I had never met you."

By exploring the 76 cities in Aincrad, the player can pick up new friends and party members for their adventures. Kirito can also deepen his relationships with his partners by hanging out with them in the cities, such as going out on dates and holding hands with Asuna or any of the other girls. The game will include characters Asuna (Haruka Tomatsu), Lisbeth (Ayahi Takagaki), Silica (Rina Hidaka), Yui (Kanae Itō), Leafa (Ayana Taketatsu), Shinon (Miyuki Sawashiro), and Strea (Misawa Sachika).

In the game's special "adventure mode," players have the option to create their own characters and play with up to eight other people online to go on quests in the Hollow Area.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment is scheduled to ship for the PlayStation Vita on April 24. The first limited edition of the game will bundle a "Dengeki NerveGear Vol. 2" booklet that will also include fan illustrations with the theme "slave of Aincrad." The deadline to send in illustrations is January 30. The game's 9,980-yen (US$100) limited first edition will include a box with exclusive artwork by original novel illustrator abec, a soundtrack CD, a product code to unlock a special in-game outfit, a special contents Blu-ray Disc, mini clear posters, and special package and cases. The standard edition will retail for 6,170 yen (about US$62).

Namco Bandai Games released the Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment game for the PlayStation Portable in March. A separate Sword Art Online End World game was offered on Japanese mobile platform GREE in February, and became available on Google Play in September.

Source: Dengeki Online