Sword Art Online: Variant Showdown PVE system showcased

Bandai Namco has just put up a a new trailer for Sword Art Online: Variant Showdown showcasing its PvE battle system. As previously reported, Sword Art Online: Variant Showdown is a new mobile game announced for the popular light novel and anime series, one meant to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

From what we are able to tell, the takeaway here is for the player to know how to make good use of the switches, or swapping characters in and out as you pummel your foe with a flurry attacks. As switches grants invincibility frames, you can also exploit it to dodge attacks. As you stay on the offensive, you will also be building up an awakening gauge that lets you enter into a so-called awakening state. During this state, there will not be any cooldown for skills and party member switches. The opportunity for a finishing skill also presents itself during this sequence, allowing you to deal massive damage to the enemy.

Also previously mentioned, considering it has an English trailer and official website, we should be able to assume Sword Art Online: Variant Showdown is pretty much confirmed for a simultaneous global release.

The official website is mostly barebones, but the story overview is given as follows:

“Have you heard of Cross Edge?”

It’s a title Kirito has heard before.
A game which has attracted a lot of attention from players, not least because it was supposedly designed by a middle school genius.

One day at the Dicey Café, Kirito hears two rumors about Cross Edge.
The first: There’s a mysterious player who attacks out of nowhere.
Losing to them means losing a portion of your own memories.
The second: This player goes around wearing a hood pulled low to hide their eyes…

Kirito can’t help but recall Laughing Coffin, the player-killer guild he faced in SAO.
In part to investigate these rumors, Kirito and his friends begin playing Cross Edge… and are soon targeted in a surprise attack.