The Sword Art Online Variant Showdown team announced that due to various bugs and inconveniences that have been going on since the game’s launch, starting on September 28, 2023, the game will be going on extended maintenance for an entire year to fix all of its issues.
The goals of the maintenance are described as redeveloping the game’s underlying systems that frequently cause issues, developing new content that will increase the game’s lifespan, and fixing all of the parts of the game that were considered unenjoyable while also adjusting character balance. Players that already have data in Variant Showdown can continue to carry over their data into the game when it finally ends maintenance and the developers are aiming to not negate any of the time players have spent on the game already.
As part of the maintenance, the game will be suspending the sale of all premium currencies on August 31. It is recommended to not buy further boost passes as it may expire during the maintenance period. Players should also perform a data transfer in the Accounts tab on the setting screen before the game heads into its extended maintenance period.
▍Sword Art Online Variant Showdown Worldview
Sword Art Online Variant Showdown takes place somewhere between Sword Art Online Alicization, where Kirito and his friends investigate a rumor about a game that erases your memories if you come across a certain enemy.
Kirito jumps into the VRMMMO, a world created by a junior high school student, and meets a mysterious girl who seems to know everything about the world.
What follows is an original story featuring familiar characters, new enemies, and a story that’s sure to engage fans of the SAO series.
▍Sword Art Online Variant Showdown Gameplay
The game is a twin-stick real-time action game where players control one of three characters at a time, being able to switch between party members on the fly.
Characters have a basic attack and two special skills, unleashing combos on the fly and building up a combo meter. The longer your combo, the more damage you can deal, especially since you can wrack up a higher combo count by switching characters to continue the mayhem
