I think, all throughout my childhood, no game franchise touched my heart more than.Hack. For those out of the loop, .Hack (read as “Dot Hack”) is a mixed media franchise composed of games, anime, novels, manga, etc. The series set the stage for the “trapped in a VRMMO” trope all the way back in 2002.
While the original quadrilogy that released from 2002 to 2003 haven’t been seen in the public eye since the heyday of the PlayStation 2, the anthological sequel trilogy was remastered and re-released as a bundle back in 2017 called.Hack//G.U Last Recodefor PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
And until October 19,.Hack//G.U Last Recodehas a whopping 85% discount — butonly on Steam. It’s still full price ($49.99) onboth PS4andSwitch.
Last Recode is a worthwhile entry point
If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it follows an edgy young man named Haseo (played by Yuri Lowenthal) who becomes a vicious “Player Killer Killer” named The Terror of Death in the VRMMORPG “The World.”
In time, however, Haseo learns of what lies in the shadows of “The World” and, with the help of friends, struggles to defeat the enigmatic ‘tri-edge’ and the malignant artificial intelligence known as AIDA.
While you might think it’s not ideal to start with the sequel, there’s an argument to be made that the best thing you could possibly do is start withLast Recodedue to quality-of-life improvements that make it an infinitely better game than either the original quadrilogy andG.U.trilogy.
Plus,Last Recodefeatures the wholly original fourth volume, subtitledReconnection, that has admittedly torn the fanbase asunder regarding its necessity and quality, but regardless I still believe it’s worth a play. So, if you’re looking for a truly quality (if a little melodramatic) anime RPG about people fighting against a malignant AI, you can grab.Hack//G.U. Last Recodeon PC for $7.49 until October 19. It’s kinda wild you’re effectively getting four — okay, three-and-a-half games for less than $10. Can’t beat that!
