TL;DR

A single-player fake-MMO action RPG that has lots of optional content and DLC included, with dating sim elements (Gotta Get That CG!), as well simple yet fun, stylish battle mechanics.
Non-SAO fans might not exactly like this title, as it references a lot to the anime.
For gamers that prefer a challenge, there isn't a lot to this title and it remains very easy, even through the DLC/post-game. Grind-to-win is the only issue I have with this title.
If you do not like visual novels or that style of dialogue, I recommend to steer clear. Animations/cinematic scenes are minimal in this title.

[Played on a Nintendo Switch Lite]

This title is my first of the Sword Art Online games. I will say that, while I do prefer JRPG/turn-based games, I do enjoy an action RPG if it is well-executed for my tastes. This action RPG is very simple in nature, but it is stylish enough and customizable for my tastes. I love the variety of weapons and characters available to you off the bat. You get to customize your character decently. The default is Kirito, however, and they only have male-audio for the main character so if you play a female, you have to mute the main character audio. Also, cinematics/animation/CG scenes only show Kirito, some characters refer to you as Kazuto (which is poor programming, not making the text for main character refer to a name variable), etc... so basically the main character is Kirito whether you decide to look different or not. I still rolled with a custom character anyway, but that is just poor programming as well as budgetting.

The story follows a sort of mash-up of characters from the movies as well as the core series. This story is not canon. There isn't too much depth to the story, as it is mostly just story of treating people as well as NPCs with respect, and typical friendship tropes that most anime has. I think where most of my entertainment was in this title was the dating sim aspect. I like how early into the game you can unlock CG if you know what you are doing. It didn't take long for me to figure out the best ways to max affection for each girl and become Harem King Kirito. The real fun isn't the main story, but all the side content that exists for fans of the series and the characters. Please note, most of the content here is told through visual novel style dialogue, and there is only a minimal amount of cinematics/animation. The UI for this game is a bit under-developed or simple, but I actually enjoy that.

Bonus content and DLC from the Deluxe Ed had a lot of fun quests and battle modes. There are a lot of puzzles and labyrinths once I got to the first DLC that reminded me of FFXII and old Zelda games. You can get a lot of cool weapons, and it forces you to want to not just use dual-wielding. (explore other options) Ultimate weapons and combos were very cool to get and check out. A very common problem a lot of games have now, however, is that there is a lot of equipment but not a lot of uses for those equips. Even without the ultimate weaponry, you can do just fine against even the most difficult of mobs. This game isn't very difficult, and the party members (up to 4 in party incl. you) is not very smart. The battle mechanics are fun, but they are simple. There is a lot of redundancy in the skills and system. This title is very repetitive, grind, rinse and repeat.

Aside from the simplicity (which it isn't necessarily a bad thing to have a simple system in a game) and looking past the redundancy, I can say that the 100+ hours I invested were worth it. I still can go back and do a lot more too. I got what I came for though, which was enjoying story content and CG. I won't cancel out looking into any other SAO titles in the future, and hopefully I find one with more of a challenge. I enjoy the MMORPG concept, however I do not like the time investment (or money investment). Being able to have a bit of that nostalgia-feel of "being in an MMORPG" was fun, and Hollow Realization let me do that. The single-player fake-MMORPG style needs to be implemented more. Games like FFXII set the bar for that style, and it faded away for whatever reason. I love how I can play at my own pace and grind when I want, and a subscription fee or the social demands of an MMORPG are too much if you want to self-care and live the human experience. Hopefully, developers and gamers can learn from the example that this title pushes forward, and greater implementations of this style of game can happen!