We log off from The World in .hack//Quarantine.

The last entry in the original .hack series is also the most hard to find. Step into any used media store, and chances are you’ll see a few copies of .hack//Infection for a cheap price. You have to search high and low to find copies of Quarantine, and in the event you do find a copy, get ready for sticker shock. My guess is Bandai didn’t realize how unsuccessful the series as a whole would be and, as a result, did a tiny print of Quarantine. The fourth game/disc in .hack doesn’t change anything that we saw from the first. It’s a game that’s only for those that have been invested in the story since the start. I spent 20 hours in Quarantine. This totaled into a 65 hour journey across four discs. No matter which way you (objectively) slice it, these games aren’t good. I enjoyed the ride, but I’m one of the rare ones.

In terms of new content, Quarantine was a letdown. Four new characters joined Kite, but that was after the main story was finished. To add insult to injury, two of them were at level one. These same two were from the anime; a low tier marketing scheme. For the sake of spoilers, I won’t mention the others that join. The fact remains: it was a bummer that you only had access to them after the credits rolled. Quarantine also introduced the Omega Server and its Root Town of Lia Fail. The town was small, with the same familiar NPCs running around that had items and gear for trade. A new Root Town did mean new Grunties, and raising them for the relay races was a fun distraction. Quarantine retained the same look. The classic, 3D anime look continued to stand the test of time. The new bosses were well designed and imposing. I’m honestly not sure if there were any additional music tracks added. I felt like I was hearing the same ones since Infection. And once again, there was Japanese or English voice options.

That’s it. Outside of the narrative continuing, this is the same old song and dance. Even for myself, someone that found the core gameplay usually breezy enough for me to just turn off my brain and go through the motions, it got to be too much. In fact, I feel like I spent more time fighting the AI than the enemies in this entry. The Omega Server dungeons can go as high as 90, and more often than not, Kite and his team will be slightly below the dungeon level. So, this means training your team to keep pace. This means more time outside of progressing the story. This means more time in menus, shouting at your team to stop standing around and heal Kite. Some new enemies and unique bosses keep things interesting, but only for so long. Bosses present their own set of problems because they can do a party-wipe attack in a flash. It’s usually best to keep Kite as far back as possible, allowing him to cast magic and heal.

Finally, the story resumed where it left off. And for the sake of spoilers, I won’t get into it. No one in their right mind would pick up .hack//Quarantine on a whim due to its price and to it being the last entry in a four entry saga. I will say this: we get to see a lot of characters get their arcs wrapped up. We also get to see more of the The World’s impact within the real world. The World’s message board continued to get new threads added, too. After all of the struggles and issues, I felt the conclusion was worth it. Sadly, I doubt others will feel the same. I’m not sure who this series was catered towards. Action RPG fans won’t like it because it’s tedious and requires too much time in menus. MMORPG fans can get their fix on actual MMORPGs. And while I haven’t seen much of it, fans of the .hack anime should get enough of The World from it. So, where does that leave Quarantine, and the three games that came before it? I’m not sure, but ultimately, as a PlayStation 2 fan and a fan of the obscure, I’m glad I saw things through to the end.

Overall, 6/10: Kite’s journey ends the same way it began. Other than a finished narrative, everything remained unchanged.