.hack (video Game Series)

.hack (video game series)

.hack (/dɒt hæk/) is a series of single-player action role-playing games for the PlayStation 2, developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The four games are titled .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine. The series features a "game within a game", a fictional massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called The World, which does not require the player to connect to the Internet. Players may transfer their characters and save data from one game in the series to the next. Each game comes with an extra DVD containing an episode from the accompanying original video animation series .hack//Liminality, which details fictional events that occur concurrently with the games.

The games are part of a multimedia franchise called Project .hack which explores the mysterious origins of The World. Set after the events of the anime series, .hack//Sign, the games focus on a player named Kite and his quest to discover why some users have fallen into comas as a result of playing The World. The search evolves into a deeper investigation of The World itself and its effects on the stability of the Internet.

Critics were divided about the series, giving it mixed reviews. It was praised for its unique setting and its commitment to preserve suspension of disbelief, as well as the character designs. However, it was criticized for uneven pacing and a lack of improvement between games. The commercial success of the franchise led to .hack//frägment, a remake of the series with online capabilities, and .hack//G.U., another video game trilogy.