anime?

[Kevin_Arn]

do i have to watch the anime to understand the story in this game?

[manic221]

No most of the stuff from the anime is reiterated from the anime in the game and the stuff that isn't isn't all that important.

Atleast that's what I've heard anyway (I'm new to the series too)

But I watch .Hack//Roots years and years ago

[Erroneous]

Yes and no.

.hack//Roots goes into details on how the characters met, what their goals were, etc...

The first few minutes of Volume 1 will get you up to snuff on the importance of why the protagonist Haseo is doing what he's doing for Volumes 1-3. The newest edition Volume 4 takes the ending of 3 a bit further. It's when Haseo sees the desktop in volume 1 saying my data has been reset is where the game actually begins.

---
Dothack Discord https://discord.gg/YkRJjQF

[Terrorrayne]

Yeah, while you don't need the anime to play the game, have fun, or understand the story; I recommend you watch it anyway. There were 4 games prior to the GU series. They follow Kite and his friends with the World 1.0. You don't need to play them either, but again, I recomend it. Just note that the combat can get repetative/boring for those who don't like grinding (the initial 4 games not GU)

[icleus]

Not really, no. It helps to know the background and whats going on behind the scenes by watching .hack sign and playing the first .hack. G.U. should be stand alone, story wise, without prior knowledge.

[God Ginrai]

The 2 biggest reasons to watch //ROOTS are so that you have a better understanding of why Haseo is so fixated over Shino and so that when a certain character appears in Volume 2, you don't go "who's that guy?" and instead have a much more emotional experience.

[ThePhaShizzle]

No. But there are certain characters from the anime that appear in the game at some point so it'll be a lot more impactful if you've seen the anime beforehand. You should also know that the last set of episodes in Roots does spoil a *major* plot twist in the game.

Best way to do it without spoiling anything for yourself imo would be:

Vol 1>Vol 2>Roots up to episode 26>Vol 3>Roots episode 27 (the OVA/final episode that takes place after the first three games)>Vol 4

[Gabby]

This game actually comes with a series of documentaries that are unlocked while playing that catch you up on the story. Play the first 4 when you start it up and before you start to play Part 1. It should have you up to speed.

[Barara]

In .//hack root there is a story why Haseo become The Terror of Death and how he came with that title (spoiler killing 100 PK because the trap)

[StigmataSasha]

The other aspect of this game is reading the fictional forums and news articles in order to grasp the universe this game created.

[Gabby]

Absolutely love that touch.