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The Isekai genre has become one of the biggest factors in the anime industry these days, and for good reason. Franchises like Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Overlord, and The Rising of the Shield Hero have helped pave a major path for the genre. When it comes to anime adaptations, there has been one that routinely stands above the rest in the isekai field to this day, and luckily, said franchise has a big update for this summer. Sword Art Online is returning next month in a way that many might not have expected.
Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad is a new role-playing game set to release in North America on July 10th next month. The new digital experience doesn’t put players into the shoes of the likes of Kirito and Asuna, but it does bring in original characters that were a part of the storyline that kicked things off. Echoes of Aincrad will drop players into the realm of Aincrad, the digital landscape wherein ten thousand players realized that should they die in the game, they die in real life. You can check out the latest trailer for the game below, as Sword Art Online prepares to once again take over the world of video games.
What Are The Echoes?
The official description linked to this new chapter in Sword Art Online reads, “”Sword Art Online,” the world’s first full-dive MMORPG. The adventure, experienced by diving one’s consciousness directly into the virtual space, captivated countless players. However, this virtual world transformed into a “death game” where dying in the game meant dying in the real world. Among the many players trapped inside was “you.” In this world—more brutal than reality itself—”you” reunite with Iori, a beta tester with whom you had previously adventured. Set against the backdrop of the floating castle “Aincrad,” this is the origin story of the RPG that depicts the struggles and inner conflicts of players held captive in a virtual world where death is always close at hand.”
While Sword Art Online has the video game world covered thanks to next month’s release, the anime medium remains something of a mystery. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that the isekai franchise is working on a brand new movie, but the title, release window, and story of said cinematic entry remain a mystery. The previous movie, Sword Art Online: Progressive – Scherzo of Deep Night, returned to the original storyline once again by focusing on Kirito and Asuna, but there is plenty of material for the franchise to cover in the future. Decades following the series premiere as a light novel in 2002, the story of Kirito remains a major part of the isekai world.
What do you think of Sword Art Online’s big comeback next month? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
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