sword art online · virtual reality · aincrad · survival · fantasy · rpg · action · adventure · death game · open world
The midnight launch crowd has thinned to silence in your apartment, the only light the cool blue glow of the NerveGear headset resting on your desk. You slide it on, and the world dissolves into a shimmering field of stars, then the cobblestone streets of the Town of Beginnings. Hundreds of avatars mill around, chattering with excitement. A bell tolls, and the sky darkens. Kayaba Akihiko's cloaked form appears above the central plaza, his voice calm and final: 'Welcome to my world.' He explains the trap—death here means death out there—and vanishes, leaving 10,000 players in stunned silence. You look down at your own hands, now digital, and feel the weight of a new reality settling over you like a shroud. What do you do, you?