There have been many new anime releases throughout the year, but the one that has become an instant fan favorite would have to be “Sword Art Online.” The thought of living inside the world of a video game has intrigued the minds of gamers since the dawn of consoles.

“Sword Art Online” brings those dreams to life. It is made by game designer Kayaba Akihiko who created this helmet-like device called the “Nerve Gear.” The helmet has the ability to control the mind, body and senses of the player so they become fully engaged with the action happening inside of the game.

The story starts off in the year 2022 when a brand new game called “Sword Art Online” is released. It allows players to actually enter into a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG). The story follows the quest of a young boy named Kirito, who was an SAO beta tester and is adjusted to it before it hits stores. When he enters into the game, he quickly befriends a new player and showed him the ropes. After Kirito logs out of the game, he discovers that his log out button is no longer on his main menu. He sees it as no big deal, assuming it’s just a little bug in the system that will pass over time. He then realizes that not only him but everyone that logged into the game cannot log out. Therefore, all of the players are greeted by Akihiko. He informs them that the only way they can log out of SAO is if one player beats all 100 levels in the game. If they die in the game, then their Nerve Gear Helmets will send an electric shock to the brains with enough force to kill them. Anyone outside of the game who tries to tamper with the helmet can cause it to detonate.

Innocent children who just wanted to have fun are now forced to fight for their lives. Some players commit suicide. Others create guilds that specialize in illegally killing other players and looting all of their in-game items to stay alive. Kirito tries his best to do the right thing, even though he is hated for being a beta tester. However, he never lets that get the best of him and continues to move forward without having his humanity or life robbed from him.

Even though things start to become difficult, the players try to stay positive despite their situation. They attempt to stick together and reach the end of this game without losing their sanity.

This is what makes SAO unique. It has an alluring story with great characters that you can follow and empathize with. I would recommend all anime fans to give this one a shot.