Sword Art Online


 * This article is about the VRMMORPG. You may be looking for the series.

Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン) is the first ever VRMMORPG produced by Argus for the NerveGear, with Kayaba Akihiko as the development director. The game takes place on a hundred-floor floating castle called Aincrad.

Background
«Sword Art Online» officially started server service on 1 PM of November 6, 2022 and obtained infamy when the creator succeeded in trapping 10000 people in the game, and making it so that death in-game would mean actual death for the player. A total of 6,147 people were successfully logged out on 2:55 PM (Aincrad Standard Time) of November 7, 2024 after «the Black Swordsman» defeated the final boss Heathcliff on the seventy fifth floor. SAO serves as the main setting for volumes 1, 2 and 8 of the Sword Art Online series.

System
The game operates similar to most MMORPGs with a level system and eventual skill mastery with some limits placed on it. The entire game is monitored and maintained by a system called « Cardinal » which self-corrects any problems.

As a complete virtual reality MMORPG, the SAO system is capable of rendering the entire Aincrad environment with incredible realism. By stimulating nerves in the brain, it is possible to taste food, feel the wind and weather, move one's body, and live in SAO as if it were an alternate reality. However, there are several major differences that set the Sword Art Online environment appart from the real-world experience.

First, no pain is actually felt in any situation. As a result, gamers can undergo severe injuries and still only feel a tingling sensation. Second, there is no blood; in its place are orange virtual gashes that are seen in the place of damage. Third, Sword Skills allow actions (fighting, cooking, fishing) to performed with normally impossible speed, dexterity, and power based on a gamer's stats. Fourth, there are some everyday actions that simply aren't done in the SAO world, such as changing clothes by hand or attempting to wield two items at the same time.

While playing Sword Art Online, gamers still feel fatigue and hunger (even if their real bodies are not hungry). As a result, it is an absolute neccessity for all players to eat and sleep within the game. However, there is never a need to defecate or go to the bathroom. The SAO system generally censors mature content, but it is even possible for married couples to engage in romantic intercourse if «Ethics Code Off» is selected on the options menu.

Initiation and Character Creation
Logging onto «Sword Art Online» is done by stating, "Link Start!" after powering-on NerveGear hardware. A brief few seconds of tunnel-vision colors are seen while the NerveGear intercepts signals from the gamer's brain, before the powerup screen is seen. A pre-game status check then confirms the link connection of the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Upon logging on, a language-select is prompted, and then the login screen. After a welcome screen, a bright light ensues and the gamer can begin creating their character.

The first time a gamer utilizes NerveGear hardware, he or she is prompted to touch various parts of the body in order to calibrate the machine. While gamers may choose to alter their in-game appearance however they like (gender, height, girth, etc), the game avatar feature was removed when Kayaba Akihiko made an announcement during the first day and changed everyone's physique to their real-world appearance.

Visual Interface
In a player's display, without accessing any skills, one can see several interfaces.

The health bar is located on the upper left corner of one's field of vision. It displays the health of the player, and all other members of your party in a smaller bar.

A cursor interface can be over every NPC, monster, and player in the game. This cursor is either green (for players), orange (for players with criminal infractions), or red (monsters). During battle, the health bar of monsters can be seen around the targeted enemy, as well as the name of the monster. Bosses typically have multiple health bars.

Main Menu Window
The main menu window can be accessed by putting one's right index finger and thumb together, then pulling downwards. Immediately afterwards, a ringing sound is heard and a shining purple rectangle appears. In the anime, the main menu is structured with the summary diagram on the left, circular category buttons in the middle, and the detail dialgoue to the right. There appears to be five category options: inventory/equipment, settings/main-menu, friends/guild, messaging/chat, and a second character icon (unknown function). These five category icons scroll, and the category being accessed moves to the top.
 * Inventory/equipment: The icon for the category is a character icon. This is the default screen when opening the Menu interface. The left screen is an image of the body, with multiple points that allow the gamer to equip items or clothes. The right screen has three sub-menus:
 * Equipment
 * Items: Selecting this sub-menu will open an additional scrolling screen on the left that lists all items. When an item is selected, it materializes in front of the player. The inventory turns red when a player has too many items.
 * Skills
 * Settings/Main-menu: The icon for the category is a gear. The right screen has three sub-menus:
 * Option
 * Help: Selecting "Help" will call a GM (Game Master) in the left screen.
 * Logout: The logout button is missing during the first day of SAO launch. Consequently, the left-screen is also completely blank.

Combat
There is no «Magic» in SAO except for the different colored crystals that bring instant effects, instead players can fight using their «Sword Skills ». Execution of Swords Skills are assisted by the system, and it can fall into any of the four properties: Thrust, Slash, Pierce and Blunt. Learning hand-to-hand combat requires the additional « Extra Skill » « Martial Arts ».

Special Sword Skills

 * Starburst Stream - A burst that counters the opponent's moves

Known Extra Skills

 * Katana
 * Requires «One-Handed Curved Sword» to unlock.


 * Meditation
 * Given as a quest reward by an NPC on the 6th floor. Increases HP regeneration and decreases the remaining time of negative statuses by entering a mental concentration pose.


 * Martial Arts
 * Given as a quest reward by an NPC on the 2nd floor. Allows attacking with bare hands. Cannot be removed.

Unique Skill
*Some of the Uniques Skills that were set to be unlocked on the 90th floor of Aincrad.
 * Holy Sword
 * Dual Blades
 * Darkness Blade*
 * Battoujutsu*
 * Shurikenjutsu*
 * Infinite Spear*

Other Combat-Related Skills

 * Detection
 * Prevents ambushes. Greater mastery allows detection of monsters in «Hiding» status.


 * Searching
 * Hiding- allows for a person to disappear only works on targets that use visual tracking
 * Weapon Guard
 * Allows use of weapon to defend against attacks instead of a shield.


 * Knife-Throwing
 * Extended Weight Limit
 * Medicine-Mixing
 * Familiar Recovery
 * Familiar Communication
 * Sprint
 * Acrobatics
 * Night Vision
 * X-Ray Vision
 * Emergency Recovery
 * Battle Healing
 * Recover certain amount of HP every 10secs. It can be leveled up by constantly getting your HP into the red zone.


 * Tracking
 * Pursuit
 * Requires «Tracking» to unlock. Raises effectiveness while hunting monsters. Can be used to pursue a player whose name is known by displaying their footprints from a certain time, which can be increased with greater mastery of the skill.

Various skills unrelated to combat can also be learned including smithery, leather working and sewing, and everyday skills such as fishing, cooking and playing music.

Trivia

 * The light novel series is the first place winner for the 10 light novel rankings in the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2012 awards. It placed fourth back in 2011.