Written by: Raven
The Sword Art Online arcade game, Deep Explorer, now has a confirmed release date.
Initially announced last October 2018 by Bandai Namco for a spring 2019 release, the video game company has recently announced that Sword Art Online Arcade: Deep Explorer will be released in Japanese arcades on March 29. The game will feature both solo and co-op play up to three players. SAO has already released several titles for different consoles but this will be SAO’s first-ever arcade title.
Deep Explorer will take players to the “Unknown”, a mysterious space that suddenly appeared in The Seed that Kayaba Akihiko bestowed on Kirito during SAO Season 1. Using a game console called the ViSTer, Kirito and his friends access the Unknown and take players on a new adventure.
Bandai Namco has also announced an original character for the arcade game named Riko (pictured right, VA: Nao Toyama who voiced Mizuki Kawashima from THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS). She is tasked to wait for players to come to the Unknown.
Sword Art Online was first published as web novels by Reki Kawahara. ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko picked up the series for publication, and A-1 Pictures adapted Kawahara’s work into an anime series. Since then, the franchise has spawned three seasons with the latest being Sword Art Online: Alicization, and a spin-off series Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online.
Check out Deep Explorer’s trailer released last year by Bandai Namco!
Source: Anime News Network, Dengeki Online