Sword Art Online Variant Showdown officially launches after reaching 1 million pre-registrations

Coming a few months after Sword Art Online's 10-year anniversary, and in the same month and year the series was set, Bandai Namco Entertainment released the latest game in its VRMMORPG world, Sword Art Online Variant Showdown.

The story picks up with the release of yet another suspicious VR game called Cross Edge. Rumours soon start swirling that losing a fight to a mysterious player will result in the loss of memories. Because they never learn, Kirito and his friends log in to investigate the stories but find themselves in the middle of an ambush. Taking the form of a 3D battle action game, parties are made up of three characters from the beloved cast of the globally acclaimed series. Every character has their own unique techniques and Skills, so party composition will need to be adjusted based on opponent weaknesses. Equipping Ability cards will boost the party's strengths and cover their weaknesses to get the most out of everyone. The party isn't just important for combat, by having specific characters in the party at the same time you will unlock special interactions unique to SAOVS, which is a nice little gift to the fans.

Whilst not available yet the developers have laid out a few extra features they are looking to implement in a post-launch update. A 4-player PvP Battle Royal mode is scheduled to come, making it the first of such a mode in Sword Art games. It will be an all-out brawl with the winner being whoever racks up the most kills of other players, and there will be randomly spawning items that can be game-changers. For style, the ability to customize characters with accessories and colour variation outfits will also be added.

Sword Art Online Variant Showdown is available to download now from the App Store and Google Play.