Dragon Samurai Christmas Special! ✝️さんのイラストまとめ

This is so the game can focus on awesome melee fights

As for character? Heavy inspiration from Abec and Adachi's art style is definitely necessary and could easily be implemented into full 3D models. Think how BoTW has fully made models but with art styles from SAO

The cel shading also nearly fits both Abec's illustrations and scenes from the anime. If you modify the intensity, you'd basically have it.

Again the point of this thread isn't to say "can we make SAO for real?" And is more "how would we make a video game to capture SAO?"

SAO has a bright, beautiful, creative world. And it appears to be carefully designed to appear almost like a painting. The anime made one of the most appealing fantasy worlds ever made. A world that I feel would be damaged by realism.

First thing we'll discuss is map and world base. So SAO is an insanely Open World game where everything is able to be climbed on and explored. In my opinion the world style that fits almost PERFECTLY is BoTW, where everything is capable of being explored/climbed on.

@VirtualAxiom @AnimeKoto @CEOofKlein @SinonSupremacy It's to such a point that Kirito can't calm down without having a coat on in Aincrad. When he joins KoB, he's told to get a new outfit, his choice? A longcoat

@VirtualAxiom @AnimeKoto @CEOofKlein @SinonSupremacy AND WHILE WE'RE ON CLOTHING, Kirito's obsession with longcoats is something else entirely. In every SAO arc, Kirito's wearing a longcoat. This isn't just for Character design, it's a conscious choice to pick coats at every chance he gets!

@Leon_Val_Ch @VirtualAxiom @thatmrtim @Ghost2052_ Kirito's clothing is actually a stark contrast. In fact initially this is something you could see the VILLAIN wearing. On top of that he primarily uses cutting swords instead of thrusting weapons like rapiers. Often a heroic character in black would use a rapier

@Leon_Val_Ch @VirtualAxiom @thatmrtim @Ghost2052_ Now this one SOUNDS stupid as peck to some, but in all truth it's a pretty big point. Many fantasy swordsmen wear heavy armor or a simple tunic. It's basically made the swordsman archetype into somebody wearing a tunic or plate armor.

@Leon_Val_Ch @VirtualAxiom @thatmrtim @Ghost2052_ And as for Kirito: I've already explained parts of his character arc in the anime as a whole (he's the protagonist after all.) So I'll go with character design and combat style.

Kirito is the first full on swordsman I've seen to wear a long coat any time he can