Aniplex announced earlier today that Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale will be getting it’s North American Blu-Ray/DVD release this December. The Blu-Ray/DVD combo will be released on December 18th and will cost $39.98 for the standard edition and $69.98 for the limited edition. They are now available for pre-order on RightStufAnime.
Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale is an original story written by SAO creator Reki Kawahara. The movie premiered in Japan on February 18th, and has since grossed more than 3.3 billion yen (30 million USD). The original Sword Art Online novels were released in April 2009, and received anime adaptations in 2012 and 2014.
The official website describes the film’s story:
In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba. Called NerveGear, it was the first full-dive system and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.
In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn’t have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality (AR) to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.
Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…
Check out our review of Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale here.
