Bandai Namco has just launched the version 1.03 patch update ofSword Art Online Alicization Lycoris, which subtly added singer ReoNa as a playable character. ReoNa sings the game’s opening theme song, titledScar/let. She also handles the opening theme songAnimaof the anime adaptationSword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld - The Last Season.(Subtitled “Part 2” in the land of Freedom and Justice).
When first meeting Kirito, ReoNa introduces herself as “someone who came from very far away”. ReoNa’s appearance inAlicization Lycoriswas made bySword Art Onlineoriginal character designer abec (Bunbun). To unlock her, players need to complete the side quest “Singer From Another World”.
ReoNa is also one of the many Adventurer characters, like original characters made by other players. So you can also find her roaming about in towns and recruit her as an Adventurer.
ReoNa also voiced herself through her firstSword Art Onlineappearance. Since when seiyuu like Megumi Hayashibara popularized it in the nineties,followed by Nana Mizuki in the 2000s, it’s pretty usual to see seiyuu singing too. The reverse, a singer becoming a seiyuu and voicing a character, is rarer, but also a trend that started over 37 years ago with Mari Iijima voicing Minmay inMacross.
The same update also added Raid Dungeons to the game, which we detailedin a previous article.you may also read more onSAOALand on thepossible future ofSAOgames.
Sword Art Online Alicization Lycorisis available worldwide on PC, PS4, Xbox One for a few days now. Developing studio Aquria and ProducerYousuke Futamiare striving to fix the game’s camera, loading, FPS drops, and overall performance problems with multiple patches. Several patches launched for each of the game’s platforms, and more are coming.
These are recurrent problems found in anime adapted games these last years, so I can’t say I’m surprised personally. I’d say it started around 15 years ago with the switch to HD. And while Bandai Namco publishes most of these games, they’re often developed by smaller teams with limited budget and time.
