Watch First 12 Minutes Of The New Sword Art Online Movie

In a matter of days, Sword Art Online will be making a long-awaited comeback with a new movie. The franchise has been quiet for some months now, but Kirito and Asuna will return in a film titled Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale-. The game-savvy flick will see the two protagonists acclimate to life outside of virtual reality, but the world around them has not yet learn its lesson about the technology's dangers.

MORE: Sword Art Online Season 3 Reportedly Announced

If you want to give the new film a test, then you are in luck. The first 12 minutes of the movie was previewed through Sony on the PlayStation 4. The footage features a ton of Sony branding and cameos, but the clip's real focus is on the franchise's new technology. After the Sword Art Online debacle, it seems the world has turned to augmented reality gaming as a safer alternative, but it was only a matter of time until someone found a loophole to exploit the tech for themselves.

You can watch the full preview above!

If you want a more in-depth look at the film, then you can read up on its full synopsis below:

"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…"

Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale will open in Japan on February 18, and the film will screen in United States for a one-night event on March 9.

[HT] Crunchyroll