Sword Art Online’s “Death Game” Mode Should Be In More Titles

Sword Art Online‘s new “Death Game” mode is a great tweak on one of the hardest challenges players can take on. One of the foundational aspects of game design has always been the concept of extra lives. This allows players to experiment with new adventures or learn the dangers posed by a particular challenge without risking a complete erasure of their progress in a single act. An inherent problem with that approach is the way this can also undercut some of the narrative weight of the story, as the desperate battle to save the world can have reduced stakes if the player knows they can just die and repeat the process.

Some games have even begun to use the mechanic in clever ways, explaining the multiple deaths and resurrections of the player as a story beat. Others have incorporated a challenge for the player where a single death serves as the in-universe end of that run entirely, resetting the adventure to the very beginning. The next entry in the Sword Art Online series is taking things even further, though, by making the mode a specific gameplay challenge that doesn’t necessarily have to correspond with in-game difficulty.

The New Sword Art Online Has A Permadeath Setting

Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad includes a “Death Game” mode that sounds like an incredibly tricky challenge to overcome — and I wish more games gave players the option to tackle that style of game. The latest entry in the Sword Art Online franchise is set for release later this year, which follows a player who is drawn into an in-universe MMORPG. Within the narrative, dying in the game means dying in real life. The developers of the series decided to take that concept literally, though, with one of the difficulty settings being a “Death Game Mode.” The emphasis of this mode is to add new tension to each encounter, as a single death with this mode activated will result in the erasure of the save file and all the progress the player has made in that run-through.

Notably, this isn’t a separate difficulty mode, but rather a setting that can be activated with any of the four distinct difficulty modes that come with the game. Series producer Yosuke Futami told Denfaminicogamer, “If you just level your characters and work on their builds, I think you can clear this game without dying too often. However, trying your best to avoid enemy attacks – that tension-filled playstyle has the essence of SAO, so we implemented it into the game.” That challenge is an intriguing one that the developers wanted to implement without having to irreversibly increase the difficulty for players. Instead, the different modes allow for players of all skill levels to enjoy the game, but with the potential for added tension with real stakes afforded to any death beyond what most games can give players.

Other Games Should Follow Sword Art Online’s Idea

Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad isn’t the first game to feature permadeath, but it does highlight how effective that can be as an additional challenge mode. Some gamers incorporate that style of play into familiar games, trying to do perfect runs that come to an instant end if the player is even brought down once. Being able to pull it off is a rare feat, but an unforgettable one for gamers who manage to make it entirely through a game without being taken down once. Games like XCOM 2, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and Fire Emblem make it so that any character’s death is permanent, forcing the turn-based strategist to really consider their choices before making a move that could leave their favorite characters open to a brutal attack. Resident Evil: Biohazard included the “Ethan Must Die” mode in the Banned Footage Vol. 1 DLC, which resets the game completely if you die.

Diablo 4 even goes the full route with the hardcore mode, where a death results in your save being permanently deleted, similar to how Sword Art Online puts the save state at risk with every adventure. However, there’s something fascinating about seeing Sword Art Online incorporate the mode not just as a difficulty setting, especially given the way that concept actually factors into the narrative of the game. Especially in games where mortality is central to the experience, a permadeath mode like the one incorporated into Sword Art Online feels like a clever challenge. It’s something plenty of shooters could benefit from, similar to how Doom: Eternal incorporated it as a part of the enhanced difficulty modes. Adventure games with iconic protagonists, like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, could benefit from the higher stakes that this sort of challenge adds. Getting to feature the mode not just on the hardcore difficulty feels like a clever twist, as it can allow players who aren’t top-tier to feel like they still have a sense of stakes even as they take on challenges that are more in line with their skills. Sword Art Online‘s decision to make Death Mode a modifier instead of a difficulty setting is a great way to raise the stakes in an action-packed game, and the sort of development other franchises should replicate in their own games.