Important takeaways
-
Shangri-La Frontier
emphasizes player skill over sheer strength, making game mechanics more crucial. - The main character in
Shangri-La Frontier
playing for passion, not saving the world, offers a different perspective from
Sword Art Online. -
Shangri-La Frontier
minimizes fan service, focusing on gaming experiences and realistic gamer communities.
The Sword Art Online anime is an iconic series known to many anime fans who love games and isekai. In recent years, various new anime focused on a game story have been released, but few can challenge the precedent set by Sword Art Online has set
Among the few lies Shangri-La Frontier, a series that takes the gaming genre in a new direction with its excellent portrayal of realistic gaming culture and skill-based gameplay. Unlike Sword Art Online, which is heavily influenced by themes of survival and saving the world, Shangri-La Frontier portrays a protagonist who simply wants to have a good time playing games, making it a strong addition to gaming anime. It even manages to outshine Sword Art Online in some important ways.
7 Greater emphasis on player skill mastery
Knowledge of game mechanics beats Grit in game worlds
Kirito (SAO) is a talented VR swordsman, while Sunraku (Shangri-La Frontier) is a talented player. This difference between the two individuals speaks volumes about how they and their respective series approach defeating bosses and monsters. In a fictional world with monsters and bosses it is necessary to be strong, but in a game it is much more important to know how the game works and to manipulate the game mechanics, and in this way, Shangri-La Frontier make it better than Sword Art Online.
Instead of focusing on grit, determination, and sheer strength unleashed through willpower and legendary gear, a player's mastery of their skills and the build they've chosen is more heavily emphasized Shangri-La Frontier.
6 The main character's love is for games, not saving the world
Games for passion rather than survival
Kirigaya “Kirito” Kazuto and Rakuro “Sunraku” Hizutome are both portrayed as individuals with a love for gaming; however, one seems more focused on clearing games and discovering more dynamic ones, while the other is more focused on saving the world. Aincrad Arc in Sword Art Online was largely based on player survival, and for good reason.
But continues to have external influences and real threats portrayed through games do Sword Art Online more of an isekai in a game world, rather than a true game anime. Allowing players to immerse themselves in games without the fate of the world hanging in the balance will speak to fans of gaming anime, who can connect more deeply with a protagonist who just wants to have a good time playing games.
5 Minimal fan service
Shangri-La Frontier remains faithful to the game
Kirito and Asuna's relationship is undoubtedly a hallmark of Sword Art Online anime series. But with the exploration of their relationship came many moments that fans describe as “fan service.” This usually watered down the plot of the series, making it more like filler arcs and poorly thought out slice-of-life arcs that broke away from the central story of games in general.
So far, Shangri-La Frontier has had little to no fanservice, instead dynamically focusing on Sunraku and his obsession with gaming. This allows for a focus on gameplay and the player experience, rather than diluting the action with distractions.
4 Realistic depiction of player communities
Sword Art Online portrays gamer communities poorly
When it comes to gaming in the real world, casual gamers and hardcore enthusiasts are two different types of individuals. Sword Art Online portrays all players in a game in a similar way, rather than distinguishing them based on their goals – to pass the time, to relax or to clear the game. Additionally, in terms of community involvement outside of the game, Shangri-La Frontier has the upper hand.
Sunraku is seen constantly checking game forums on how to complete certain challenges, seeking experience from players who have already done it, while Kirito often seems to bulldoze his way through obstacles with sheer strength and talent. The player communities in Sword Art Online seem more isolated and individualistic, rather than the more social forums that real-world games have.
3 Exploration of multiple game genres outside of VRMMORPG
Greater game diversity is depicted
The Sword Art Online the game in the title series serves as a cornerstone VRMMORPG in the series. Interesting before and after game Sword Art OnlineKirigaya Kazuto is not shown playing any other type of games besides VRMMORPGs, despite being described as a game lover.
Shangri-La Frontier, on the other hand, Sunraku has explored different types of games, especially “trash” games with lots of bugs, because he always finds a way to exploit those bugs to his advantage. Although the series is based on the game “Shangri-La Frontier”, it's a refreshing change to explore various other game genres, as Sunraku takes breaks from playing Shangri-La Frontier every now and then.
2 Unique requirements are needed to beat bosses
Strength alone is insufficient to clear bosses
With enough determination, strength and equipment, all bosses i Sword Art Online the series will fall. However, this is not the case Shangri-La Frontier. Instead of prioritizing the character's strength and grit, Shangri-La Frontier features incredible gameplay mechanics, allowing for a variety of methods to clear bosses.
Conquering Wethermon of the Seven Colossi required Sunraku and his party not to “defeat” the boss, but to parry his ultimate move, Clear Sky Conquest, Sky Clear, as a single attack would result in death regardless of the player's stats. Having unique requirements to overcome certain obstacles fits better into a game's narrative than overpowering bosses with strength over and over again.
1 Presence of a story mode/world development
Sword Art Online portrays undefined endpoints
Despite having a central theme as a game anime, none of the games were portrayed in the Sword Art Online has some form of story mode, which is very unlikely compared to real games.
Due to the lack of structure that a story mode would typically bring to any game, the end point of the games i Sword Art Online is undefinedand characters seem to only be playing for personal entertainment rather than clearing a mission or beating the game. Shangri-La Frontier, on the other hand, beautifully depicts a world progression where events are triggered based on the completion of certain events, as seen with Wethermon's defeat, where the world story progressed by 20%.