Creative Staff
Story: Reki Kawahara
Illustration: abec
Translation: Stephen Paul
What They Say
After successfully untangling themselves from a dangerous encounter with the Black Poncho Man and clearing the fifth floor of Aincrad, Kirito and Asuna head to the next challenge, an area filled with…puzzles? What’s more, because of the precarious balance of power between two large guilds aiming for the same item, “The Flag of Valor”, there’s also a murderous PK group to be wary of. As the problems seem to pile up, Kirito and Asuna face the sixth floor of Aincrad completely unaware of the malicious trap awaiting them!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The setting this time around is the sixth floor, and it certainly is an interesting one. You see, the main theme this time around is puzzles, especially for the main town. Not only are there puzzles scattered all around, from Sudoku puzzles to sliding blocks, they even bar such things as the doors to inn rooms! I definitely appreciate the little touch of flavor there, which feels nice but not too overly in your face. Plus as an added bonus, we even get the backstory behind all this through the main quest we see this time!
Speaking of that quest, that’s easily where the vast majority of the book goes. It’s essentially something of a murder mystery… but the twist is that Kirito is playing around with spoilers the whole time while they’re doing it. It’s an interesting touch, because the actual underlying tale itself is a bit generic and whatever, but the framing mechanic through which it reaches us helps to definitely shake thing up. It’s just a fun little idea that’s solidly executed, and it ends on an especially great note that really takes Kirito down a peg, which is cool to see.
But our heroes aren’t done with the sixth floor just yet! There’s still the next segment of the elf quest to take care of, and then the boss of the floor itself! Will they be up to the task for the puzzles that await them, or are they doomed to be left stumped?
In Summary
This time around, we get a flavorful and focused entry in the series, and that certainly feels like it’s to the book’s benefit. The setting is just great, and definitely does a good job of drawing you in. And the focus is primarily on one quest, which keeps moving along at a solid pace so as to keep you invested. I especially like the setup used throughout there, as it really feels like it takes advantage of the unique quirks of Kirito’s background well. Plus there’s even a bit of nice action sprinkled in there too, and it’s handled pretty well to keep up the intensity. All in all, this book may not do anything too crazy, but it’s a brisk and enjoyable ride that I’d gladly recommend giving a try.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: N/A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 13th, 2018
MSRP: $14.00