I really loved the way Momonga’s nostalgic recollections of Ainz Ooal Gown’s glory days introduced the world’s structure in a way that was immediate familiar and relatable, avoiding the narrative dumps early on that often slow down these types of stories. Overlord’s initial chapter is one of its finest and most gripping in introducing us to the world of Yggdrasil through the lens of Momonga observing the last fading moments of the game. This was an immediately interesting premise because of the way it explored the proclivities of MMO players from a very different angle than has been done in numerous other stories. While other stories are preoccupied with exploring social dynamics among players of the games as relative equals, Overlord’s protagonist, Momonga, is the only player (that we know of) left in the game, and as a result his skills turn him into a sort of demi-god among the residents of Yggdrasil with the power to influence the affairs of the surrounding world. Instead of focusing on players trying to clear the game, Overlord explores the ultimate power fantasy of any MMO player as an all-powerful being in a world ripe for the taking. One might be forgiven for being skeptical of Overlord as another typical “trapped in the game” series akin to Log Horizon or Sword Art Online, but this would be a drastic simplification of the merits of this series. With his astounding powers intact and an army of powerful and loyal demons at his command, Momonga sets out to explore this new world which just might be his for the taking. However, as the game comes to a close Momonga finds that fantasy has become reality, and that the game he devoted so much of his life is now his home. Momonga logs in one last time to revel in the splendor of Ainz Ooal Gown’s fortress, the Great Tomb of Nazarick, as the servers go dark, and longs nostalgically for a time since departed. But those glory days have long past, and many of the guild-members have quit, leaving skeletal overlord Momonga as the last remaining member on the last day of the game. The Lowdownįor twelve years, the 41 members of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown reigned as legends of the MMO Yggdrasil. The glory days of the legendary guild Ainz Ooal Gown in the MMO Yggdrasil might have passed, but a new world is left ready to conquer as the game becomes a reality for its last remaining player in the hit novel series which inspired an anime adaption.

Overlord light novel volume 1