A Serial Experiments Lain alternate reality game called Layer 3301: De-Cipher will be launched in celebration of the 1998 science fiction animeâs 25th anniversary.
Details on the upcoming ARG are currently light, but the press release describes it as an âimmersiveâ experience that will allow fans to âunlock new aspectsâ of the surreal and cerebral animeâs storyline. The rewards for completing Layer 3301: De-Cipher will come in the form of limited memorabilia of the digital, physical, and âphygitalâ variety and ânever-before-seenâ original cel art from the show.
Notably, fans will be required to purchase digital collectibles called Protocol Keys(named after the showâs âProtocolâ technology) to participate and âinteract with digital elements.â These Protocol Keys will go on sale on the Serial Experiments Lain website this month, ahead of the ARGâs currently unannounced start date.
âBy venturing into a digital universe accessible exclusively through the interactive collectibles, the lain community can now further explore the concept of Network Spirituality, a theme that has captivated viewers since the seriesâ inception,â says the press release.
Acclaimed artist Yoshitoshi Abe (Haibane Renmei, Texhnolyze) brings to life the existential classic that paved the way for blockbuster films such as The Matrix. Follow along as fourteen year old Lainâdriven by the abrupt suicide of a classmateâlogs on to the Wired and promptly looses herself in a twisted mass of hallucinations, memories, and interconnected-psyches.
Layer 3301: De-Cipher is a collaboration between studios Kasagi and Anique, both of which are involved in the business of digital collectibles. (Anique sells digital images of Serial Experiments Lain, among other anime, and previously hosted a digital exhibition for the show. The listed âestimated valueâ of these digital images can be as high as 75,000 yen, or roughly US$536.) The ARG was created with the supervision of Serial Experiments Lain producer Yasuyuki Ueda.
In a statement from the press release, Ueda said, âI hope that this will be a new possibility not only for Lain but also for animation culture as a whole. My hope as Lainâs creator is that it can represent the spirit of experimentation, not bound by genre, social norms, or economic agendas.â
According to Kasagi CEO Kendrick Wong, there are other upcoming initiatives aside from the ARG as well, and the Protocol Keys will âgive fans exclusive access to everything the team has in store for the 25th anniversary.â
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