After clearing a VRMMORPG that became a death trap to its players, Shin is transported 500 years into that fantasy world's future. Its inhabitants have picked up the pieces, adapted, and live normal lives. The world feels far more real than in most isekais, owing in part to its diverse and colorful characters and the bare minimum of "gamey" status screens.

Players like Shin are considered legends, but some still remember them first-hand. It's the support characters (former NPCs) who gained sentience and are seen as living legends themselves. Imagine the world falling apart around you and wandering for 500 years hoping for your master to return. Imagine being on the receiving end of such humbling devotion. Shin's reunions with them are both heartwarming and melancholic, and are my favorite parts of the series. Not the least because there's a compelling conflict between them wanting Shin to stay and him searching for a way home.

That being said, I'm still not sure where New Gate is going in terms of the overarching story. Aside from reuniting with his companions, he mucks about with adventuring and gets involved with the country's royalty. Some of these mini-arcs feel drawn out and too much like a typical isekai, especially when Shin gets to flex his power before awed onlookers. Yet the power fantasy elements are bearable and Shin is very likeable, so I'm willing to look past them.