Well, it has.
I was pleasantly surprised when Overlord offers a fresh angle on the whole 'trapped-in-a-virtual-reality' concept. The key difference in Overlord's setting that gives it uniqueness is this : The main character, Momonga is the only player in the new world, with the rest being 'NPCs'.
Why is this even important?
It is important because it sets the foundation for Momonga's subsequent actions. It is important because it separates and elucidates 3 different viewpoints:
1. Momonga's viewpoint. To him everyone in the new world are NPCs'; they are human and yet less than human to him.
2. The NPC's viewpoint. An NPC in the new world is leading a normal life just like how a normal human would lead a normal life in the real world.
3. The viewer's viewpoint. We know that Momonga is in fact a character from a game, somehow transported into this new world, but there is actually a real person in the real world who created this character.
How these 3 viewpoints were isolated so lucidly is precisely because of the fact that there are no other 'players' in the picture. At the same time, Momonga, while being a player, is the furthest thing from a human being as an all-powerful undead lich. I must say that it is brilliantly conjectured and brilliantly done.
