The story takes place in "The World", a fictional massively multiplayer online role-playing game. You control Haseo, a player-killer killer whom along with his friends discovers they are unable to log out of The World. As is typical in the .hack series, there's a connection between events in the real world and in the online world and as the story continues Haseo will need to figure out how to save himself and his friends in both worlds. (Mobygames)