Echoes of Aincrad: Sword Art Online is an ambitious attempt to reset the franchise’s video game efforts, but it ultimately struggles to justify its own existence. While it successfully captures the tension and dread of the original series' "Death Game" arc, the experience is hindered by repetitive design and a combat system that never quite finds its footing. It is a game with good bones, but it lacks the necessary execution to make the experience feel complete.
A Familiar Setting With Mixed Results
Moving away from the perspective of established series protagonist Kirito, Echoes of Aincrad tasks you with creating your own hero. The setup is classic Sword Art Online: you are trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG where in-game death is permanent. The game’s three-hour prologue, set during the beta test, establishes a methodical, slow-paced tone that attempts to mirror the grind of surviving in this digital world. While there is enough character-driven intrigue to keep fans interested, the pacing after the prologue can be agonizingly slow.
The quest design is perhaps the title's greatest hurdle. You are dropped into large, interconnected environments that feel disappointingly empty. Outside of repetitive enemy encounters, these areas offer little to discover beyond chests containing meager rewards. You will spend a significant amount of time sprinting toward objective markers, which makes the world feel more like a chore than an immersive setting.
Combat That Lacks Impact
As a Souls-like experience—complete with an optional easy mode—the game hinges on mastering enemy attack patterns and managing your stamina. Unfortunately, the combat feels fundamentally unpolished. There is a strange weightlessness to your attacks; swinging a weapon feels like cutting through air, with almost no hitstop to provide feedback. This inconsistency extends to enemies, who either ragdoll instantly or ignore your attacks entirely, making it difficult to gauge when you are actually dealing damage.
The situation worsens during encounters with multiple foes. The game encourages one-on-one combat, yet frequently forces you into enclosed boss arenas where you are overwhelmed by underlings. With poor animation quality making it difficult to read enemy attacks, these moments often feel unfair. Thankfully, your AI companions are competent, frequently drawing enemy aggression and preventing the action from becoming a total disaster.
Progression and QoL Issues
Despite the combat’s shortcomings, the progression system is genuinely addictive. The loot loop—where enemies drop weapons with randomized perks—is satisfying, and the ability to transfer those perks to your favorite gear provides a compelling reason to keep grinding. If you can push past the clunky combat, there is a decent dungeon crawler hidden underneath.
However, the game is plagued by frustrating quality-of-life oversights. The lack of a pause button is a major annoyance, and the save system is particularly punishing. If you quit during a quest, you lose your progress and all collected items, forcing you to redo the trek through barren wilderness. While there is a "Death Game" mode with permanent death, the slow pace of the opening hours makes the prospect of a high-stakes playthrough sound more like torture than a challenge.
- Captures the emotional tension and dread of the original arc
- Addictive loot and weapon customization system
- AI companions are genuinely helpful during combat
- Combat feels weightless and lacks necessary feedback
- Quest design is repetitive and involves too much empty traversal
- Absence of a pause button and punishing save system