The Sword Art Online game series returns once again with the action RPG Echoes of Aincrad, inspired by the famous anime of the same name. This new entry aims to revisit the iconic events of Aincrad, but from a different perspective. Instead of following the familiar path seen in previous games, Echoes of Aincrad places the player at the heart of the experience by allowing them to create their own character and personally live through the struggle for survival inside the infamous death game.
But does Echoes of Aincrad succeed in using this new direction to deliver an experience worthy of the Sword Art Online name? Does it meet the expectations of fans who have long dreamed of living their own adventure inside Aincrad? In this Echoes of Aincrad review, we take a closer look at the game’s key elements, from story and gameplay to visuals and performance, to see whether it is worth playing.
A New Perspective on the Original Story
Echoes of Aincrad follows a group of players who enter the virtual world of Sword Art Online, where thousands of players begin an adventure filled with combat and exploration. However, that experience quickly turns into a nightmare when the game’s developer removes the logout option, leaving every player trapped inside this virtual world.
With no way to escape, players have no choice but to continue climbing Aincrad, a massive castle made up of 100 floors. Each floor must be cleared, and each boss must be defeated, until players can eventually reach the final boss and secure their survival.
The real danger, however, lies in the fact that death inside the virtual world also means death in real life. This turns every encounter with monsters or bosses into a decisive battle that could be the player’s last.
Although the game draws from the original story, it presents it from a different angle. Instead of simply following Kirito’s journey, the player takes on the role of a new hero who creates their own story inside this harsh world. The adventure lasts around 40 hours and offers plenty of excitement and challenge, but it is not always excellent. Some dialogue scenes feel longer than necessary, slowing down the pacing at times and making parts of the experience feel somewhat dull.
Gameplay and Combat
Like most Sword Art Online games, Echoes of Aincrad relies on exploration and fast-paced combat, combining chained attacks, dodging, and different combat skills.
During your journey through the vast world of Aincrad, you meet many characters and players who are facing the same fate. Together, you begin a shared journey built around cooperation, fighting monsters and bosses, and progressing through the castle’s floors.
The game provides a clear map that makes navigation across its huge world easier. It also uses Check Point Areas as safe zones where players can save progress and return at any time. Through these areas, players can view main and side quests, track story progression, move to character development locations, or return to the starting area. This makes moving between different parts of the game smoother and more convenient.
However, unlike some RPGs that allow players to experience the adventure entirely alone, Echoes of Aincrad requires the presence of a permanent partner in the party. You must choose one companion character to fight alongside you throughout the journey. This direction may not appeal to every player, especially those who prefer solo adventures and relying on themselves without a constant companion, as it may feel like a restriction on gameplay freedom.
On the other hand, this system fits very well with fans of Sword Art Online, a series that has always been built around cooperation between characters and the relationships formed while facing danger. For longtime fans, this may feel like a positive element that reflects the spirit of the anime and the original story.
A Fast Combat System With New Touches
The combat system in Echoes of Aincrad is one of the game’s strongest elements. It does not move too far away from what Sword Art Online fans are used to, offering fast encounters based on constant movement and smooth skill execution during battles. At the same time, it introduces new combat styles that give players more options and greater variety in how they approach fights. Because of this, fans of the series will feel familiar with the system from the early moments, while still noticing a more modern touch in encounter design.
Despite the speed and smoothness of combat, it sometimes lacks the sense of weight and mechanical impact expected from certain attacks. Some combat skills and strikes suffer from noticeable delays in execution or response, which affects the flow of battle in some encounters and makes them less satisfying than expected. This becomes especially noticeable in fights that require quick reactions and precise timing when using skills.
Still, this does not take away from the variety of combat styles. The game gives players the freedom to choose their preferred approach, whether by relying on light attacks or heavy strikes, within a real-time combat system that keeps battles fast and fluid. This variety helps reduce the feeling of repetition throughout the adventure.
Cooperation between you and your partner is not limited to simply fighting side by side. The game also allows you to perform joint attacks and skills through the Switch System, where proper timing between the two characters can trigger powerful finishing blows against enemies and bosses. This system adds a strategic layer to combat and gives battles more excitement and variety, especially during boss fights.
The game also offers a decent variety of weapons, allowing players to use swords, axes, and daggers. Each weapon type has a different combat style, giving the experience a degree of variety and encouraging players to try more than one playstyle.
However, the differences between some weapon types are not deep enough. They often feel similar during combat, which reduces the impact of this variety as the game progresses. Although there are multiple weapons, the game does not allow players to switch weapons during combat or even while exploring. Instead, players must return to their private room in the starting area to change equipment before continuing a mission.
This forces the player to rely on one weapon throughout an entire mission, limiting the freedom to test different weapon types based on each encounter and potentially creating a sense of repetition and boredom during longer play sessions.
As for defense, the system relies on dodging and avoiding enemy attacks, alongside blocking and opening opportunities for a counterattack through parrying. This system requires precise timing, making battles more challenging and rewarding players who rely on skill rather than random attacking.
The game offers four different difficulty levels to suit different types of players. While the beginning feels relatively easy, the challenge gradually increases as the story progresses. However, it does not always reach the level of balance some players may expect.
The difficulty curve suffers from inconsistency. Some boss fights feel extremely easy, while others suddenly become excessively and unjustifiably difficult. This can lead to frustration and make the reasons for defeat feel unclear during combat, instead of creating a natural sense of progression in the challenge.
For example, some boss fights include a number of smaller enemies alongside the main boss. However, these enemies do not add real depth to the encounter. Instead, they make the fight feel artificially annoying. The issue becomes worse when these enemies move and attack faster than the player’s response speed, especially since some attacks already suffer from slow execution and delayed responsiveness.
As a result, these encounters shift from skill-based tests into exhausting and unbalanced experiences. This negatively affects the enjoyment of combat and makes some battles feel dull and frustrating rather than fun and challenging.
The character progression system in Echoes of Aincrad is simple and easy to use. Players earn development points after defeating bosses or enemies, then distribute them across attributes such as strength, stamina, health, and focus according to their preferred playstyle. Weapons can also be upgraded at blacksmiths using materials collected during the adventure. Overall, the system offers a clear and uncomplicated progression experience that suits all players.
Despite everything the game offers, it is not without flaws. Although its world is large, exploration lacks depth. The environments often feel largely empty, with few interactive characters, repetitive side quests, and a lack of activities that encourage players to move away from the main story path. The resources found during exploration also repeat noticeably, making rewards feel less satisfying and weakening the motivation to explore.
Enemy repetition is another issue across many areas, not only in terms of design, but also in attack patterns and combat behavior. This causes encounters to lose part of their variety and affects the sense of freshness as the player progresses, especially in the later hours of the game.
Another downside is the restrictions placed on certain areas. The game prevents players from exploring them under the excuse that they are moving away from the current mission path. This takes away part of the freedom expected from an open world and may lead to boredom over time.
The game also does not allow the player to swim, and this becomes even stranger because of physics-related issues. Falling into some areas with shallow water can lead to death, and even falling from small heights may cause instant death. These problems create illogical situations that negatively affect the freedom and overall experience of exploration.
Impressive Visual Quality
Developer Game Studio has done an excellent job with the game’s visuals and graphics. The studio successfully designed characters and varied environments using a 3D anime style with striking visual quality and bright colors. These environments range from dense forests and vast deserts to mountain canyons and rivers, all crafted with great care to give the world a lively and visually beautiful feel.
The creativity is not limited to environmental design. The game also makes use of different architectural cultures, including an Eastern Arabic style that appears clearly in the design of buildings and the surrounding atmosphere. The lighting is also clear and consistent, whether during day or night, giving each area its own visual identity and increasing the enjoyment of the visual experience throughout the adventure.
Despite these strengths, some cinematic scenes that present story events and connect them to the game world feel dull and ineffective. They lack excitement and energy, which reduces their impact on the player.
On the audio side, the game delivers excellent sound effects that fit the different environments and boss battles, adding an epic feeling to encounters and strengthening the sense of adventure. The soundtrack also suits the surrounding environments, changing according to the nature and culture of each area. For example, the game uses tracks inspired by Eastern music in areas with an Eastern visual identity, helping deepen immersion in its world.
That said, the music tracks remain somewhat limited and repetitive, though they still fit the game’s general atmosphere.
Echoes of Aincrad Review Final Verdict
In the end, Echoes of Aincrad is a good experience that succeeds in presenting a world inspired by Sword Art Online in an enjoyable and different way. However, it needed more depth in its combat mechanics, enemy design, and exploration elements, along with greater content variety to deliver a richer experience across its full playtime. The content it offers also does not justify its $70 price tag, especially considering its shortcomings. Still, the game remains a suitable choice for fans of Sword Art Online, as well as players looking for an anime-style action RPG with an appealing atmosphere.
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Echoes of Aincrad
In the end, Echoes of Aincrad is a good experience that succeeds in presenting a world inspired by Sword Art Online in an enjoyable and different way. However, it needed more depth in its combat mechanics, enemy design, and exploration elements, along with greater content variety to deliver a richer experience across its full playtime. The content it offers also does not justify its $70 price tag, especially considering its shortcomings. Still, the game remains a suitable choice for fans of Sword Art Online, as well as players looking for an anime-style action RPG with an appealing atmosphere.
7
Pros
- Retells the original story from a fresh and creative perspective while staying true to the spirit and events of the series.
- Fast and enjoyable combat system with a solid variety of fighting styles and weapons.
- Simple and intuitive character progression that allows for smooth advancement without unnecessary complexity.
- Stunning visuals for both character models and environments.
- Strong sound design and a soundtrack that complements the game’s world.
Cons
- Limited exploration with repetitive enemies and side activities.
- Inconsistent and poorly balanced difficulty curve.
- Some attacks lack impact and suffer from sluggish execution and responsiveness.
- Weapons cannot be switched during missions or combat.
- Physics issues, particularly when jumping and interacting with water.
- Dialogue sequences are often unnecessarily long.
- The content does not justify its $70 price tag.