Echoes of Aincrad Reviews
Echoes of Aincrad works when it lets the swords do the talking: the combat system is varied, managing your companion adds a tactical layer the franchise has long been missing, and the crafting, derivative as it is, gives a concrete purpose to every run through dungeons and cities. The problem is everything else. A world that should pulse like a real MMORPG is instead full of mute background characters, a story that takes its time without ever really earning it, and a design choice, locking the Death Game Mode behind a premium purchase.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It’s just that we’re in the middle of a flood of high-quality JRPGs, from indie through to the big blockbusters, and Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad does limit itself in a way that doesn’t do it any favours.
It doesn't excel in any particular area, or offer anything that's genuinely new, but Echoes of Aincrad is an enjoyable single-player action RPG experience once it really gets going.
Sometimes, the most disappointing thing about a game is realizing that its best moments prove the developers genuinely know what they're doing—only for its most repetitive and tedious stretches to reveal that they never figured out how to tie those great ideas together into a satisfying whole. Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad is exactly that kind of game. At its best, it has enough strengths to make it worth revisiting in the future, especially once its price comes down, and it could even introduce more players to the world of SAO. Until then, however, it remains little more than another decent release aimed primarily at those who are already dedicated fans of the franchise.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Echoes of Aincrad is a fun action RPG, but it falls into the same trap as many of this publisher's recent RPGs: its open world. While the game offers enjoyable combat and a solid core experience, its open world often feels like a big hub that link areas together rather than a meaningful part of the adventure
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Echoes of Aincrad isn't a bad game for the franchise; in fact, it has memorable moments that really stand out from the other entries. However, the ambition and fantasy it initially promised are too far removed from the actual gameplay experience, with issues related to pacing, quality of life, and content reuse that overshadow its many strengths.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
An unnecessarily frustrating action RPG with a story that lacks bite, despite the excellent source material.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Echoes of Aincrad is a charming game that has intuitive combat and rewarding character growth. Although its repetitiveness brings down the experience from time to time, I still couldn't help but want to keep playing so I could see where my chums would end up next. 🌐
Echoes of Aincrad is a prime example of an excellent conceptual vision ruined by a gameplay experience that is unnecessarily drawn out and lacks any real boldness in its design. Although the melee combat system offers genuine moments of fun and the smithy ensures considerable depth in weapon customization, the game collapses under the weight of outdated game design, recycled content, and a narrative progression that drowns its more mature themes in a slow pace. This is a game that may perhaps entertain the most die-hard fans of the universe created by Reki Kawahara for a few hours—those drawn in by the visual fidelity and the charm of an adventure experienced from the perspective of a beta tester—but for any other fan of action RPGs, it will prove to be a repetitive experience that hit the market before it was fully mature.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Echoes of Aincrad delivers one of the most immersive Sword Art Online experiences yet, thanks to its satisfying combat, meaningful progression, and fully customizable protagonist.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
I enjoyed my time with Echoes of Aincrad. It successfully does something different with the Sword Art Online formula by allowing players to experience the Aincrad incident through an entirely new perspective, and that alone makes it feel fresh. Strong combat, enjoyable progression, excellent presentation, and a genuinely engaging story make it an easy recommendation for fans of the series.
Echoes of Aincrad faithfully recreates the visual universe of Sword Art Online and offers a functional combat system with extensive equipment optimization possibilities. Its smooth performance—using Unreal Engine 5—and the polished aesthetic of its main environments demonstrate a significant improvement in production compared to previous installments in the franchise. However, this new SAO is limited by a monotonous mission design, an exploration system restricted by invisible barriers, and a marked reuse of enemies and bosses. So, unless you're a die-hard fan of Reki Kawahara's work, it's difficult to overlook some of its shortcomings.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
I actually enjoyed the basics and found the story and characters entertaining. But the limited exploration, the sometimes chaotic combat and the unsatisfying ending detract from the experience.
Review in German | Read full review
'Echoes of Aincrad' was a title armed with ideas that fans would welcome. Viewing the original work through the eyes of a unique original protagonist offered a freshness distinct from spin-offs. However, compared to such an interesting story and setting, it was difficult to find any appealing aspects in the gameplay. In fact, setting aside its unique appeal, the level design—which should be considered the fundamentals—was so drawn out that it felt disappointing.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad successfully shakes up the formula with an engaging, flexible action-RPG combat system and rewarding partner mechanics. Unfortunately, severe pacing issues, a lifeless custom protagonist completely overshadowed by Kirito, restrictive invisible walls, and heavily recycled enemy designs relegate this barebones spin-off to a tedious, budget-strained slog.
Despite various limitations, Echoes of Aincrad is a visually and technically solid tribute that offers SAO fans a unique way to experience the world of Aincrad from a fresh perspective.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite my wide array of criticisms, Echoes of Aincrad was still a pretty solid experience, but its gameplay and exploration are the weakest parts of the whole package. With a solid story and interesting characters, the recreation of the Death Game is as good as we've had it so far. Combat is fine enough, but exploration suffers due to invisible walls, and a stumbling in the dark approach to traversing it. Regardless, Echoes of Aincrad does make large strides in the right direction of being “that” Sword Art Online game we've always wanted, I just wish it felt more like the grand MMO it was needing to be.
Echoes of Aincrad is a bland, tedious attempt to cash in on the nostalgia of Sword Art Online fans, offering little more than a dozen hours of boredom.
Review in Polish | Read full review
A somewhat failed attempt to translate the Sword Art Online experience into the video game medium. Kirito and company will have to wait a little longer for the adaptation that finally does them true justice.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Echoes of Aincrad is an incredibly frustrating game because so much of it works, yet doesn’t. Its core combat mechanics, progression, and story all show flashes of what made the original series so enjoyable, yet they’re all tied together by a genuinely frustrating exploration system that repeatedly and severely undercuts their strengths.