Version: Digital retail review code provided by the distributor
Independence & Ethics
Region Free is entirely reader-supported and maintains full editorial independence. For more on my scoring and standards, see the Review Guide.
I'm not hugely familiar with the Sword Art Online franchise. I've seen just enough of the anime to have a loose understanding of the overall story. But I am a big fan of soulslike games, even those that are light on the punishment, so when this more casual adventure came around, I couldn't resist jumping in.
Luckily, any prior knowledge of the franchise isn't strictly necessary, as Echoes of Aincrad does an admirable, though often frustrating job of holding your hand through the lightly written narrative. It's not even strictly a continuation of the anime, but more of a sidequel around the same time as the adventures of Kirito, the hero of the main story. The story is nothing you haven't seen before if you've played any soulslike game, or even any other Bandai Namco property in the last decade. But it is serviceable, and that's all that matters.
Echoes of Aincrad takes place in the world of Sword Art Online, an MMO with real stakes, as everyone playing it must survive dangerous encounters and quests if they ever want to get home. Here, the threat is the Death Game, an excruciating battle through the 100 floors of the floating fortress, Aincrad, where defeat means permadeath.
Our heroes, including the unnamed main character, sadly don't get to run the gauntlet of all 100 floors. Instead, much of the exploration is limited to the drab environments surrounding the fortress. It isn't an open-world game, either, but more of a quasi-open level one, where each biome is a large, playable area, like in an actual MMO.
This already highlights one of the biggest frustrations with Echoes of Aincrad: It really would be better as a real MMO or multiplayer experience. As a narrative-driven solo RPG, the MMO mechanics start to chafe early, and get progressively more annoying as the game goes on. There's very little actual exploration or discovery, as most of the game is following markers to safe zones, unlocking new parts of the map, and killing everything in the vicinity for scraps to melt down into better gear.
I applaud developer Game Studio Inc. for their devotion to recreating Sword Art Online so vividly, but it's a shame that so much of it comes at the expense of fun gameplay. When the incessant tutorials (the entire first act of the game is a Beta-style introduction, which lasts for hours) finally move out of the way, the actual gameplay loop is almost worth the long wait.
On a technical level, there's very little to complain about. Sure, you can see where the big scope grinds against the budget somewhat, like in character animations or texture pop-in with some areas, but those are minor complaints. Overall, Echoes of Aincrad is a gorgeous experience, one that genuinely feels like you're a part of the vast anime storyline in every possible way.
Similarly, the voice acting is all-around classy, and the English translation plays it nice and loose with some of the dialogue. This is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the relaxed, breezy atmosphere. It makes for a good change of pace after years of bleak and dreary soulslike titles.
Unfortunately, the same praise does not extend to the controls or the menus, which mimic the MMO experience to a fault. Even something as simple as shopping is tedious, and the endless grind of figuring out which items to upgrade, sell, or break down into components is punishingly dull. It's an odd feeling, since it means that I actually dreaded going back into town for all the choring. In other games, a return to base meant respite and fun. Here, it's endless spreadsheets and repetitive NPCs.
But the main part of the adventure, meaning the action and the combat, is uniformly excellent. There are six weapon types to choose from, along with an extra NPC partner who joins you on missions. While the variety isn't breathtaking, it's just enough to allow for some nice customization options.
Along the way, you pick up Sword Skills, which are basically special attacks that use SP, or this world's version of Mana. There is no magic, as the game helpfully reminds us every ten minutes, but some of the skills are basically magical in style. Party attacks trigger larger combos which can stagger enemies and chip away at their armor. You can even adjust how much control you want from your party member, though I found it better to automate all of that.
While most of the enemies tend to repeat themselves after a few hours, the boss battles are a lot of fun. The animations are gorgeous, the designs are imaginative, and the constant flow of battle is so fluid that each encounter felt invigorating.
Eventually, I ended up tuning out a lot of the extra dialogue of the game and approached Echoes of Aincrad like I approach MMOs. I put on a podcast and went out to fight monsters, collect gear, and grind for a few hours. It was a surprisingly relaxing experience, even with certain limitations that come from this mix of MMO and single-player narrative.
Granted, I didn't end up caring about the plot by the end, and I still couldn't pick out the main characters out of a lineup. But I had fun with Echoes of Aincrad, and that's mostly what counts. It handles all the basics just fine, and it's beautiful enough that returning to its world is pleasant, even when much of it is barren.
It wouldn't be my first recommendation for RPG or action game fans, but it certainly wouldn't be my last one, either. It's simply solid, and sometimes that'll have to do.
