Echoes of Aincrad

I came here to play SAO RPG but turns out this isn't it; - I can't trade (gift npcs), I can't add friends and establish rapport with NPCs. Why can I change their weapon but not gift it to them? - I can't explore an overworld and is stuck with a quest dungeon that stops me from exploring a shared map, everything is just about finding the next rest point until it's the end of the Dungeon. - Quest maps has no other NPCs even though a good amount of background characters in story should be leveling. - The Protagonist's relevance can basically be summarized to "Nod", "Smile." - No choice matters, scripted battles and outcome and extremely linear main quest. - Upgrade system is straight up out of a gacha game, Asuna needed to farm items to upgrade but all you need is some extra weapon as fodder. - Partner AI is hot garbage and don't reflect to each character in-lore skill. They all are perfect dodge/blockers but only attacks every few minutes. Namco wanted a souls-like but SAO isn't souls-like. Crystals are consumables not rechargeable Estus flasks. I should be able to change gears on the run but can't because and has to visit the inn because 'It wouldn't be souls-like which is popular…

This game is so lackluster in literally every way imaginable. Get this at a deep, deep discount. I'm talking 90% and even then, only if you're super bored AND a mega SAO fan. Combat is okayish but it's not enough to save this game. You're gonna regret this purchase, I assure you. Some of the worst exploration in gaming, boring story, boring gear and progression, boring and lifeless world with only a handful of enemies. You'll be running around the same maps from one save point to the next just ignoring everything because there's nothing to see or do. Can't even explore the world at your leisure as you only travel outside of the few cities or quest hubs when actively on a mission. Even if you could, there's nothing out there to see or do. This thing had the potential to be great. I can see how just a few design decisions could have made it the SAO game fans always dreamed of. But this didn't happen. A real tragedy here with this one. Clearly an uninspired money grab.

I keep hoping things will get better, or at least different. I've spent the 8 hours killing the same 5 enemies and 4 bosses in a rainbow of colors. The open world is divided into lifeless empty zones with scattered treasure chests and "safe zone" fast travel spots. There is little to no reason to actually explore, around hour 2 this game just feels like a chore to play. At this point i would recommend watching the story on youtube if you must, but even that is disappointing. Even the most rabid of SAO fans will find it difficult to finish this one, and most likely impossible to defend. This game isn't worth $70. Buy literally any other game you're thinking of, wait for a MASSIVE discount on this one, you probably won't complete it anyway.

Let’s just get straight to the point. I do not recommend this game at all. From a SAO fan and a gamer with an open mind, to other potential SAO fans and other fellow gamers out there, as much as I hate to say it, avoid this game, or if you are seriously curious, get it on a STEEP sale. We're talking 90% off here at least. For those thinking this might be a good entry point into the SAO game series or SAO in general, it isn’t. I recommend just playing the previous SAO games, reading the Light Novel, or watching the anime. My expanded thoughts are below. I feel like I got scammed. Honestly, shame on me, because my SAO brain sees SAO and I buy, but for over 100 dollars CAD, it feels really bad. Like back of my mind while playing this game bad. I felt obligated to get the most out of the game, which included exploration and some completionist objectives such as all the side quests, chests, and database entries, and it was both frustrating and miserable most of the time. There are so many questionable to downright terrible design choices that plague this game. I can’t even provide the pros without also providing the cons in this game, so I’ll try to categorize things. [b]THE WORLD[/b]…

its kinda meh

It is a very beautiful game, even on low graphics settings. It would be even better if they added the ability to run around the entire map outside of missions. Overall, the combat system is highly polished; I`d especially like to highlight the non-target system-something rarely seen in games. They did a great job with character customization and weapon styling. We look forward to more high-quality builds like this.