Echoes of Aincrad demo captures SAO's look but struggles with combat

The Steam Next Fest demo for Echoes of Aincrad, an upcoming action RPG based on Sword Art Online, takes me right back to the days when SAO felt like the coolest thing in the world, and the demo’s position as the third-ranked entry at the event suggests I’m not alone.

Visually and in presentation the game nails it. Echoes of Aincrad convincingly portrays an RPG styled after an imagined MMO and the series’ full-dive premise, and all the menus, animations and effects fans would expect are here. The developer has also excluded the series’ fatal real-world consequence on death.

Problems appear once the game has to “walk the walk.” The demo offers light and heavy attacks, blocks and parries, specials and counters, and some basic NPC coordination, but attacks feel oddly staccato with no real flow or combos. Enemies in the opening cave temple are slow and dumb, bosses lack presence, and while the parry can feel good in isolation, stringing actions together falls apart.

aincrad, sao, steam, next fest, demo, action rpg, combat, parry, bosses, menus