Echoes of Aincrad will be very loyal to the source material of Sword Art Online, the fact that we are playing this on PC alone is already pretty meta narrative when you think about it, so adding permadeath to the mix makes it more realistic with the context of that series. Some might think this is insane and that it shouldn’t be implemented, but at the same time I also tell them, aren’t you up for a challenge? Aren’t you a real gamer? If you are then Echoes of Aincrad has you covered, although it would be better if you played the new .hack game when it releases instead.
Echoes of Aincrad gets bold
The addition of this feature proves that Bandai Namco is commited to respect the legacy of the Sword Art Online series, by bringing something that was a central part of it. Death Game Mode, as it is called, will allow players to experience Echoes of Aincrad as if you were playing it as a real character from the multimedia project, this means that if you die in game your save file will get wiped out. This mode is clearly made for those who seek a big challenge, and this might potentially be one of the hardest Sword Art Online games out there.
While it is true that Sword Art Online has copied many elements from the cult series .hack, also known as Dot Hack, Sword Art Online tries to bring some additional elements that are unique to it. Both games have their fans, and while I lean towards the side of Dot Hack more often than not, I can appreciate that there is two different takes in games about people playing games. This new mode in Echoes of Aincrad will prove to be the biggest challenge yet in a Sword Art Online game.
