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NEWS: Bandai Namco Unveils New Sword Art Online Action RPG Echoes of Aincrad




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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 3008
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:22 pm Reply with quote
OK, now it makes perfect sense why Bandai Namco allowed CyberConnect2 to develop a new .hack game all on their own, because BN already had a new Sword Art Online game set for release.
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L'Imperatore



Joined: 24 Mar 2014
Posts: 1096
PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:25 pm Reply with quote
This is the first SAO game to feature an English dub, I think?
(And no, the Kirito & Asuna DLC in Tales of Arise doesn’t count.)
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Aerodynamic41



Joined: 20 Oct 2015
Posts: 274
PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:40 pm Reply with quote
A game where you actually get to play as a random player in Aincrad? Honestly, this sounds like the SAO game I've always wanted.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 20109
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 1:31 pm Reply with quote
I guess they pretty much ran out of stuff they can do with the main SAO gang so why not just go back and do Aincraid with your own OC?

It seems like you're playing through a specific questline in the actual SAO world but it seems like the cast is all new characters even though they mention Kirito and Asuna (who are in the illustration).

I can't believe we finally have a dubbed SAO game.
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ChibiKika



Joined: 30 Oct 2022
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2026 8:34 pm Reply with quote
I appreciate the narrative decision made here, but I'm pretty skeptical of the combat engine (especially after looking at the gameplay previews).

It's 2026, hack-and-slash has evolved quite a bit, for better or for worse. It'd be wrong of me to ask for Sekiro-level fighting, but I'd like to hope that a game about an action death-game would have...you know, exciting action (not just exciting-looking action).
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Zased



Joined: 30 Nov 2024
Posts: 151
PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2026 11:41 pm Reply with quote
Aerodynamic41 wrote:
A game where you actually get to play as a random player in Aincrad? Honestly, this sounds like the SAO game I've always wanted.


Same, but I worry how dated it'll feel. It feels like a game that should have come out 10 years ago.
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