Bandai Namco Entertainment has released a second story trailer for Echoes of Aincrad, the upcoming action RPG set in the world of Reki Kawahara‘s Sword Art Online franchise. Alongside the trailer, the publisher confirmed that a playable demo will be available starting June 16.
Story and Gameplay
The game takes place in Aincrad, the iconic floating castle from the original Sword Art Online story. Players take on the role of one of the 10,000 players trapped inside the deadly virtual MMO, exploring the world alongside familiar faces including Kirito and Asuna.
Singer Aimer performs the game’s theme song, titled “Live to Survive.”
Release Dates and Platforms
In Japan, the game launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on July 9, and on PC via Steam on July 10. Western markets will receive the game on all platforms simultaneously on July 10.
Editions
Echoes of Aincrad will be available in four editions:
- Standard Edition — the base game.
- Deluxe Edition — includes expansion DLC, a starter item pack, and early access to the “Death Game” mode, a permadeath mode that deletes your save upon character death and is normally only unlocked after completing the game once.
- Ultimate Edition — includes all Deluxe Edition content, plus the “Unanswered//butterfly” bonus content app and special anime, a digital soundtrack, digital artbook, and an in-game armor pack.
- Aincrad Edition — exclusive to the Bandai Namco Store, this edition bundles everything from the Deluxe and Ultimate Editions with physical collectibles: a beanie, wall scroll, patches, and a sticker pack.
Unanswered//butterfly Special Anime
The “Unanswered//butterfly” special promotional anime, included with the Ultimate and Premium Editions, tells the story of other characters during the events of the original Sword Art Online arc.
About Sword Art Online
Reki Kawahara began the Sword Art Online web novel in 2001, serializing it on his personal website through 2008. Dengeki Bunko (Kadokawa) began publishing a revised print edition in 2009. The original story concluded with the “Alicization” arc in the 18th volume in 2016, followed by the all-new “Moon Cradle” arc in 2017 and the “Unital Ring” arc in 2018. The series now spans 29 volumes overall. It has spawned manga and novel spinoffs, a multi-season TV anime, an anime film, a proposed live-action series, and the Sword Art Online: Progressive spinoff novel series, which itself inspired two anime films.
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