Echoes of Aincrad, the latest Sword Art Online game I was actually excited for, just got a little less exciting. We got more information with the latest story mode trailer, and it’s not good news. The mode I was hype for the most, the Death Game mode, is being locked behind a paywall.

Or you can beat the game and unlock the difficulty. So the thing that made the game unique, and interesting, is being locked behind a deluxe edition, or beating the game. This seems super scummy by them. They know how much the perma death aspect is a selling point, so that’s why they made it an extra payment for people to have it unlocked from the beginning. No one wants to play the game, beat it, and finally get the mode that they’ve wanted from the beginning. And this is an action RPG, I don’t want to play 40+ hours to finally beat the game, only to have to try playing another 40+ hours with the game mode I actually wanted to play from the start. Also, this game is full price. Not a sweet $40 game like Expedition 33. The base game is $70, while the deluxe edition is a fat $90.

This honestly really soured my thoughts on the game. I was so excited to play this game, but with me needing to cough up an extra $20, for something I feel like should have been unlocked from the start, just rubs me the wrong way. Some people are hoping it’s going to change, but I’m having a strong feeling that it’s not. Might have to skip on this one, and buy it when it’s on sale.

Do you think this is a stupid, and greedy decision? Should the Death Game mode be unlocked from the start? Are you still interested in Echoes of Aincrad? Tell us in the comments.