Echoes of aincrad avatar could ruin the immersion

If Echoes of Aincrad follows the path of a silent protagonist, as it appears to be in the new trailer, it would be a dated and problematic choice, especially for a game inspired by Sword Art Online, where the story relies on players’ direct involvement in a universe where every action matters.

A character who does not speak outside of combat completely breaks immersion. Other characters express themselves, interact, react—while the player remains a hollow shell, with no voice or real presence in dialogues. This reduces the sense of integration into the story and turns moments that should carry tension or emotion into artificial, forced interactions.

In a world where life and death depend on the game, not allowing the player to express themselves through their avatar risks stripping the narrative of its stakes, making the player’s presence feel superficial.

Don't get me wrong, avatar customization has always been one of my favorite features in video games, and I am really happy to eventually not play Kirito, but in this case, I'd be really bothered if it came at the expense of the character's development. A silent avatar means no narrative arc, no evolution, a completely dehumanized character. If my fears are well-founded when the game is released, I sincerely hope the critics won't be kind to this detail, because not only does it ruin the entire story, but it also betrays an intellectual laziness that we've tolerated far too much until now.