ECHO

I don´t know why this game flew under nearly everyones radar. Didn´t hear or see that much in the usual dark review corners of the earth which seems inexplicable to me. Whatever Ultra Ultra tried to achieve with Echo, they suceeded and probably exceeded. All elements that make a great game are there. You are thrusted right into the story with only vague hints about the world and state of existence in this sci-fi setting through the superb narration of the voice-actors Rose Leslie and Nick Boulton. The beginning is a slow roll into one of the most beautiful and at the same time oppressive architectures and level-designs i have encountered in games: the palace. This game oozes atmosphere from beginning to end with a perfect symbiotic sounddesign and music - but not only that, in it has also a really hard gameplay which requires thinking ahead, good reactions and adaptability. Every element fits and clicks into the other and i was taken away. So i call it what i think it is: Masterpiece

It's a game that has stuning visuals, but thats all. Story is boring and ending is lackluster, nothing really is explained. Levels on the mechanical level are lazy? Most effective way to go in this game is to run, wait for lights to go out, shot, run some more. It's aesthetic ecstasy but gaming boredom.

I feel disappointed... by the fact that ECHO isn't more well-known, because it is an excellent indie title. I was lured in by the combination of the stunning visuals and sci-fi setting... and the heroine's unique design, I admit. The concept of a mysterious, opulent, yet deadly tech palace floating in the depths of space is absolutely fascinating to me and it had me waiting for every new detail of the setting and story. I found En rather cool as a protagonist, her attitude unpredictable and thus interesting, and her conversations with London quite intriguing and sometimes even thought-provoking. London himself had his moments - for an entity you can't even see, he had plenty of character. I don't often play action focused games that also require a lot of stealth and/or thinking through my every move, so ECHO was an exciting experience overall. It's unlike any other video game I have played so far. It forced me out of my comfort zone... and I liked it. I couldn't just shoot my way through a level, I had to think, watch enemy movement, predict what they'll do, react smart. However, at times I felt like it lacked variety a bit, that it still had potential to do more with its levels and enemies. (The regular ones. The... other ones were TERRIFYING.) I also remember thinking, during the more challenging parts, that being able to (auto)save more often wouldn't certainly hurt. All things considered, ECHO is not flawless. It's an indie title and it's designed accordingly. But more importantly, it's fun, it's challenging, and fascinating, and beautiful.

I liked the game. As others said it is repetitive, but not in a worst way - intrigue was kept till the end. Not like in “Sensua's sacrifice” you could predict fight scenes in advance etc. As the game evolves challenge rises. I really liked the concept that clones learn and what you do to them they do to you and they forget and some does this and others don’t. Some things could be better, like then you hiding behind table and clone that stand nearby cannot see you (the table is just too small and it does not look real). I liked the mood, design, all sounds seamed very well made everything fitted very well. Maybe just AI voice and script was not very convincing. Waiting for the continuation :)

I didn't get very far... I made it hard on myself I guess. I want to try it again with a controller, but on mouse/keyboard it is a little slow to start on the controls.