Echo

Stop hitting yourself.

Echo is an idea born out of experienced developers getting bored. This almost feels like an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. The opening images reveal an odd yet majestic slab, floating through space. Our protagonist, En, wakes up from a deep sleep. What follows is an exercise in experimentation, subtlety in game design and - for the player - any play style they choose.

There’s definitely room for ECHO to improve and expand, but it’s a smashing debut nonetheless. Ultra Ultra has performed a deft balancing act here and one that carefully avoids over complicating things, much to the benefit of the player. It’s far and away one of 2017’s best sleeper hits and we can’t wait to see what the studio has coming next.

The game follows En, well voiced by Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), a woman traveling in space with her A.I. partner, London. After the pair reaches the Palace, a vast and seemingly limitless structure, En sets out to use its own technology to bring back another life. ECHO’s story is filled with dialogue between En and London as both argue the necessity of her objective on the Palace. The story is driven by En’s curiosity in both the world and herself, while London’s harsher personality puts the pair at odds. I like the premise of this sci-fi story but the constant back and forth of the two cha...

And while the story and mystery carry you through the game, the gameplay scenarios can be a little repetitive.  ECHO is a short-ish game though, clocking in around 8-10 hours, so it doesn’t quite overstay its welcome. It’s a slow burn, but when it gets going it doesn’t really let go. If you’re keen on tense stealth games, with a good sci-fi story, then look no further. ECHO is destined to be a cult hit like the movie Event Horizon, and that’s no small praise from me.

ECHO tries to reinvent the wheel with its new take on enemy AI. While the game ultimately succeeds in doing so, the end result is having a fancy new wheel on an otherwise mundane sedan. The rest of the game simply doesn't do the enemy AI system the justice it deserves.