Posted on: December 4, 2017
Skirlasvoud
Verified ownerGames: 72 Reviews: 8
Way too much of a good thing
I'd recommend this game, but with a couple of reservations and caveats. The good news is that: 1) This game is drop dead gorgeous! I frequently dropped the controller and backed away from the screen to just gasp and admire the breathtaking geometry of miles upon miles of silver, jade and golden corridors, halls and mausoleums lit by diamond flames. Remember that scene from Lord of the Rings where Gandalf lit a torch in the underground Dwarven Halls? 2) As a stealth puzzle adventure, this game is unique. The vast palace complex you're in, is inhabited by a an enemy who remembers whatever special tricks you used the day before. If you ran out of an elevator, shot them in the face and snuck away, then they'll do the same to you for a while. Stealth however, is king. If they never manage to spot you, it doesn't matter if they can shoot. 3) The game's storytelling is phenomonal. The impossibility of the palace complex, blurs the lines between magic and science. There's this exotic, transangent, mystical quality to everything. The broad strokes in which the two main characters paint the universe around them, speaks to the imagination.There's also a really great, simple partnership between them, full of emnity and comradery, kept together by a simple goal. The bad thing? While the environment is drop dead gorgeous and the concept of a learning enemy is novel, these two things never evolve into something greater. Whenever I marveled at the aforementioned beauty of dozens of miles of palace hallways, it came with the dread realization that I would inevitably be repeating the same rote action across its length. The environment and enemy aren't dynamic enough to stay interesting. You're going to become overly familiar with the furniture and enemy patterns all too quickly. I finished the game, happy with my purchase, but expect ECHO to turn into a repetitive, sterile slog halfway through. Only the story and a new enemy type - right at the very end - made me pull through.
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