As someone who lives for a good story in video games, I’m always on the hunt for the next great narrative. I’m talking about the kind of game that sticks with you long after you put the controller down. So when I heard about Echoes of the End, a new single-player, story-focused adventure, I had to see if it delivered the goods.
The short answer? It’s a mixed bag, but the good parts are really good.
Echoes of the End Review
The Best Part: A Friendship Worth Fighting For
Let’s get straight to it. The absolute best thing about Echoes of the End is the relationship between its two main characters, Ryn and Abram. Ryn is a “vestige,” a person who can wield powerful, destructive magic. This has left her with a lot of trauma and guilt, especially concerning her younger brother, Cor, whom she’s trying to save. She’s stoic, quiet, and doesn’t trust anyone.
Then you have Abram, a cheerful and curious scholar who tags along with her. He’s fascinated by the world’s history and by Ryn’s powers. At first, their dynamic is awkward, but watching their friendship slowly and realistically blossom is the heart and soul of this game. Their conversations while exploring the world are fantastic, turning what could have been boring downtime into genuine character development. If you love character-driven stories like The Last of Us or God of War, you’ll find a lot to like here.
A Familiar Fantasy Tale
The main plot, however, feels a bit like a fantasy story you’ve heard before.
Ryn needs to rescue her brother from an evil empire that wants to use his similar powers for its own wicked plans. You travel across the beautiful, Iceland-inspired world of Aema, solving ancient puzzles and fighting soldiers to reach your goal.
It’s not a bad story by any means, but it’s predictable. You’ll likely see most of the twists coming from a mile away. The villains are also pretty one-dimensional; they’re evil just for the sake of being evil, and you never get a chance to really understand their motivations.
You spend most of the game fighting generic soldiers rather than a truly compelling antagonist.
Is the Deep Lore Worth It?
For players who love to dig into a game’s history, there’s a ton of lore here. You can find journal entries and collectibles that explain the history of the vestiges, the ancient civilization that came before, and the politics of Aema.
Honestly, it’s pretty dense material. If you’re into it, it adds a lot of context to the world. But if you’re not, you can safely ignore most of it and still understand the main character’s journey just fine. The game does a good job of keeping the important information front and center.
What’s It Actually Like to Play?
A good story is great, but you’re still the one pressing the buttons. So, how does Echoes of the End gameplay actually feel? For the most part, it’s a solid adventure game, but the gameplay definitely takes a backseat to the storytelling.
The game is split between three main activities: combat, puzzles, and exploration.
Combat: The fighting is probably the weakest part of the package. Ryn uses a spear for melee attacks and her vestige magic for powerful ranged abilities. It’s functional and gets the job done, but it often feels a bit stiff.
Don’t expect the smooth, fluid combat of a game like God of War. It’s more of a serviceable system designed to get you from one story beat to the next rather than being a deep experience in its own right.
Puzzles and Exploration: This is where the gameplay shines a bit more. The world of Aema is beautiful, but it’s not an open world. You’ll be guided down a linear path through different chapters. A large chunk of your time will be spent solving environmental puzzles, often using Ryn’s unique powers to manipulate objects and open new paths.
The puzzles are generally clever and engaging, but be warned: they can sometimes slow down the story’s pacing, stopping the narrative dead in its tracks for a while.
It’s also worth noting that the game had some technical hiccups at launch, like stuttering and frame drops. However, the developers have been active in releasing patches that have fixed the worst of these issues for most players.
The Final Verdict
So, should you play Echoes of the End? It really depends on what you’re looking for.
If you’re searching for a deep, complex, and surprising plot that will blow your mind, this probably isn’t it. The story is a bit too straightforward for that. The same goes for the combat; if you’re looking for a top-tier action game, you might be disappointed.
But if you’re looking for an adventure with incredibly strong characters, a believable and heartwarming central relationship, and a beautiful world to explore, then it’s absolutely worth your time. The story of Ryn and Abram is the real reason to play, and the engaging puzzles make the journey between story moments enjoyable. It’s a game whose heart is bigger than its budget, and that’s something worth celebrating.
Pros:
- An incredibly well-written and emotional relationship between the two main characters.
- Ryn has a compelling and satisfying character arc.
- The world is beautiful and the atmosphere is top-notch.
- Engaging environmental puzzles.
Cons:
- The main plot is predictable and uses a lot of common fantasy tropes.
- Combat feels stiff and secondary to the rest of the game.
- Villains are underdeveloped and not very memorable.
- Puzzle sections can sometimes hurt the story’s pacing.
