New Beginnings
Echoes Of The End – the base game – is described as “… a thrilling, cinematic adventure, set in the fantasy world of Aema. Play as Ryn, a formidable warrior whose connection to ancient magic sets her apart in a world that fears what it no longer understands. Master dynamic, fast-paced combat as you traverse breathtaking landscapes and ancient ruins. Uncover a story of sacrifice and redemption as you forge a new future amid the echoes of a broken world.”
After playing the original Echoes Of The End, gamers were quick to point out several refinements that, if made, could heavily elevate the game. Developer Myrkur and publisher Deep Silver took all the recommendations and refined the game. Thus, we now have Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition. The areas addressed include: combat, animations, equipment, system spacing, early game, and more.
In this title, you play as Ryn, a powerful ancient magic wielder known as a “vestige”. You are sent by the leadership of one side of a conflict to investigate some reported incidents. Your brother accompanies you and is captured by members of the opposing side of this conflict. Thereafter, you immediately form a new bond with a scholar named Abram to rescue your brother and put an end to the conflict that threatens your homeland.
My Experience
For the sake of transparency, I never played the original title. However, we were offered a review key from the cool people at Myrkur, Deep Silver & Keymailer (thank you all) to review this new version. At the time of this writing, I have completed the first chapter. This took me about 2 hours (you can see in the video above). Therefore, I have a decent amount of time with the title to give you an early impression.
I’ve seen this game compared to the likes of Witcher, Shadow of Mordor, Ghost of Yotei, and even South of Midnight. I did get ever-so-slight South of Midnight vibes; however, in my experience, it felt quite different. I found this title to be more like an interesting mash-up of God of War and Uncharted as it relates to combat, looting, and the amount of puzzle sequences in between fight encounters. So let’s examine how my time so far has stacked up.
Impressions Break-down
Pros:
- Excellent visuals for a AA effort
- Good boss fights
- Good loot journey loop
Cons:
- Various animations still suffer from jank
- Puzzles between fight sequences are too rampant
- The beginning sequence of Chapter 1 is poorly paced
Early verdict: May continue to play
I found myself at times impressed with the visual presentations of this game, though disappointed in the animation jank. The most annoying is the flightiness of the jumps, which messes with timing during platforming sections. The variation proposed during fighting can be interesting, but they are over so quickly. Then you’re confronted with a non-inspiring, but time-consuming puzzle quite frequently. Also, I was very close to not finishing the chapter, but my first boss encounter 2/3 of the way through helped me see there was some potential in this title.
Verdict
My initial impression right now is lukewarm. I admit I’m early on. My encounters in chapter 2 seem better paced. Things could improve, which is why I’m likely to play further. That said, I don’t know if I can recommend a try for readers at its current price point of $40 USD. I would say definitely give a try if you can find at a price point equivalent to $30 or less. Stay tuned here for any future progression and impressions/reviews of this title.
