Overall Impression
Although there is only a demo out, there’s something special about Fading Echo. Fading Echo is a 3rd person action adventure game set in a bright and interesting world. It makes use of the environment and elemental interactions to give a unique take to combat and traversal. It’s too early to say how this will translate upon full release, but what is there is intriguing.
Target Audience
This title will appeal to gamers that are looking for something a bit different. The unique elemental/environmental interactions are fun. They make combat and traversal a bit different than your usually 3rd person adventure. There’s also an overall charm to the experience as combat is simple but strategic and the cutscenes are setup like a graphic novel.
Gameplay
The core gameplay is simple but engaging. It involves environmental interactions, such as when a specific type of enemy encounters water they are frozen. Attacking these monsters while in this state makes them easier to destroy. Other enemies may take damage over time if they encounter fire. The character is also equipped with an ability to push units into different hazards (fire or water) or off ledges. In addition, certain attacks from enemies may contain elemental effects. So you can even use enemies against themselves. Much of the combat experience is about being strategic in your positioning and repositioning enemies to take advantage of certain weaknesses.
Elemental interactions are also applied to traversal in clever ways. As you progress, you gain the ability to shift into a water form. This form allows you to slip through barriers that are otherwise impassable. Furthermore there are also other interactions in this form. For example, while in your water form if you come across fire, you’ll be transformed into steam. Steam then allows you to float and traverse greater distances opening up new ways to move around the map. Altogether the core combat and traversal interactions are fun, and make the experience enjoyable.
The last core component of gameplay involves altering reality. In certain sections, you can change the environment entirely giving you an alternate version of the same area. The transformed area usually also includes some type of puzzle that is needed to progress. It’s an interesting take on level design that reimagines different areas. There’s nothing ground breaking here, but it is nice to see a developer take risks to try something different.
Narrative
The way that the story is presented may be hit or miss depending on if you resonate with how it’s presented. Writing a captivating story is one of the greatest challenges in gaming and entertainment. The way that the story is presented here doesn’t feel like it makes a lasting impression. You may find yourself zoning out during dialogue scenes just so you can return to exploration or combat. This is because the introduction to the world and characters is abrupt. You are pulled into the plot without first really knowing or caring about the characters involved. Part of the challenge is that there aren’t really traditional cutscenes. Instead the narrative plays out like a graphic novel with panels and or dialogue scenes with text. This could work in the proper context but it’s also challenging to pull off as without direct facial animations and a story that connects you to the heart of the protagonist you don’t really get a chance to relate to the characters or care about the narrative. Resonating with the narrative is highly subject to individual preferences so don’t let this sway you from the game if you do enjoy how the story is presented.
Art & Design
The overall design has a bright stylized animated aesthetic. You can see inspiration from various sources, such as graphic novels and modern animated features. The world is vibrant with an array of environments inspired by various landscapes from the vast expanse of the desert to the colorful fauna of the sea floor. Some of the color schemes are a bit wacky especially in the alternate reality; however, that is the exact look the game is going for.
Challenges
The main question that comes up with the title is will there be enough depth in the full release? It’s too early to tell if the basic combat will be still be satisfying after the initial charm wears off. Many battles also feel a bit too reliant on elemental interactions once multiple enemies are present at the same time. Also once you understand the elemental interactions, combat can feel very repetitive.
The other challenge involves the overall narrative. This is by far the greatest challenge for most games and perhaps one of the most overlooked. The story never really captures your attention. It’s there but feels like it’s only there to drive you towards some overarching objective. We learn about the world but you’re never truly invested in it as you don’t really connect with the main character.
Another related issue is the way dialogue scenes are presented. In some scenes, you are given dialogue between characters; however, it’s not a full cutscene so you’re able to still move. But your movement is severely reduced. I understand that this may be because the developer wants you to stay within a certain area while the dialogue plays out. Nevertheless, from a player experience perspective it feels very restrictive. Further contributing to the issue is that the dialogue scenes just aren’t very interesting. This leaves a strange dynamic to the overall experience where gameplay elements are interesting but the narrative disrupts the overall flow of the game.
Closing Thoughts
Fading Echo is a 3rd person action adventure title that features some interesting elemental interactions. However, there are challenges with the narrative and it’s uncertain how much depth there will be in the final release. Combat at first is interesting but can become repetitive and heavily reliant on environmental/elemental interactions. There’s potential but how far that potential will be realized is still up in the air.
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