ECHO Reviews
ECHO was a very pleasant surprise. It will most certainly test intelligence and patience of gamers with its puzzle of enemies in tightly built rooms, while testing the amount of anxiety one can take with jump scares and pressure to get to the next checkpoint. That's the charm of the game. Ultra Ultra did a fantastic job with ECHO and it shouldn't be missed.
A thoroughly unnerving, yet innately rewarding experience that graciously pocketed hours of my life, and had a lasting impact. In our world of instant gratification and wrought gameplay experiences that are ever derivative, ECHO stands to surprise us all
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 is a puzzle game disguised as a third-person action-adventure game.
ECHO is a good videogame debut: it's a fantascientific monologue about solitude represented like a theatre play. Its "scene" is highly detailed, but the game is not very technically optimized. The gameplay is deeply based on stealth, but sometimes it lacks of classical mechanics of the genre. Its minimal cast provides a different vision of the science-fiction future, and it's recommended mainly to those who like such an intimistic vision. Others may consider to ponder about.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
To begin with, ECHO comes with an exciting sci-fi story, it has stunning visuals, clearly Rose Leslie & Nick Boulton have done a fantastic work in regard to their roles, and the "You versus yourself" idea, though may not be so complete, is intriguing. But in terms of gameplay, specially the stealth part, theres nothing other than emptiness and frustration, like a beautiful, expectional singer without a voice, or a luxurious pizza with a horrible taste.
Review in Persian | Read full review
ECHO is a game that gets overwhelmed with its potential. While its innovative AI system and The Palace is interesting, there are no surprises left after two hours of gameplay.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A passion project by a handful of very talented people, ECHO might suffer from a pretty low replay value, but the rest of it is simply fantastic. Beautiful to look at, deeply atmospheric, and with some very clever (and well-handled) gameplay mechanics, this might very well be one of the best stealth gamers ever - especially since it lets players face the greatest enemy: themselves!
Echo is a resounding win.
Echo is a fun and enjoyable game defined by a well-executed gimmick. Without the adapting Echoes, it would be a standard stealth shooter. With the Echoes, it becomes distinctive and interesting. The adapting AI is as much a proof of concept as a fun gameplay mechanic, but it works very well at being both. Echo shows that modern stealth games have a whole lot of room to grow and evolve. For fans of the genre, it's well worth playing, assuming you can get past the slow start and occasional technical hiccups.
Echo is a tense and intriguing sci-fi puzzler that keeps you on your toes but is not without its faults. It places a strong focus on stealth and can often make you feel trapped because of it, but as a stealth game feels rewarding creative thanks to its smart AI system. For those looking for a quiet and patient challenge, Echo is a worthy contender for your time and skills.
ECHO is a game brimming with smart ideas that should appeal to lovers of good sci-fi and stealth/action alike. Ultra Ultra has done a superb job in creating an intriguingly eerie world that piques interest early on, first with a slow build up, and then effortlessly drawing you in for the long haul without having to be overly reliant on a heavy narrative to drive the story forward. It's an impressive opening statement from the Copenhagen-based troupe that puts them firmly on the developer map as ones to watch.
Even if its storytelling is a little overbearing and its edges far too rough at points, ECHO's exceptional blend of stealth and progressive AI might help it become a cult classic.
In short, we can say that we have found ourselves in front of a very distinctive title, with a rich and interesting story and with a linear gameplay, but with a rather unique style. We appreciated dialogues and sounds, although we must warn the public of the absence of the Italian language, not only at the level of dialogue but also at the subtitle level. It's a pity for those who do not chew too much tongue. A game, however, is to keep an eye on and added to the library.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Although ECHO is not a Game of the Year contender, it certainly deserves credit for how well it executes its core concept.
While its twist on stealth mechanics eventually loses steam, Ultra Ultra’s debut title is visually stunning and a delight to listen to. If you’re after a sci-fi experience to dive into, ECHO is one not to miss.
Stealth fans, ignore everything you've read here and buy this game - this one was made for you from the ground up. For everyone else, ask yourself what you liked about other more stealth-lite games you might have played. If it wasn't studying patrol routes for minutes at a time, give this a miss.
It seems to be a common theme in Echo that the truly interesting parts fade, slowly losing their selves to the repeated barrage of ideas at the forefront.
ECHO is a fantastic experience that came out of nowhere. It is smart in multiple ways, in both its game mechanics and the narrative which certainly made me think. In a lot of indie titles you expect compromised production values or clumsy stealth, but the amount of polish added to an original storyline makes this a more memorable experience than I expected.