verdict
Echo of the End gives a strong first impression with original puzzles and focused combat, but the uncompromising appetite for challenges and accuracy is painfully difficult to overcome the power of the protagonist in the process.
The choreography of the rapid fires of combat in the game can become a delicate business. Consider the “tough but fair” spirit of the dark souls who encouraged the masochists to slug it among the corrupt ruins of the game, or the reload time of the Halo 3 sniper rifle will barely increase from 0.5 to 0.7 seconds. These considerations allow developers to create satisfying visceral battles without being frustrated. To communicate the adrenaline of combat without reducing it to a blank victory.
Say that Echo of the end Relentlessness may be an understatement. This is an action-adventure game that barely tolerate mistakes and expects familiarity through well-performed second-second manipulation. It leaps long onto two platforms, but jumps accurately or falls into the infinite deep by below. Counterattacks with Parry, but only a second after finding the white glow of Terutale of the attack that cannot be blocked. You will break enemy shields by casting well-timed spells, but be careful of attacks behind you.
This may seem appetizing to players who enjoy punishing their tasks, but despite a promising start, the echo of the ending blew frustratingly insensitively. Set on a fantastic, Scandinavian-inspired continent, featuring mountain ranges, glacial landscapes and medieval stonework, the echo at the edge is littered with mechanical ruins of a long civilization. Ryn, an enemy born of so vast and immeasurable forces, crosses the ruins by exploiting her magical abilities.
Some of these ruins are simple environmental puzzles with platform elements, but some additional devices are original. Ryn takes Poresver, the so-called emic technology that is activated by her magic, and reconstructs collapsed walls and bridges. In later puzzles, these should be used in conjunction with the static skills that Ryn’s companion Abram has. Sometimes, Abram can use his skills to hold certain structures in place, but Ryn switches between different savers. In a later chapter, Ryn encounters more AMEM devices, each adding new wrinkles.
There is also prosperity in combat. You start with basics such as swinging your sword for a light attack or mastering the power of Ryn’s traces. Shifts are a spell that is particularly satisfying to cast, allowing enemies that are satisfying crunches to be thrown into another enemy. Ultimately, you’ll have access to a larger toolkit, such as checking for multiple light hits for attacks, or hitting swords that deal damage to enemies in the distance.
The first promotes intentional, unadorned combat. There are no inventory to manage, no potions to absorb, or weapons to upgrade. The fight becomes a lively, robust jant, and once it’s over, there are usually checkpoints to prepare for the next fight. However, these experiences end up getting sour.
Environmental puzzles are challenging, yet require maximum accuracy, and failure comes at the cost of health. Some walls can be climbed, but others cannot. The short obstacles that appear hiking can be instead surrounded by invisible walls. Combat also suffers from the same appetite for extreme rigor. The small windows for donation make dodge rolling an ideal strategy to avoid panmerization.
Still, the reward for successful parasitists is incredibly stingy. You do not deal any additional damage, but only recoil your enemies. There is some tactical diversity in your skills, but these rely heavily on a surprisingly scarce mana pool. You cast three spells in battle and your mana will be drained. you can You will replenish your mana by slashing enemies with a light attack, but doing so is painfully slow.
Then there is an enemy or a fierce attack. This can be interrupted by the enemy at any time and effectively block use unless absolutely necessary. Note that some encounters involve dodging at least five to seven enemies at once, from long-range shooters and spell casters to heavy armored pioneers. Even bosses are easier to manage when compared to these sequences. Because you are primarily fighting one-on-one and their attacks are largely predictable.
There are more complaints – how the enemy can embody behind you, or it will bring about a battle that begins with a third of your health already gone, with no tolerance of attacks even when you load the screen. Checkpoints will also become more and more different. At one point, I had to manage two long battles in a row.
But the worst is how your helplessness in combat doesn’t match the vastness of Ryn’s trace power. Her strength is said to be so overwhelming that she has to hold herself back, fearing unintentionally hurting her loved ones, like Elsa from Disney’s Frozen. Her struggle with her identity as a trace of Ryn is at odds with the reality of combat.
Despite the initial charm, the echo at the end ultimately exhausted me. The battle feels inconvenient and drags my numerous deaths into the length of torture. At the pinnacle of another fruitless, unfair battle, two archers came to me from the corner of the arena and shot a fire spell, and I had enough. The echo of the end trial is so merciless that it needs to be crushed almost at the end. It is shameful that this began with such a cohesive, thoughtful vision.