Echo Generation is a voxel-style turn-based RPG where a pair of siblings investigate supernatural events, sketchy adults, and alien creatures – all within a small town (think Stranger Things meets Earthbound). Though there are some pacing issues to progress the story, the active turn-based combat and beautiful visuals manages to create a fun experience.
The game starts off pretty quickly, allowing players to start exploring the small neighborhood where the protagonist lives and some shady government officials are snooping around. Eventually, several plot lines begin to emerge and the sci-fi and supernatural story elements begin to take center stage. The overarching story and side quests were fun to explore, but trekking back and forth between areas became cumbersome (and a bit tiresome). I wish there was a fast travel to various locations to help hasten the pacing, but the beautiful environments dulled the pain a bit.
In addition to the beautiful environments and variety of stories, the active turn-based combat was a nice touchstone to keep players active. Playing as the protagonist and their sister, you’re accompanied by a third changeable character that you can unlock throughout the game. Each character has some unique abilities and attributes that can benefit you based on your play styles. However, these abilities are mostly found around the world, further emphasizing exploration and puzzle-solving. So if you’re not big into exploring every nook and cranny and solving some tricky problems, you might find combat a little more frustrating than intended. By the end of the game, Echo Generations felt like a boss rush – which was awesome since so many of the larger fights were real treats.
Echo Generation is a good 15-hour adventure where the comedic writing is top notch and the dynamic turn-based combat is super engaging. Though there’s quite a bit of backtracking and abstract puzzles, the entire experience is worth your time.
Game provided by publisher.
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A version of this review is also posted on Six One Indie.
Middle Of Nowhere Gaming 