Walking out of the player character’s house at the beginning of Echo Generation was a memorable experience. Chaotic streets with pesky, talking raccoons, a dog who craves human bones, a nice grandma that gives you and your sister a full heal item in the form of cookies—this sort of immediate silliness is exactly what I want out of the RPGs of its ilk.
The atmosphere is heightened by what I can only describe as the best voxel art I have seen in a video game. From the incredibly soothing lighting and detailed shadows to the varied character and enemy models, it seems like a perfect execution of a style that I typically bounce off of due to a generally nondescript look. I think the amount of mechanical and horror-core enemies greatly helped with that. Simply put: I was enchanted.
Ultimately, that feeling is the reason I think Echo Generation is worth recommending. Humor and horror mix in unexpected ways, replicating the vibe of several classics, and the combat does mimic my personal favorites, but these and other aspects lack the necessary impact, nearly turning this beauty of a game into a forgettable, run-of-the-mill experience. Thankfully, at around eight hours for a full completion, they do not overstay their welcome.
Echo Generation often tests the limits of “how little flavor can a text have for it to still be worth adding.” With relatively small, tight areas, the few items chosen as interactables for the characters to inspect, be that trash cans, bikes, or notes, about half of the time have the protagonist (chosen from a selection of presets), their sister, and a selection of pets express the most basic, non-charismatic observations imaginable. Seeing a character say “The candle really brightens this place up” is deeply unsatisfying.
Though I would typically appreciate a simple story like the one here, with the kids trying to rescue their father through alien-related shenanigans, and its unabashed inclusion of horror and death, I think this kind of writing drags it down. A few attempts at humor stick with me most, whereas the characters and the adventure game “connect the dots to know which item elsewhere to use” style puzzles that progress the plot lack any sort of standout qualities.
At best, they are an unobtrusive incentive for progress through different locations. At worst, they cause a groan or an eye-roll. The majority of quests consist of running back and forth through locations, trying to find an item or an interactable that will progress a given area. Any sort of rewarding payoff for performing these fetch quests is missing, but they are less of a hassle in this Midnight Edition version due to the beautiful location and newly added fast travel system. I can see why it was a highly requested feature for the original 2021 release.
Combat, which uses my favorite turn-based system with action commands, got a bit of an overhaul as well, introducing status ailments. These fail to impress, damage numbers are so big that anything aside from the stun leaves little to no impact. They never felt necessary, especially given the fact that the bosses are well-balanced as is. In my time playing, the majority of the more difficult encounters ended with only one of the three party members still kicking. I had to use consumable items often and think about the best way to shape characters (each level allows for one upgrade to either health, strength or skill points). I even lost a battle once or twice early on, which rarely happens in these kinds of games.
Performing attacks is enjoyable, though visually they feel basic and are missing an oomph. The best ones utilize freeze frames, mimicking the comic books used for learning new moves. As if a still from a panel, characters will jump in the air or otherwise prepare to deal damage while waiting for the player to execute the necessary commands. Overall, I would say the fights add a good bit of fun and variety to the flow, especially with how impressive the boss designs are, but become formulaic despite how little time is spent on them.
I would always look forward to seeing a new location or enemy, but I cannot help but feel disappointed by how little emotion I squeezed out of Echo Generation. I have my issues with the straightforward dialogue, the routine of combat and fetch quests, or a lack of substantial story twists, but it does not feel like a lot is missing here for it to become a cult classic. Unfortunately, this is likely as much as we will ever get considering that this is already an enhanced edition, unless the team over at Cococucumber decides to give the concept another go in the future with a brand-new game.
What I got is still the kind of a short experience that, were I younger and had fewer games to play, I would nevertheless replay to death. It has the kind of world structure and presentation that would keep me coming back. Even now, Echo Generation: Midnight Edition is something I can confidently say is worth checking out—an imperfect, imagination-spurring, homely, and nostalgic trip that undoubtedly leaves a strong impression.
Mateusz played Echo Generation: Midnight Edition on PC with a review code.
