![]() Most if not all attacks would only deal somewhere between 30% to 50% of the potential damage on failure. While this isnt inherently a bad idea, it was sullied by a combination of finicky and hard to complete micro-games and a painfully harsh punishment for failure. When an enemy attacks, the player has to press the button at the right moment to reduce incoming damage. Successfully performing the mini-game would deal full damage, while failing it will result in reduced damage. This can be a rapid button, press, pressing a button at the right moment, or performing a DDR style combo of buttons. Whenever a character attacks, the attack of choice comes with a special micro-game to play. The first and most frustrating issue was with the combats QTE (quick time event) component. From narrative decisions to mechanical features, nearly everything else either lacked depth, clarify, or a sense a refinement necessary for them to be enjoyable. And unfortunately, it doesnt get much better from there. Good beats and pretty graphics arent enough to make a good RPG, however. Its only flaw was that a few cassette tapes loop in a somewhat awkward way, but that didnt kill the mood enough to stop it from being one of my more highly revered aspects of the game. Vaporwave-esque tracks set the cinematic vibes while casual chiptunes pay homage to the retro RPGs to gaming culture of that era. Each different environment has the right music for the mood. The various tracks that play effectively represent both the 80s-like setting and the retro RPG style it takes inspiration from. ![]() This can be best seen in places like the Graveyard and the forest path leading back to the suburbs. Neon light cast color all around them, sunbeams shown down from above, The lighting breathed a level of life to the world. High-quality lights and shadows help give each area a level of atmospheric life that wouldnt have been possible on a more faithful design. While seemingly in contrast to the retro aesthetic of the game, each area makes the most of the lighting. Each one made the most of the Unity Engines lighting system, as well. Theres an enjoyable diversity to all of the places youll encounter. The player will encounter bright sunny suburbs, dark foggy forests, and luminous graveyards. ![]() Special attention should also be given to different environments the player will encounter, and the lighting system used in each. They ensured that everything could still be seen and understood cleanly. But when detail is important, like on complicated items, signs, or text, the resolution would shrink. Larger, less detailed items like ladders or walls will be rather low res, using a small number of voxels to represent it. The resolution of objects would vary based on that specific object's needs. Far too often, a game will remain firm to the rules of a graphical look, even to the point of hindering the total potential for quality. One thing the developers did, however, was not stay too true to that style. Im talking about the art style.Īlmost everything is made of voxels (like pixels but 3D), giving it a retro, low poly style. Itll be the first thing you see, actually. It doesnt take long to see the best that Echo Generation has to offer. Unfortunately, the longer I played, the less enjoyable the game became. It felt like the start of a Steven Speilburg film and I was ready for it. They let players ease into the games mechanics, such as combat, in a gentle but not boring pace. The well-crafted graphical style and perfectly thematic music do a great job of setting the stage for what kind of world youre in. The game makes a fantastic first impression. Similar to what was popularized in games like Super Mario RPG, successfully performing these attacks grants the player the full potential of an attack. A turn-based RPG, one of the bigger draws to the game is the quick-time-event style attacks. Throughout their efforts, they fight a variety of enemies, talk with friends, and use various items theyve acquired to solve clues and make progress. And in doing so, they discover strange and secret events. The games protagonist, a 14-year-old kid living in what looks like the American 80s, takes their little sister out to occupy time. And while Echo Generation has all of that, its not exactly put together right.Įcho Generation is an RPG adventure game by Cococucumber, an indie game studio in Canada. Even more so when their exploration leads them toward extraterrestrial life, supernatural discoveries, and the truth behind their father. Theres nothing quite as classic as a story where a couple of kids go on an adventure.
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