A cosy nod to classical gaming
As a gamer, like millions of others, my gaming roots come from classics such as Pokemon Red and Super Mario Bros. Playing Echo Isle on the PC managed to give me that same nostalgic feel as when I replay those but while simultaneously provisioning a new experience. While short, the experience given is immersive and entertaining, a mixture of cosy art, nostalgic music and simple combat making an overall relaxing gaming session.
Story & World
In Echo Isle you fall from the sky to an Island that was once protected from monsters by the light of a lighthouse, a gift from the gods. However the Island’s light has faded and you are tasked with restoring this. To do this you must gather abilities and treasures to beat dungeons and find what you need to restore the lighthouse. While on this journey you meet the Islanders, ranging from villagers to gurus all while learning more about the history of the Island and the Gods that once dwelled there, all adding to the overall story and experience.
The narrative is a simple one that is timeless, finding the treasures scattered around the world to save the day. While doing this you are introduced to the world, meeting unique characters and discovering the lore of the world, even with all of this the pacing is ideal and writing not overcomplicated which would take from the simplicity that makes this game enjoyable.
Combat & Gameplay
The gameplay itself reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures from the Gamecube, this top down adventure has you exploring the Island and its dungeons, meeting various types of enemies, traversing unique terrains and solving puzzles in order to gather the four Echo Stones and restore power to the lighthouse.
The combat is smooth and to the point, move and swing your sword, with a couple of extra abilities such as bombs thrown in, where modern games throw status effects, combo attacks and ultimate abilities at you this is the most clear nod to the classic, back when you could play a game with 4 to 5 buttons maximum. The only aspect of the combat I disliked was how it worked with the movement, you can move up down and diagonally but only attack horizontal and vertical. This created a rift between moving and combat that took a little adjustment to get used to once I was aware of it but it wasn’t significant enough to take from the experience.
As mentioned, the gameplay was relaxing and simple which really allowed me to take in the style and music but I do wish that the game was a bit more difficult or punishing. The player character is much smoother in combat and movement than in classic games but the enemies on the island felt more clunky and easy to avoid. And if they somehow manage to defeat you there was a check-point to go back to within the last 5 minutes of playtime or you can revive to full health ton the spot. To summarise this point the game doesn’t provide a real challenge combatwise which could make the experience more enjoyable and last longer as I finished this game in about an hour.
Progression (Spoilers Ahead)
While exploring the world you unlock different items and abilities which help you reach areas previously inaccessible such as bombs to clear rocks blocking a path or the ability to swim through water. Not only were these fun to use but they also allowed the game to make use of a much smaller map while still having an abundance of different locations as these traversal requirements stopped the map from feeling too overcrowded. I do believe there were missed opportunities with these abilities as they were rarely required beyond traversal. Including them in the combat such as enemies that can only be destroyed with bombs could have helped with the difficulty issues mentioned earlier. As well as unlocking abilities a feature that I found very satisfying was that you were rewarded for exploring and could unlock an upgraded version of the sword in the game which seemed to deal double the damage, this added a bit of mystery as you would discover gems that had no explained use and you also got the satisfaction of the discovery in the end.
Art Style & Sound
One of the first features of the game that caught my attention was the style, even the logo itself had a charm to it that made it stand out to me and then when you press start you’re greeted by a cheery tune that feels familiar. As well as this the actual game itself looks amazing, I can see the inspiration from classic handhelds mentioned in the games description but I also feel the personality of the designer and more modern influences as well which makes it stand out so much more to me.
Value & Verdict
One thing to consider before buying is replayability which is important when considering making a purchase. Personally I would say that this game is perfect for a single playthrough which is represented in the amazing price of £3.99. I also didn’t encounter any bugs or crashes across my playthrough. Echo Isle has an interesting story and relaxing gameplay but all of this can be experienced in a single playthrough .
Overall I am scoring this game a 7/10 as I genuinely had a fun time playing it, I have been critical of certain aspects of combat/missed opportunities but this game delivered exactly what I expected when watching the trailer, it is a nod to the classics while still providing a new experience. The art style and music were entertaining and lively and the story gripped my attention, providing lore and details without making it too complicated which would easily take away from the simplicity that makes Echo Isle enjoyable. If you want a cozy Zelda-esque game for only £4 I 100% recommend Echo Isle.
