ECHO
Developer(s)Ultra Ultra
Publisher(s)Ultra Ultra
Platform(s)PlayStation 4, Windows
Release19 September 2017
Genre(s)Action, stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Echo is a stealth video game released on 19 September 2017. It was developed and published by Danish indie studio Ultra Ultra. The game takes place in a planetwide palace that creates echoes of the player and teaches them the actions of the player. The game was not a financial success, and was the only game released by Ultra Ultra before it shut down.

Plot

Echo is a science fiction story in a future where advanced technology has been used to colonize distant planets. Most societies are governed by advanced artificial intelligences. En is a woman from a "Resourceful" group of genetically modified humans. Her AI companion London pilots her ship, and frequently argues with her because she was involved in a violent incident that led to the death of his former human partner Foster.

London wakes En from a decades-long cryogenic stasis when they arrive at a planet whose coordinates she obtained from the now-deceased Foster. The planet is densely packed with repetitive structures, which London believes was built by an automated self-replicating colonization probe.

The structures appear to be uninhabited when En begins exploring the planet. She calls the planet a "Palace" because of its ornate and spacious appearance and claims to recognize many of the Palace's structures and concepts from her Resourceful upbringing. She discusses this with London over her radio, and London is skeptical that the Palace is anything more deliberate than a malfunctioning artificial intelligence. After a short time, the structure begins to create violent, mindless clones of En which she dubs "Echoes."

Reception

Echo received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[1][2]

Echo won four major awards at "Spilprisen 2018", the Danish Game Awards - Best Visual Design, Best Sound, Best Technical achievement, and Game of the Year [3]

The game was nominated for "Best Art Direction (Games)" at the 2018 Webby Awards, and the Excellence in Visual Art award at the 2018 Independent Games Festival.[4][5]

Film adaptation

In May 2019, a film adaptation was reported to be in development.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "ECHO Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "ECHO Critic Reviews for Playstation 4". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  3. ^ "ECHO wins GOTY at the Danish Game Awards 2018!". Steam. Ultra Ultra (24 April 2018). 24 April 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  4. ^ Durkan, Deirdre (3 April 2018). "Webby Awards: Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  5. ^ Joel Couture (2 March 2018). "Road to the IGF: ULTRA ULTRA's Echo". Gamasutra. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  6. ^ Vikki Blake (9 May 2019). "Echo developer Ultra Ultra shuts down". MCV. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
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