Echo Generation

About

"Echo Generation is a turn-based adventure game with a 90s setting, featuring a heartwarming story about the supernatural and small-town life. Explore Maple Town, battle monsters, complete quests, and uncover secrets with the help of adorable pet companions. Collect comic books to unlock minigames, skills, and stat boosts."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

story6 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Charming aesthetic with fantastic visuals, art style, and soundtrack that evoke a nostalgic 80s-90s vibe.
Engaging turn-based combat that incorporates mini-games, keeping players focused and entertained.
A lighthearted and enjoyable story that doesn't overstay its welcome, making it perfect for casual gamers.

Lacks depth in combat and overall gameplay, with many fetch quests and minimal challenge.
Some quests can be frustratingly vague, requiring excessive backtracking and pixel hunting for items.
Short playtime and limited replayability, leading to concerns about the game's value at full price.

story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The story of the game is a charming coming-of-age narrative set in the mid-1990s, featuring memorable characters and a creative premise, though it is criticized for its brevity and some underdeveloped plot points. While the writing is entertaining and the pacing brisk, players occasionally find themselves lost due to quest design that requires extensive exploration. Overall, the story is enjoyable but leaves some players wishing for a deeper exploration of its themes and characters.
- “The story is easy to follow, and the mid-1990s setting is an absolute vibe.”
- “Great soundtrack, memorable characters/NPCs, and a creative, interesting story are the highlights here.”
- “Finally released on PC after 2 years since its initial release on Xbox, Echo Generation: Midnight Edition is a short but solid turn-based game featuring an endearing story, likable characters, fantastic visuals, and a memorable pixel art style.”
- “While you do have a journal to assist with quests, I did occasionally find myself running laps around the world in order to try to figure out how to advance the story.”
- “The story feels like it pulled its punches too much, spent too much time with inconsequential characters, but not enough time with the characters that impact the narrative.”
- “Another simple coming-of-age story that doesn't overstay its welcome.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique aesthetic, featuring excellent art styles, character designs, and a blend of pixel and voxel art. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout aspect, noting their charm and the game's ability to convey a strong artistic vision over cutting-edge technology. While some desire more interactivity within the environments, the overall consensus is that the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Finally released on PC after 2 years since its initial release on Xbox, Echo Generation: Midnight Edition is a short but solid turn-based game featuring an endearing story, likable characters, fantastic visuals, and a memorable pixel art style.”
- “Proves that cutting edge graphics are secondary to a strong aesthetic vision.”
- “It's definitely an acquired taste, but personally, I think the art style, soundtrack, and animations are all fantastically done.”
- “Art style, graphics, character designs, pixel art, voxel art, everything about its visuals are excellent.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
38%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and memorability, enhancing the overall experience with enjoyable battle themes and a charming soundtrack. While some players noted a lack of music in certain areas, the creative and engaging compositions contribute significantly to the game's aesthetic and atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, complementing the art style and gameplay effectively.
- “The music was amazing; I had the volume up the whole time.”
- “The music was enjoyable, particularly the battle themes.”
- “The music is fantastic and the vibes are immaculate.”
- “There's also a lack of music in some areas, which is strange, and later in the game, near the end, the puzzles and objectives become very obscure and difficult to find.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and fails to enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “Music tracks are often too short and loop too frequently, making the experience feel monotonous.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Gameplay is characterized by RPG mechanics that simplify challenges through level-ups and powerful attacks, which some players find detracts from the overall experience. While enjoyable for some, the slow pace and lack of challenge may not appeal to everyone, suggesting a need for refinement in the mechanics.
- “I did enjoy it, and I would absolutely return if I ever had the patience for some really slow gameplay that isn't aiming to be challenging at all.”
- “The RPG mechanics further emphasize this by de-escalating threats that thematically and visually should be imposing or impossible, but are simply resolved with level ups and finding overpowered attacks in the world.”
- “All of this and the RPG mechanics are not even worth the squeeze.”
- “Yeah, it could do with some tightening up of the mechanics.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
While the game's visuals, including character designs and art style, are highly praised, reviewers feel that the final act lacks sufficient exposition and character development, which could have enhanced its emotional impact.
- “The character design of the game is fantastic, and the bosses are especially stunning.”
- “The final act would have been more impactful with a little more exposition and character development.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mix of charm and tedium, with some enjoying the quirky humor of farming enemies like raccoons for experience points. While the RPG features old-school progression elements, the combat is simple enough that grinding feels unnecessary for some players. Overall, the experience is described as both nostalgic and grindy, appealing to those who appreciate a blend of humor and classic RPG mechanics.
- “There was obviously some charm in times like farming the gang of raccoons until they told me they wouldn't fight anymore since kicking their butts had turned them into pacifists, which I found quite silly and interesting as I was using them to farm experience.”
- “Charming albeit grindy RPG with some old school PC adventure item-based progression... almost had an Earthbound/Stranger Things/Twin Peaks vibe.”
- “The fighting is not complicated and there isn't any need for grinding.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking depth, with users noting a significant presence of advertisements that detract from the overall experience.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark comedy and absurdity, with the two main characters portrayed as amusingly manipulative. The juxtaposition of serious elements like the FBI and NSA with over-the-top scenarios involving mechanized robots and armed soldiers adds to the comedic effect.
- “The comedy was funny as well; the two main characters definitely feel like evil manipulators, which is awesome.”
- “FBI, NSA, with mechanized robots and fully armed, highly trained soldiers is quite funny to me.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers limited replayability, with a playtime of only about 7 hours, leading some users to suggest purchasing it on sale rather than at full price.
- “As it's only 7 hours long with very little replayability, I recommend buying it on sale.”
- “The game lacks the depth needed to encourage multiple playthroughs.”
- “Once you finish the story, there's not much incentive to go back.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game performs well on the Steam Deck when the frame rate is locked at 60 FPS, ensuring stable performance. However, without the frame rate cap, users report increased noise and rapid heating of the device.
- “Great game for Steam Deck with stable performance if FPS is locked at 60. Without the lock, the device can become quite loud and heat up quickly.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game effectively captures a vibrant 1980s atmosphere, filled with numerous nostalgic references that enhance the overall experience.
- “One really great thing about this game is the 1980s atmosphere with a lot of references.”
- “The immersive atmosphere truly transports you to another world, making every moment feel alive.”
- “The haunting soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a generally stable experience with minimal bugs or glitches, indicating that the game runs smoothly for most players. However, a few isolated incidents of minor issues have been noted, but they do not significantly detract from gameplay.