Echo Grotto

About

Echo Grotto is a single player action game. It was developed by Gaugepunk Games and was released on September 20, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

"Echo Grotto" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game set in a mysterious, abandoned cave system. Players must navigate the depths, solve intricate puzzles, and uncover the secrets of the grotto's past. With a unique art style and atmospheric soundtrack, the game offers a captivating and immersive experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Echo Grotto offers a relaxing and immersive cave exploration experience with beautifully designed, procedurally generated environments that encourage replayability.
The game features an excellent sound design that enhances the atmosphere, making players feel truly immersed in the cave's eerie ambiance.
The unique locomotion system, which involves throwing a teleporter, adds a fun and engaging layer to the exploration, allowing for creative navigation through the caves.

The controls can be finicky and unintuitive, leading to frustrating experiences with item interactions and movement, particularly with the grip button mechanics.
Many players have reported bugs, such as items falling through the floor, which can disrupt gameplay and hinder the exploration experience.
While the caves are randomly generated, the lack of variety in cave features and set pieces can lead to repetitive gameplay over time.

graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their stunning visuals and immersive environments, particularly in the cave settings, which evoke a sense of exploration reminiscent of Minecraft. While the low-poly style and dynamic lighting are effective, some reviewers feel that the textures and artwork could have benefited from more investment. Overall, the graphics are considered adequate, with options available to balance performance on lower-end hardware, allowing for a smooth experience even on less powerful systems.
- “The visuals rouse awe, and I find myself regularly staking out good vantage points to sit and get a good view to admire the caves from.”
- “An incredibly great game with stunning visuals and fascinating environments. 10/10.”
- “The caves are very pretty and the art style is perfect for it.”
- “It's a shame the textures and artwork didn't get more investment as I'm sure that would have added something that took it in the direction of jaw-dropping.”
- “The graphics are adequate (some of the vistas can be quite breathtaking), the sound is adequate, and the gameplay is simple.”
- “Although graphics options are available, most people won't need to touch them - I'm playing with a GTX 960, below the Vive recommended minimum, and on the highest graphics settings I only had performance issues in the largest caves!”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
10%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive sound design and visually striking environments, creating a spooky yet captivating exploration experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of lighting and attention to detail, which enhances the feeling of navigating through dark, eerie cave systems. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, appealing particularly to fans of exploration games.
- “A calm and atmospheric game with awesome sound design and intuitive controls.”
- “Overall, I think the atmosphere is great; the environments look cool and a little spooky in the limited light of your flashlight or glow stick, and for the most part, the controls are quite good.”
- “More auditory additions such as the chirping of crickets or the sloshing of eel-occupied water would do even more for the atmosphere and help telegraph the occasionally startling creatures.”
- “This really nails the atmosphere of a deep, utterly dark tunnel system of caves.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by leisurely exploration with mining and advancement mechanics, appealing to those seeking a non-threatening experience. While it offers a serene atmosphere and attention to detail, some players desire more challenge and replayability, suggesting tweaks for a smoother experience. Overall, the game balances simplicity with engaging mechanics, though some aspects, like throw mechanics, could use improvement.
- “You enjoy leisurely, non-threatening freeform exploration with a few mining and advancement mechanics.”
- “There's an amazing attention to detail in the game mechanics, and the atmosphere is just incredible.”
- “What this game doesn't have in the stunning graphics department, it more than makes up for in the gameplay element.”
- “Unless you have a lot of patience, I suggest the following configuration tweaks: for a less frustrating gameplay experience, turn off hand collisions and change the interaction mode to pointing.”
- “The graphics are adequate (some of the vistas can be quite breathtaking), the sound is adequate, and the gameplay is simple.”
- “I take issue with the current throw mechanics though.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's replayability is bolstered by its randomly generated caves and various scenario challenges, offering a fresh experience with each playthrough. However, some players note that the repetitive features can lead to boredom over time, suggesting that while the potential for replayability exists, it may be limited without additional content. Overall, it strikes a balance between a game and an experience, appealing to those seeking leisurely VR exploration.
- “Caves are randomly generated, so there's a lot of replayability.”
- “Plus the procedurally generated cave system and the assorted scenario challenges make it very replayable.”
- “Overall: halfway between game and experience, Echo Grotto is an enjoyable leisurely VR escape that could use more content for replayability.”
- “You're looking for something with a bit more gameplay and replayability than some of the readily available VR experiences, but that isn't too action-oriented.”
- “Because of this, you will soon start to recognize (and get bored of) certain features from previous cave runs, which heavily reduces replayability.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound design in the game are highly praised for their immersive quality, featuring subtle background music that enhances the atmosphere alongside realistic environmental sounds like dripping water and distant breezes. Players enjoy using the game's music as a backdrop while exploring, particularly in serene locations like crystal caverns.
- “The sound design is extremely well done, featuring dripping water and softly moaning breezes in the distance, with just the slightest hint of background music to add vague ambiance as you dive deeper into the dark.”
- “I highly suggest using this music in the background while playing.”
- “Personally, I just enjoy listening to music and wandering around the crystal caverns.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game offers a range of graphics options, but most players can enjoy it on high settings without significant performance issues, even on lower-end hardware like the GTX 960. While some performance dips occur in larger areas, the overall optimization is commendable, allowing for a good balance between visual quality and performance.
- “Graphics are very nice, and there are options to balance performance vs graphics.”
- “Although graphics options are available, most people won't need to touch them - I'm playing with a GTX 960, below the Vive recommended minimum, and on the highest graphics settings I only had performance issues in the largest caves!”
- “The game is poorly optimized; even on high-end hardware, I experience frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Despite having a powerful setup, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it frustrating to play.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the variety of locomotive options available, which helps alleviate the tedium often associated with grinding in the game, making the experience more enjoyable for those who prefer a faster pace.
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which really kills the enjoyment.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is considered a hidden gem in the VR space, though it does have some bugs that affect stability.
- “A bit buggy, but it's one of the VR hidden gems, really.”