Echo of the Wilds
- June 10, 2014
- caiys
Get on Steam"Echo of the Wilds" is a top-down, open-world survival adventure game. Explore a mystical forest, gather resources, and craft tools to survive while uncovering the secrets of the land. Fight or avoid dangerous creatures, adapt to changing seasons, and make decisions that impact the world around you.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Echo of the Wilds combines nostalgic 90s point-and-click elements with modern survival mechanics, creating a unique and engaging experience.
- The game features beautiful pixel art, a haunting atmosphere, and excellent attention to detail, making it visually appealing.
- Puzzles are creatively designed and require outside-the-box thinking, providing a satisfying challenge for players.
- The dialogue can be overly simplistic and annoying, detracting from the overall experience and pacing of the game.
- Inventory management is frustrating due to limited slots and the mechanics of item usage, leading to tedious gameplay.
- The survival mechanics can feel punishing and unbalanced, making it difficult for players to progress without extensive trial and error.
- story40 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing and thought-provoking, with a mix of surreal elements and minor horror aspects that enhance the atmosphere. While some players find the narrative vague or difficult to engage with due to survival mechanics, others appreciate its depth and the way it intertwines with gameplay, making it a captivating experience overall. The beautiful pixel art and music further complement the unique storytelling, although the pacing can sometimes hinder players from fully exploring the narrative.
“The story is compelling and strange, the music is mysterious and quite fitting, and the graphics are beautifully done.”
“Very fascinating premise and great gameplay, with deep story experience.”
“The story is interesting and, I dare say, thought-provoking.”
“The story is very vague and didn't seem to build up to anything, but maybe I'll feel differently after digesting it.”
“There was nothing in the story or gameplay to make it worth the effort.”
“The beginning can be a bit frustrating while you figure out what you need to do to survive, which can become the main focus and prevent you from pursuing the storyline.”
- gameplay31 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of nostalgic 90s point-and-click mechanics and modern survival elements, featuring exploration and seasonal progression that adds a time constraint. While the game offers a compelling narrative and beautiful pixel art, players may find the mechanics counterintuitive and lacking in clear guidance, leading to a challenging yet rewarding experience. Overall, it encourages exploration and experimentation, though some may find the survival aspects frustrating and the loading times excessive.
“Wonderful little game that gives the nostalgic feeling of 90s point-and-clicks combined with gradual progression through modern survival mechanics.”
“The gameplay involves juggling straightforward survival-craft mechanics with exploration, with season progression creating a bit of a time-crunch.”
“The tutorial and early game guide you through the basic mechanics, but there's way more to this than it first seems on the surface.”
“It's placid to the point of being unaffecting, and the mechanics are obtuse.”
“For starters, the gameplay mechanics are counterintuitive.”
“You spend way too much time looking at load screens for the amount of gameplay in any given area.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are generally praised for their beautiful and unique aesthetic, featuring detailed environments and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience. While some players appreciate the pixelated visuals and find them hauntingly beautiful, others criticize them for being too simplistic or rough around the edges. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on their execution.
“The atmosphere, visuals, and music are all excellent.”
“Beautiful graphics and music, and a very interesting story.”
“The art style and music combined with the very surreal and bizarre world make for a very unique and compelling experience.”
“The graphics are too pixelated.”
“I wouldn't recommend this game unless you're British and you like crude, smeary graphics and hard-to-read fonts.”
“Imagine playing an old adventure game like King's Quest, except with annoying and unnecessary visuals while transitioning between areas.”
- music14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a mix of relaxing and mysterious tones. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement the beautiful graphics and surreal world, creating a unique and compelling ambiance. While some note that the music is primarily ambient, it effectively contributes to the game's emotional depth and engagement.
“The atmosphere, visuals, and music are all excellent.”
“Nice, relaxing music throughout, harrowing when it should be, and the environmental sounds tickle your ears.”
“The story is compelling and strange, the music is mysterious and quite fitting, and the graphics are beautifully done.”
“Any game without music is really bland and gets boring quickly; this game's music is mysterious.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its excellent visuals, stunning art design, and immersive music, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of crafting, survival, and puzzle-solving elements, all set within a captivating narrative. The sound effects further contribute to the game's rich atmosphere, making it a memorable experience.
“The atmosphere, visuals, and music are all excellent.”
“Mixes crafting, survival, puzzle solving, and great atmosphere and storytelling.”
“This game has stunning art design (a bit odd, but really beautiful), atmospheric music, and an interesting concept.”
- humor6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate its unique and oddball style, finding it genuinely funny and enjoyable, others find it forced and annoying, particularly criticizing the use of childish language in character monologues. Overall, the humor appeals to those who enjoy quirky storytelling and obscure puzzles, but may not resonate with everyone.
“Also, the writing is unique and funny to read.”
“This game is fantastic if you like obscure puzzles, a certain type of oddball humor, and exploration.”
“An enjoyable premise and quite pretty with some surprisingly funny moments.”
“It felt forced and unfunny.”
“The jokes fell flat and lacked originality.”
“I found the humor to be cringeworthy and not at all entertaining.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and punishing, particularly when having to repeat steps after dying. While some suggest that there may be more efficient strategies to gather resources, the overall sentiment leans towards the experience being overly repetitive and less enjoyable.
“There was a pleasant, fun, short game in here somewhere, that got buried in totally tedious, punishing, and un-fun repetition.”
“I wish the inventory was a little bit more forgiving, especially once you die and have to repeat the same steps again as it gets a bit tedious.”
“It may feel grindy at times, but perhaps instead of grinding there is a more efficient way to get resources; thus, it is another puzzle waiting to be solved.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its linear structure, but it provides a rewarding experience for those interested in survival and personal growth. However, players who enjoy competing for high scores may find significant replay value.
“High replay value if you are the type of person who likes to beat your own score.”
“The game offers a unique experience each time, encouraging players to explore different strategies and outcomes.”
“The game is somewhat linear, so there's not too much replayability, but it's worth it for the survival, mental, and spiritual adventure.”
