Eschaton
- November 3, 2022
- jabuga
Get on Steam"Eschaton" is a single-player action game set in the Scottish Highlands, featuring impressive visuals and a dense atmosphere. You'll explore surreal environments, interact with strange beings, and uncover a conspiricy in a journey inspired by 90's low-poly style. The game utilizes experimental audio techniques for a unique experience until midnight.
Reviews
- The game features great soundscapes and immersive audio design that enhances the overall atmosphere.
- The graphics are visually appealing, with a unique PS1-style aesthetic that adds to the game's charm.
- Eschaton offers an interesting and surreal story experience, despite its short runtime, making it a compelling walking simulator.
- The game is very short, with a playtime of around 20-30 minutes, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- The narrative can be confusing and lacks clarity, making it difficult for players to fully understand the story.
- There are minimal gameplay elements, with only one trivial puzzle and a linear exploration that may not satisfy those looking for more interactive experiences.
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 81 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, often described as "cozy horror" that effectively creates a sense of unease without relying on jump scares. Players appreciate the strong visual design and soundscapes that enhance the experience, making it feel both intriguing and haunting. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as the game's most compelling feature, drawing players into its surreal and mysterious world.
“The atmosphere is thick and charged, but there are no cheap jump scares to disrupt your experience.”
“I personally feel that this game atmospherically is what I would describe as 'cozy horror', a complete contradiction but one that’s accurate here nonetheless.”
“Eschaton is a short, surreal, atmospheric walking simulator that nails the uneasy feeling of once-occupied-but-now-empty spaces.”
“Despite the eerie atmosphere and blood, there isn't really any horror here.”
“I love the atmosphere, but that's all this game has going for it.”
“There are a couple of light puzzle elements, but other than that the game is a pure walking sim; the atmosphere is thick and charged but there are no cheap jump scares to disrupt your experience.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their retro, pixelated aesthetic reminiscent of the PS1 era, creating a moody and atmospheric experience. Reviewers appreciate the chunky, grainy visuals, vibrant colors, and effective use of lighting effects, which enhance the game's eerie yet engaging ambiance. Overall, the unique art style and striking visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive quality, making it a must-play for fans of retro graphics.
“The PSX graphics look great; everything is grainy and moody and chunky with some very nice rain and magical lighting effects.”
“I love the crunchy pixelated art style of the game and the vibrant colors that it pushes out there along with the strangely comfortable yet spooky ambience that the game provides.”
“Amazing atmosphere and visuals, with some fascinating and thought-provoking themes and ideas.”
“The graphics are heavily pixellated.”
“Outside of the visuals and the immersion it briefly crafts, there isn't much to this.”
“Features some haunting visuals, audio and music.”
- story16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The story is a short, intriguing blend of horror and mystery, heavily influenced by occult themes and pagan deities, though many players find it confusing and lacking in depth. While the atmosphere and sound design are praised, the narrative often feels disjointed and incomplete, leaving players to piece together their own interpretations. Overall, the story has potential but could benefit from further development to enhance clarity and engagement.
“Great soundscapes, interesting story for how short it is.”
“Very cool short form horror mystery story.”
“It's a compelling short story, give it a go!”
“The story is fairly incomprehensible; there are some obvious influences, and I think I get the gist, but man it doesn't tell you much.”
“The story largely goes nowhere as you simply spend 10-20 minutes walking up to 4 different deities, clicking on them, hearing the abstract musings they have to say in the form of a few sentences, and then return to the starting area to piece together one simplistic puzzle which consists of putting a six-syllable phrase in order.”
“It tells no story, but rather gives you some random elements to make up your own, and concludes it.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally considered minimal, with some players noting that it lacks depth and can be completed quickly, often leading to feelings of it being overpriced. However, the mechanics and sound design are praised for their creativity, and the game offers an interesting atmosphere and unique boundary-breaking elements that enhance the experience.
“I am absolutely still recommending this game, because the mechanics were neat and the sound design was very good.”
“Very interesting and atmospheric, and some interesting boundary break mechanics involved for getting to see additional weirdness.”
“With a better story or gameplay, though, this could easily be a great game.”
“The game itself is kind of a mixed bag; there's not a lot of actual gameplay to it, with two playthroughs taking me about half an hour. I spent almost as much time trying to figure out how to make it display properly on my ultrawide monitor.”
“There's hardly any gameplay.”
“Even as someone who can enjoy a brief walking sim with minimal gameplay, I found this to be overpriced with minimal payoff.”
- music5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a limited but impactful soundtrack, including a main menu theme, ominous walking music, and a distorted Irish drinking song, all contributing to the atmosphere. The standout track is a choral piece that plays during a climactic moment, enhancing the emotional experience. Overall, the audio elements are described as haunting, complementing the game's visuals effectively.
“Soundtrack wise, there’s a little bit in there like the main menu theme, a bit of ominous walking music, and what sounds like an Irish drinking song on the radio, but crunched up with static and dialed to 11 in volume; however, the best track is that chorus singing at the end as you ascend to the sky.”
“Soundtrack wise there’s a little bit in there like the main menu theme, a bit of ominous walking music and what sounds like an Irish drinking song on the radio but crunched up with static and dialed to 11 in volume; however, the best track is that chorus singing at the end as you ascend to the sky.”
“I suppose the focus is on the sound and music, but... I dunno.”
“Features some haunting visuals, audio, and music.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by clever supernatural references and amusing sound effects, particularly when interacting with locked doors. Players appreciate the blend of a spooky atmosphere with lighthearted moments, such as a humorous owl segment, enhancing the overall experience. The quirky sound design adds to the comedic elements, making it an enjoyable aspect of gameplay.
“If you've got even a passing interest in supernatural funny business, you'll recognize a lot of references while playing.”
“I love the crunchy pixelated art style of the game and the vibrant colors that it pushes out there along with the strangely comfortable yet spooky ambience that the game provides (though that owl segment was actually kinda funny).”
“The sound design for eschaton is solid between the downfall of heavy rain, the television and radio static (which was apparently influenced by the CIA’s gateway program and sounds like gibberish?) for the most part though one funny sound tidbit is the ability to stack pounding sound effects when trying to open up locked doors.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed emotional response to the game, with some players feeling it lacks depth and fails to provide a meaningful emotional journey, while others appreciate the intellectual engagement with themes like Kabbalah. Overall, the emotional impact seems limited, leading to dissatisfaction for some and a sense of accomplishment for others.
“I ended up refunding because even on sale, I couldn't justify keeping a game that has nothing to offer, be it entertainment value or a short emotional journey.”
“Also, I understood the Kabbalah references and it made me feel oh so smart, so clap clap clap.”
“Wholesome 100”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted to be inconsistent, with some players experiencing good performance and no bugs, while others find it lacking, particularly in a low-poly walking simulator context. Overall, the performance varies significantly among users.
“I didn't encounter any bugs in my playthrough, and the performance wasn't bad.”
“Very short, weird, low-poly walking simulator with surprisingly inconsistent performance.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making the experience frustrating.”
“Optimization feels rushed, leading to frequent stutters and long loading times.”
