Pale Echoes

About

In "Pale Echoes," players explore a mysterious world filled with puzzles and decaying remnants of civilizations. As they journey through this surreal landscape, they must uncover the truth behind the apocalypse that destroyed humanity. With its unique narrative and atmospheric visuals, Pale Echoes offers a hauntingly beautiful experience that challenges the mind and stirs the soul.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

story22 positive mentions

Pale Echoes features a unique and engaging puzzle-like combat system that requires strategic thinking and planning, making each encounter feel fresh and challenging.
The game has a captivating post-apocalyptic setting with rich worldbuilding and a thought-provoking story that unfolds through the collection of memories.
It offers a short but satisfying gameplay experience, with replayability through bonus modes and collectibles, making it accessible for players looking for a quick yet meaningful adventure.

The game is relatively short, with some players feeling it lacks depth in its story and character development, leaving them wanting more.
Combat can become repetitive as many memories have similar abilities, which may lead to a lack of distinctiveness in gameplay as the game progresses.
Technical issues such as limited resolution options and control bindings can detract from the overall experience, making navigation less user-friendly.

story
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The story of "Pale Echoes" is generally regarded as solid and engaging, with memorable characters and a thought-provoking narrative centered around themes of apocalypse and human response to impending doom. While some players appreciate its simplicity and the unique storytelling through flashbacks, others feel it lacks depth and detail, resulting in a somewhat rushed experience. Overall, it offers a charming and immersive world, appealing particularly to those who enjoy lore-driven games, despite some critiques regarding its brevity and structure.
- “Pale Echoes has a good story with a few score characters, centered around the concept of apocalypse - specifically, how people respond to impending doom and what, if anything, they feel after.”
- “The story was interesting enough to keep me hooked, and the lexicon entries which contained extra lore made for an interesting read.”
- “By far, I would say the reason to play Pale Echoes is the ambient environment and story.”
- “The story is where the game really falls down for me.”
- “I like games about restoring a world, but the story structure here is lacking something.”
- “Not enough detail in the story, not enough background, and I finished it with almost 100% in 3 hours.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The gameplay in "Pale Echoes" features a unique core loop that combines engaging environmental and combat puzzles within a linear structure, complemented by a thought-provoking story and immersive setting. The game is praised for its good flow and concise length, avoiding the fatigue often associated with longer titles, while also offering a casual, visually and aurally appealing experience. Overall, it stands out as an interesting twist on the RPG Maker system.
- “A unique core gameplay loop with an incredibly engaging setting and a thought-provoking story.”
- “Plus the more puzzle-like gameplay elements make the game something incredibly interesting and unique; I thoroughly recommend this one.”
- “Pale Echoes is a short game with a good flow, engaging gameplay, and a solid story.”
- “Gameplay is split between environmental puzzles that are pretty rudimentary, as the game is mostly linear, and combat puzzles that are not.”
- “No dragging on for 30-60 hours, until you've gotten sick of the gameplay.”
- “It's an interesting twist on the RPG Maker system, and it fits the more casual, visual- and aural-based gameplay.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The music in the game features unique art and assets, with a variety of tracks that players can unlock and listen to after completing the game. While the soundtrack is described as charming and immersive, it is noted that the music isn't particularly special, with some tracks being reminiscent of those from other games, such as "Moonchild." Overall, the music adds to the experience but may not stand out on its own.
- “After beating the game, it presents you with all manners of goodies to check, including the music box (to listen to all in-game music and also oldies), playing as different-looking characters, or turning on the dev diary mode.”
- “The story, characters, soundtrack, and combat system (memories) are all quite charming and immersive.”
- “However, the rest of the game uses various sets of music, so you might recognize a few of them. The alternate set of music that can be unlocked was nice, but I remembered several from 'Moonchild's' soundtrack.”
- “Music isn't anything special.”
- “However, the rest of the game uses various sets of music, so you might recognize a few of them (the alternate set of music that can be unlocked was nice, but I remembered several from 'Moonchild's' soundtrack).”
- “However, the rest of the game uses various sets of music, so you might recognize a few of them (the alternate set of music that can be unlocked was nice, but I remembered several from 'Moonchild's' soundtrack).”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The game utilizes default RPG Maker graphics effectively, demonstrating that engaging visuals can be achieved even with standard assets. While not unique, the graphics are well-executed and contribute positively to the overall experience, making it a worthwhile recommendation for those who appreciate creativity within the limitations of default resources.
- “Overall, I think it made a great effort to utilize the default RPG Maker graphics (a.k.a. RTP) to the best of its abilities, and my only regret was that the game was not longer.”
- “I would recommend this game to anyone who thinks a good RPG Maker game can't be made with the default graphics and wants a unique, interesting battle system.”
- “It's far more engaging than many games with better graphics that cost five times as much.”
- “That said, graphically the game isn't unique, supposedly (as noted by other reviewers) using lots of default assets.”
- “The graphics are the default RPG Maker graphics (a.k.a. RTP); however, they are put to very good use, which brings me to my next point.”
- “The graphics are the default RPG Maker graphics (a.k.a. RTP); however, they are put to very good use, which brings me to my next point.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Players find the game highly replayable due to features like dev diaries, plus mode, and perfection mode, which can extend gameplay significantly despite its short length. This encourages multiple playthroughs to fully experience all content.
- “The replayability provided by finding all of the dev diaries, the plus mode, and the perfection mode extended that to 11 hours for me.”
- “The game offers multiple modes and collectibles that significantly enhance its replayability.”
- “The replayability provided by finding all of the dev diaries, the plus mode, and the perfection mode extended that to 11 hours for myself.”
- “Short length promotes replayability.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, highlighting its ability to deliver a heartfelt story that resonates even with those who have limited time to engage with it. The narrative effectively captures and evokes strong feelings, making it a rewarding experience for players seeking emotional engagement.
- “People with no time but want to indulge in a nice heartfelt story.”