Somber Echoes

About

Somber Echoes is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Rock Pocket Games and was released on January 21, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

In "Somber Echoes," you awaken as Adrestia aboard a stranded Greco-Roman space vessel infested by otherworldly horrors. Navigate diverse, stunning districts with acrobatic combat and gravity-defying Aether Lantern powers to uncover secrets and stop your twin sister from unraveling the universe. This Metroidvania melds exploration and mastery of unique abilities for a dynamic experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 151 reviews

story26 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a beautiful art style that effectively blends Greek mythology with sci-fi elements.
Exploration is rewarding, with a large interconnected world that encourages backtracking and discovery of hidden secrets.
The combat system is engaging, with satisfying mechanics like parrying and unique weapon abilities that enhance gameplay.

The game suffers from pacing issues, with sparse checkpoints that can lead to frustrating backtracking and repetitive gameplay.
The narrative is delivered through excessive exposition, which can detract from immersion and make the story feel less impactful.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as the spear retrieval and certain platforming challenges, can feel clunky and hinder the overall experience.

story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The story of "Somber Echoes" is a blend of Greek mythology and sci-fi, featuring the protagonist Adrestia on a quest to stop her twin sister Harmonia from collapsing reality. While the narrative is intriguing and presented through environmental storytelling and fragmented records, many players found it slow-paced and occasionally confusing, with some criticizing the localization and the academic tone of the narration. Overall, the story is seen as a solid but uneven experience, with a mix of engaging themes and frustrating delivery that may leave players feeling disconnected.
- “Set aboard the colossal space vessel Atromitos, the game tells the story of Adrestia, a tribune resurrected to stop her twin sister Harmonia from collapsing reality itself.”
- “The story draws heavily from Greek myth, with Adrestia and Harmonia representing opposing forces of vengeance and balance.”
- “The story’s presentation—through environmental cues, brief dialogue exchanges, and fragmented records—encourages exploration and curiosity rather than spoon-fed answers.”
- “The entire story is told by a narrator.”
- “After almost an hour, I have to say the story just seems like you are thrown right in the middle of it without really much understanding of what even happened or what is going on.”
- “The story itself is told via FromSoftware-style drips of information you pick up in a disjointed fashion and is difficult to parse, which, in turn, makes it difficult to care about.”
gameplay
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The gameplay in "Somber Echoes" is generally praised for its innovative mechanics, particularly the unique traversal abilities and engaging platforming elements that enhance exploration and combat. While the game offers a solid experience with fluid controls and a captivating atmosphere, some players noted issues with combat frequency and certain mechanics feeling inconsistent or frustrating. Overall, it presents a fresh take on the metroidvania genre, though it may require some adjustment to fully appreciate its depth.
- “The gameplay is solid; you will need some time at the beginning to master the lantern system, but once you do, the game gets even more fun, as you progress you will get abilities in the form of weapons that will help you backtrack previously inaccessible areas.”
- “Great game, a lot of unique mechanics especially for platforming.”
- “Combat and traversal mechanics are smooth and satisfying, and being able to reflect projectiles back at enemies feels really good.”
- “The game could have had more combat; it has many combat mechanics that one does not have the need to use since there is not that much combat.”
- “Well-done though the traversal mechanic is, navigating such a world just doesn't feel fun or fulfilling.”
- “The monsters in the game are there to be more annoying than anything else, and generally just slow down the gameplay to a grinding halt.”
graphics
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
33%
6%
The graphics of the game have received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its unique art style, stunning visuals, and atmospheric design that effectively blends Greek mythology with sci-fi elements. While some noted minor graphical glitches and a lack of groundbreaking visuals, the overall aesthetic, level design, and attention to detail in environments and character design have been highlighted as strong points, contributing to an engaging gameplay experience. The game runs smoothly, even at 4K, and the combination of visuals, music, and narrative creates a captivating atmosphere.
- “In the end, Somber Echoes stands as a strong example of how the Metroidvania genre can continue to evolve by blending mythic storytelling with moody, science fiction aesthetics.”
- “Gorgeous visuals and aesthetic that gave old school Greek sci-fi vibes I haven't seen since the anime/cartoon Ulysses 31 and the game ActRaiser.”
- “The visuals are absolutely stunning.”
- “Graphics: while not visually groundbreaking, the level design is solid, the effects are nice, and some enemies are downright disgusting (looking at you, first boss… ugh).”
- “This is a big miss and I often find myself disengaged having to rely on visual cues.”
- “The visuals may have lacked consistency, even though I liked some locations or overall themes of the game.”
atmosphere
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
26%
8%
The atmosphere in "Somber Echoes" is widely praised for its haunting, immersive quality, blending dark themes with mythological and sci-fi elements. Players appreciate the stunning visuals, ambient lighting, and a soundscape that enhances the game's eerie and desolate feel, although some note that the music could be more prominent. Overall, the game successfully creates a compelling sense of place that draws players into its richly designed world.
- “Somber Echoes is a dark, atmospheric metroidvania that fuses mythological inspiration with science fiction to create a haunting, otherworldly experience.”
- “The music in this game really fits the feel and atmosphere of the world and helps to make it all feel more like a real place.”
- “Awesome visuals, super atmospheric, and paired with a great soundscape makes the game a pleasure to play.”
- “It's not that there isn't combat, but there aren't that many enemies compared to most mvs as they're really going for the desolate atmosphere, which they nail.”
- “Music is of the quieter background type which despite lending itself to the atmosphere doesn't do much to get me going personally.”
- “+ dark, foreboding atmosphere, enhanced through visual and sound design, especially during boss encounters.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
28%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the setting, with many reviewers noting its fitting and immersive qualities. While some feel that the soundtrack could benefit from more variety, particularly in background music, others highlight its epic moments and emotional resonance, contributing to a cinematic experience. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, effectively supporting the narrative and gameplay.
- “The atmosphere and music are spot on.”
- “The music in this game really fits the feel and atmosphere of the world and helps to make it all feel more like a real place.”
- “Don’t expect something on the level of One-Winged Angel from FFVII, but the soundtrack definitely fits the atmosphere.”
- “Music is of the quieter background type which, despite lending itself to the atmosphere, doesn't do much to get me going personally.”
- “The soundtrack and narration tie everything together into a cinematic experience that gave me goosebumps more than once!”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, primarily due to the lack of on-screen indicators for collectibles and the repetitive nature of backtracking through low-density enemy areas. Boss encounters are described as both punishing and easy, contributing to a frustrating experience, while combat mechanics, such as spear retrieval, add to the overall tedium of exploration. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the satisfying movement through the map.
- “The monsters in the game are there to be more annoying than anything else, and generally just slow down the gameplay to a grinding halt.”
- “Some combat choices – spear retrieval, losing your spear is tedious; it should return automatically upon defeating an enemy.”
- “Traveling back to previous areas is made more tedious by the game's limited enemy variety.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with most players reporting smooth performance and high-quality visuals. However, some users have experienced occasional frame stutters and long loading times, indicating that further optimization may still be needed.
- “Performance: the game runs well.”
- “Even with all the high-end visuals, I didn't notice any frame rate issues or hanging, so it seems like it has already been well optimized.”
- “However, I experienced occasional frame stutters, which is surprising given my computer's hardware, suggesting the game engine needs further optimization.”
- “Finally, there are the technicalities such as performance and polish, and while the game ran excellently, the loading times were long.”
- “Some Steam users mentioned performance hiccups, so maybe those have already been patched.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's emotional depth, particularly its touching story and the thrill of engaging gameplay, such as spear throwing that evokes a sense of empowerment. However, some feel that the challenge level, especially during critical moments like the secret boss fight, could have been more intense to enhance the emotional stakes. Additionally, frustrations with puzzle mechanics detract from the overall emotional experience.
- “Very touching story also.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally well-received, with users noting a few minor graphical glitches and some bugs, but it runs smoothly on both Steam Deck and other platforms, providing an enjoyable experience.
- “Runs great on deck!”
- “Beautiful and fun to play, also runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “There are some bugs and glitches that affect the overall experience.”
- “A few minor graphical glitches, but overall, I'm impressed.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Reviewers highlight that the game offers strong replayability, particularly appealing to completionists who enjoy exploring all aspects and achieving 100% completion.
- “The game offers incredible replayability, especially for completionists who want to explore every aspect.”
- “With multiple endings and diverse character choices, the replayability keeps the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “Each playthrough reveals new secrets and challenges, making it a game you can enjoy over and over again.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The lack of varied endings or different paths really hurts the replayability.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game received mixed feedback, with some users finding it surprisingly enjoyable in the demo, though there is uncertainty about changes made in the full version.