This is going to be a very hard sell for a majority of people but considering how it has completely enraptured me for the past 4 days I need more people to know about it cause somebody out there is going to read this and possibly discover a new personal favorite and new possible GOTY. As a note of what my previous front runner for GOTY was before this was MH Rise (which is still incredibly excellent and I will be going back to playing it since I finally finished this). Also completely ignoring the "are VNs games" crowd, the argument doesn't really matter, expand your mind on what a game can be.
Available for PC/MAC/Linux/Android
So what is Echo? Echo is a indie visual novel that has been in development for the last 6 years and has had it's final update/release earlier this month. To quote it's Itch.io page
"Echo is a horror visual novel about a small, isolated, desert town located somewhere in the southwestern states.
During spring break, Chase, a young otter who grew up in Echo, is back for a school project aimed at documenting an event in the 1870's that may have lead to the town's current state. He's joined by five friends, who grew up with him in Echo, taking the chance to have a little reunion. Unfortunately, Chase begins to realize that their memories of Echo may have been a bit rose-tinted. Being back in the town digs up old and painful memories; secrets that lead to rifts in the group that have been boiling under the surface for years. On top of that, Chase begins to realize that Echo itself may have its own secrets. Odd and unexplained memories that he always blamed on an overactive childhood imagination may not have been imagined at all.
Finally, an event is triggered that turns these fears into something much more tangible and dangerous. Chase is now forced into a situation in which he must help his friends either face, or escape their demons. Eitherway, Echo is not keen on letting them go..."
If I had to describe the game using other properties I would describe it as "Silent Hill x Hereditary (the movie) x BEASTARS." Echo, the town in the game, is a town on it's last legs full of a lot of broken and drugged up people. While that in itself is it's own brand horror the town itself has a super natural effect on people that seem to amplify their worst qualities and fears. The reason I compare it to Hereditary is that a big part of that movie (at least up the first half climax) is watching the madness start to seep in and wondering which things were real or not, and Echo does a fantastic job of towing that line of where the town's supernatural influence begins and people's personal grievances/traumas end.
Also this is that good slow burning horror, that feeling that something is wrong and keeps building up and up to a crescendo where things explode into some absolutely huge "holy shit" moments. After finishing the first character route I was left aghast at what just occurred that I had to spend time processing it and then go back in immediately staying up til 2 AM on a work day just so I could see more and what secrets/horrors the game still held. And when I came back to another route I was presented with almost different styles of horror where different parts of the town take center stage in how they are terrifying. It could be something completely supernatural at center stage or focus on the absolutely horrible things that were already occurring with the people living there.
There is a definite feeling of satisfaction once certain dots connect as the mysteries unravel across the 5 different character routes. There are plenty of things to figure out and piece together and see how everything is connected and it doesn't hold your hand in you figuring these things out. The routes are non-linear so you don't do things in order and do a "true ending" type of deal but with the game being developed and released over 6 years there are definitely plot points you might want to see first.
As far as "gameplay" you are making choices to get either good or bad endings. Choices aren't too frequent. This is 100% a visual novel and not some kind of hybrid. And also to compare it to the breakout hit visual novel that got mainstream attention "Doki Doki Literature Club", it doesn't really play those kind of tricks. DDLC is visual novel that "sells" itself as a dating sim that plays with the tropes of VN/Dating sims and completely subverts them to tell a horror story. Echo does play with some "dating sim" tropes (sometimes to horrifying degrees) and VN tropes, but it bills itself as a horror story first and foremost. You aren't going to get that meta-ness as seen DDLC and the game isn't really about dating cute furries even when the game sometimes acts like it.
And yes the elephant in the room I haven't addressed, yes it's furry. It's relevant to the plot, some of the actions taken are possible due to the species the characters are. If for some reason that's the breaking point for you well that's how it is.
Of course a huge portion of any story is the characters and I would love to say this is a lovable cast of characters but no, some of these people are complete and utter assholes. Every single character has a lot of baggage and have dealt with it in various ways, this goes for almost every main and side character. Not to say this is a cast of irredeemable assholes, I did end up caring about the main cast by the end and wishing kind of happiness for all of them. As I mentioned the town of Echo has a habit of bringing out the absolute worst in people and you are going to see characters at some of their shittiest points. The game as I said is split up across 5 different character routes where the story will focus more on said character on their route. Whether the character route is for the MC's (Chase) ex-boyfriend Leo or his stoner best friend Carl, you will learn and see some of the best and worst parts of them. It will get into some very deep and personal issues that might be uncomfortable for some people. There were some moments that brought me near to tears, some conversations that made me feel incredibly thankful for what I have, and some parts that felt relatable to my life. And as a major note, the main character Chase is gay, it's important to the story and was and is a big defining point of his life being gay in a small town. It's not the only defining characteristic obviously but it's nice to have a story where it is important and not swept under the rug/a fantasy world where that is wouldn't effect you growing up.
The music is good. Nothing too crazy but there are some definitely stand out songs that will stick with you and it does a great job of setting the tone. Some songs may eventually worm their way into your head and I spent a bit of time just listening to the title screen music after finishing a route to process what I just played and it felt appropriate.
As far as how it's visually presented, it's a VN through and through. Majority of the time you will be reading text, with character portraits talking and the backgrounds are edited real pictures. The edited backgrounds kind of lend a more grounded yet surreal feel to the whole thing, like you can imagine these places as real but not concrete enough to fully see it. Feels very fitting. There are also the occasional CGs which can be fantastic looking and I'm avoiding posting the best ones cause they can be impactful with some stunning imagery.
After finishing Echo I had a feeling of "holy shit that was such an amazing experience", where you kind of just sit there and think about how much you loved what you just played. I am sure other people know the feeling. You can tell all the care and detail that went into it and why it took almost 6 years to complete. It's going to be hard for something this year to beat it for me personally, (though Endwalker and possibly NEO:TWEWY could do it) cause this felt almost tailor made to me. I'm glad I discovered it just as it finished. Also as I said in the title it is FREE, the game was funded via Patreon and they are currently working on both a prequel and sequel to this game. I don't think it hurts to try. As far as game length I wan to say it's about 25-30 hours? I honestly lost track of time as I played it but it absolutely ate up the last 4 days of my life where I basically only played it except for a bit yesterday cause I needed a mental break from it.
I have to put two major warnings on this, there are descriptions of (gay) sex that occur on certain routes, it gets a bit explicit but there are no accompanying visual and this isn't "that kind" of VN. You aren't playing this to get off and I would not qualify it as smut. This might be enough to not be allowed on the site due to that but honestly if you are an adult who has seen R rated movie sex scene, you will probably be fine, just skip over the text if it bothers you. The main character is gay and will sometimes make comments about other guys bodies.
EDIT: As a even fairer warning I am going to describe a bit more in detail about what acts take place so you can know if it might be too much for you. These actions are all text based with no visuals. Some light spoilers for some routes
2nd if i had to put trigger warnings on this game it would look like this
TW: mentions of depression, anxiety, suicide, heavy drug use, rape, physical assault, murder, sexual assault, torture, child abuse, anti-semitism, slurs, homophobia, racism and spiders (trust me on that one)
this is a very, very "heavy" game. If you in a bad place mentally I cannot recommend it to you. Know your limits cause the story absolutely doesn't pull any punches and there were moments where I had to pause a tad due to some previous traumas. The game's writing isn't voyeuristic about these things, this isn't something torture porn experience like SAW, and a lot of it is just past mentions of actions, there are definitely incredibly fucked up things that are supposed to terrify you but I feel like the writing style is never indulgent in it.
If you need a guide on which routes to play and in what order, it's supposed to be free choice but there a definite ones you want to play later. IMO you should play through the character routes
TJ -> Leo -> (1 hour long prequel VN Echo Route 65) -> Carl -> Flynn -> Jenna
Well that's it. Feel free to give any thoughts or make fun of me for playing a furry visual novel. I really do hope someone gets interested enough from this to give it a try, just uhh be ready. I spent almost 3 hours writing this lol.
edit: some more thoughts after some of the discussion here.
It is very hard to recommend a gay/queer made/focused product, especially when it does have the sexual elements, to a wider audience. But I do feel that someone might enjoy it a ton even if that doesn't appeal to them or someone who is gay/queer might get even more enjoyment out of it due to those elements.
When posting this write up I absolutely was worried about some of reception to it cause of the stereotypes and some of the issues that come from it, cause it's not entirely unfounded when it comes to this game. I did feel like it's worth it if more people who might love it can take a look. As I said, it's definitely not for everyone, and it shouldn't be. This is indie as hell and not a mainstream product and the creators don't have to compromise what they do to appeal to everyone. It's absolutely fine if you aren't interested or the subject matter turns you off from giving it a try. Please don't feel bad about that.
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edit: It's been over like 2 months since I made this thread and it's still getting new people in and playing so how about I post some actual impressions since a number of people have tried it and loved it. If you don't want to believe me, maybe multiple opinions will do it.
IMPRESSIONS/FINAL THOUGHTS
edit: Another slight footnote, there has also been discussion in this thread regarding the prequel and sequel to this game which are in active development and are releasing chapters periodically. People have been using this thread to talk about said updates as they happen so some of the discussion is focused on that.
Available for PC/MAC/Linux/Android
So what is Echo? Echo is a indie visual novel that has been in development for the last 6 years and has had it's final update/release earlier this month. To quote it's Itch.io page
"Echo is a horror visual novel about a small, isolated, desert town located somewhere in the southwestern states.
During spring break, Chase, a young otter who grew up in Echo, is back for a school project aimed at documenting an event in the 1870's that may have lead to the town's current state. He's joined by five friends, who grew up with him in Echo, taking the chance to have a little reunion. Unfortunately, Chase begins to realize that their memories of Echo may have been a bit rose-tinted. Being back in the town digs up old and painful memories; secrets that lead to rifts in the group that have been boiling under the surface for years. On top of that, Chase begins to realize that Echo itself may have its own secrets. Odd and unexplained memories that he always blamed on an overactive childhood imagination may not have been imagined at all.
Finally, an event is triggered that turns these fears into something much more tangible and dangerous. Chase is now forced into a situation in which he must help his friends either face, or escape their demons. Eitherway, Echo is not keen on letting them go..."
If I had to describe the game using other properties I would describe it as "Silent Hill x Hereditary (the movie) x BEASTARS." Echo, the town in the game, is a town on it's last legs full of a lot of broken and drugged up people. While that in itself is it's own brand horror the town itself has a super natural effect on people that seem to amplify their worst qualities and fears. The reason I compare it to Hereditary is that a big part of that movie (at least up the first half climax) is watching the madness start to seep in and wondering which things were real or not, and Echo does a fantastic job of towing that line of where the town's supernatural influence begins and people's personal grievances/traumas end.
Also this is that good slow burning horror, that feeling that something is wrong and keeps building up and up to a crescendo where things explode into some absolutely huge "holy shit" moments. After finishing the first character route I was left aghast at what just occurred that I had to spend time processing it and then go back in immediately staying up til 2 AM on a work day just so I could see more and what secrets/horrors the game still held. And when I came back to another route I was presented with almost different styles of horror where different parts of the town take center stage in how they are terrifying. It could be something completely supernatural at center stage or focus on the absolutely horrible things that were already occurring with the people living there.
There is a definite feeling of satisfaction once certain dots connect as the mysteries unravel across the 5 different character routes. There are plenty of things to figure out and piece together and see how everything is connected and it doesn't hold your hand in you figuring these things out. The routes are non-linear so you don't do things in order and do a "true ending" type of deal but with the game being developed and released over 6 years there are definitely plot points you might want to see first.
As far as "gameplay" you are making choices to get either good or bad endings. Choices aren't too frequent. This is 100% a visual novel and not some kind of hybrid. And also to compare it to the breakout hit visual novel that got mainstream attention "Doki Doki Literature Club", it doesn't really play those kind of tricks. DDLC is visual novel that "sells" itself as a dating sim that plays with the tropes of VN/Dating sims and completely subverts them to tell a horror story. Echo does play with some "dating sim" tropes (sometimes to horrifying degrees) and VN tropes, but it bills itself as a horror story first and foremost. You aren't going to get that meta-ness as seen DDLC and the game isn't really about dating cute furries even when the game sometimes acts like it.
And yes the elephant in the room I haven't addressed, yes it's furry. It's relevant to the plot, some of the actions taken are possible due to the species the characters are. If for some reason that's the breaking point for you well that's how it is.
Of course a huge portion of any story is the characters and I would love to say this is a lovable cast of characters but no, some of these people are complete and utter assholes. Every single character has a lot of baggage and have dealt with it in various ways, this goes for almost every main and side character. Not to say this is a cast of irredeemable assholes, I did end up caring about the main cast by the end and wishing kind of happiness for all of them. As I mentioned the town of Echo has a habit of bringing out the absolute worst in people and you are going to see characters at some of their shittiest points. The game as I said is split up across 5 different character routes where the story will focus more on said character on their route. Whether the character route is for the MC's (Chase) ex-boyfriend Leo or his stoner best friend Carl, you will learn and see some of the best and worst parts of them. It will get into some very deep and personal issues that might be uncomfortable for some people. There were some moments that brought me near to tears, some conversations that made me feel incredibly thankful for what I have, and some parts that felt relatable to my life. And as a major note, the main character Chase is gay, it's important to the story and was and is a big defining point of his life being gay in a small town. It's not the only defining characteristic obviously but it's nice to have a story where it is important and not swept under the rug/a fantasy world where that is wouldn't effect you growing up.
The music is good. Nothing too crazy but there are some definitely stand out songs that will stick with you and it does a great job of setting the tone. Some songs may eventually worm their way into your head and I spent a bit of time just listening to the title screen music after finishing a route to process what I just played and it felt appropriate.
As far as how it's visually presented, it's a VN through and through. Majority of the time you will be reading text, with character portraits talking and the backgrounds are edited real pictures. The edited backgrounds kind of lend a more grounded yet surreal feel to the whole thing, like you can imagine these places as real but not concrete enough to fully see it. Feels very fitting. There are also the occasional CGs which can be fantastic looking and I'm avoiding posting the best ones cause they can be impactful with some stunning imagery.
After finishing Echo I had a feeling of "holy shit that was such an amazing experience", where you kind of just sit there and think about how much you loved what you just played. I am sure other people know the feeling. You can tell all the care and detail that went into it and why it took almost 6 years to complete. It's going to be hard for something this year to beat it for me personally, (though Endwalker and possibly NEO:TWEWY could do it) cause this felt almost tailor made to me. I'm glad I discovered it just as it finished. Also as I said in the title it is FREE, the game was funded via Patreon and they are currently working on both a prequel and sequel to this game. I don't think it hurts to try. As far as game length I wan to say it's about 25-30 hours? I honestly lost track of time as I played it but it absolutely ate up the last 4 days of my life where I basically only played it except for a bit yesterday cause I needed a mental break from it.
I have to put two major warnings on this, there are descriptions of (gay) sex that occur on certain routes, it gets a bit explicit but there are no accompanying visual and this isn't "that kind" of VN. You aren't playing this to get off and I would not qualify it as smut. This might be enough to not be allowed on the site due to that but honestly if you are an adult who has seen R rated movie sex scene, you will probably be fine, just skip over the text if it bothers you. The main character is gay and will sometimes make comments about other guys bodies.
EDIT: As a even fairer warning I am going to describe a bit more in detail about what acts take place so you can know if it might be too much for you. These actions are all text based with no visuals. Some light spoilers for some routes
The MC who is Chase and others will make various dick and sex jokes. Chase will mention being hard/aroused at times in every route and will refer to his junk. Casual mentions of jerking off and people having sex in every route. Characters embracing and getting slightly aroused is also common.
In Leo's route there is a scene where Chase and him start to grope each other and make out that makes mentions of their dicks. It cuts to black before any actual sex happens and skips to the morning after.
Flynn's route has the most sexual related senes in the game. Early on he and Chase start groping each other while leaning on a car and will make mention of grabbing their dicks and ass, they stop before anything further takes place. A 2nd scene describes them making out and then Chase giving a blowjob to Flynn, this is the most explicit required scene. There is later a scene where they go to a very seedy gay bar that has people publicly having sex in a backroom with mentions of things like "I've never had someone talk to me while balls deep in someone" and allusions to other more extreme sex acts. There is an optional sex scene here but if you encounter it by that point you are actively seeking it, I personally didn't cause it gives an out on being uncomfortable with the situation.
There is also a sadistic character in some routes who is obviously getting off on physically hurting others.
In Leo's route there is a scene where Chase and him start to grope each other and make out that makes mentions of their dicks. It cuts to black before any actual sex happens and skips to the morning after.
Flynn's route has the most sexual related senes in the game. Early on he and Chase start groping each other while leaning on a car and will make mention of grabbing their dicks and ass, they stop before anything further takes place. A 2nd scene describes them making out and then Chase giving a blowjob to Flynn, this is the most explicit required scene. There is later a scene where they go to a very seedy gay bar that has people publicly having sex in a backroom with mentions of things like "I've never had someone talk to me while balls deep in someone" and allusions to other more extreme sex acts. There is an optional sex scene here but if you encounter it by that point you are actively seeking it, I personally didn't cause it gives an out on being uncomfortable with the situation.
There is also a sadistic character in some routes who is obviously getting off on physically hurting others.
2nd if i had to put trigger warnings on this game it would look like this
TW: mentions of depression, anxiety, suicide, heavy drug use, rape, physical assault, murder, sexual assault, torture, child abuse, anti-semitism, slurs, homophobia, racism and spiders (trust me on that one)
this is a very, very "heavy" game. If you in a bad place mentally I cannot recommend it to you. Know your limits cause the story absolutely doesn't pull any punches and there were moments where I had to pause a tad due to some previous traumas. The game's writing isn't voyeuristic about these things, this isn't something torture porn experience like SAW, and a lot of it is just past mentions of actions, there are definitely incredibly fucked up things that are supposed to terrify you but I feel like the writing style is never indulgent in it.
If you need a guide on which routes to play and in what order, it's supposed to be free choice but there a definite ones you want to play later. IMO you should play through the character routes
TJ -> Leo -> (1 hour long prequel VN Echo Route 65) -> Carl -> Flynn -> Jenna
Well that's it. Feel free to give any thoughts or make fun of me for playing a furry visual novel. I really do hope someone gets interested enough from this to give it a try, just uhh be ready. I spent almost 3 hours writing this lol.
edit: some more thoughts after some of the discussion here.
It is very hard to recommend a gay/queer made/focused product, especially when it does have the sexual elements, to a wider audience. But I do feel that someone might enjoy it a ton even if that doesn't appeal to them or someone who is gay/queer might get even more enjoyment out of it due to those elements.
When posting this write up I absolutely was worried about some of reception to it cause of the stereotypes and some of the issues that come from it, cause it's not entirely unfounded when it comes to this game. I did feel like it's worth it if more people who might love it can take a look. As I said, it's definitely not for everyone, and it shouldn't be. This is indie as hell and not a mainstream product and the creators don't have to compromise what they do to appeal to everyone. It's absolutely fine if you aren't interested or the subject matter turns you off from giving it a try. Please don't feel bad about that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
edit: It's been over like 2 months since I made this thread and it's still getting new people in and playing so how about I post some actual impressions since a number of people have tried it and loved it. If you don't want to believe me, maybe multiple opinions will do it.
IMPRESSIONS/FINAL THOUGHTS
------------
edit: Another slight footnote, there has also been discussion in this thread regarding the prequel and sequel to this game which are in active development and are releasing chapters periodically. People have been using this thread to talk about said updates as they happen so some of the discussion is focused on that.
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