Fading Echo, Water is an Allied Element - Review

Fading Echo is one of those productions that don't just happen by chance and hide some decidedly interesting anecdotes, those that give a video game its "soul." It's no coincidence that behind a world conceived with such care, the love for board games is evident: Fading Echo, in fact, was initially envisioned as a production very similar to Dungeons & Dragons by the CCO, only to become something similarly different thanks to the creative minds at Emeteria, whose members are veterans of the video game industry. 

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What we found ourselves facing is an action video game where combat phases (and more) are punctuated by unique abilities based on certain elements that, almost entirely, support the experience itself. Specifically, it will be water that triggers reactions in a world that seems to have been corrupted.

Fading Echo is a video game that left us with overall positive feelings: it's cryptic in its narrative, it mimics the world of American comics, and it even adds a touch of that loved/hated multiverse. However (and there's always a however), there are some aspects that didn't fully convince us, including a pace that leaves you a bit disoriented, repetitiveness in the gameplay, and a combat system that, while fast and fluid, lacks impact.

Currently, the game is only available for PC, but in the future, it will also be released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles. But let's get down to business and descend into the world of Corel.

Only Water Can Revive a Dying Planet

As mentioned, we are on Corel, a land now close to no longer being the oasis everyone remembered. The protagonist of this "fairy tale" is One, a girl who possesses the power of Aether and who, guess what, must save the world and restore the course of events (obviously the plot is richer than this, but we want to avoid unnecessary spoilers). What awaits us is therefore an epic that will lead us to cross mysterious islands, unimaginable realities, and paradoxical worlds: fortunately, we can at any time assume the form of a sphere of water and interact with the game world (you can't even imagine how convenient it is to pass through gates by abandoning human form). 

Fading Echo is an adventure that immediately attracts the attention of those who infinitely love desert punk settings and the style reminiscent of American comics. In fact, from the very first moments of the game, the story is presented like a web-comic, complete with speech bubbles hovering near our protagonists. This aspect struck us quite a bit, as it brings the world of comics closer to that of video games and makes the events even more interactive and appealing. 

However, the true connecting piece of Fading Echo is water, a fundamental element that will combine (like any good fluid) with other elements such as lava, toxic waste (green in color), and some other type of corrosion. The development team was ingenious in this respect because the "mixture" with new elements makes the gameplay more articulated, even concerning the "puzzle" sections.

One step at a time, let's try to figure it out: One, besides being a legend and being able to transform into a sphere of water, is a formidable fighter who will have a group of rascals by her side to help her reach her goal "victoriously." In fact, the girl can perform some pretty good combos against the unfortunate enemies and kick them neatly into some never-too-deep ditch. At the same time, and by changing form, she will use water attacks that will weaken the various villains, especially if they are of the opposite element to ours, in this case, fire.

The developers thought of covering our rivals with certain elemental substances, thus bringing into play a rather ingenious RPG system, which will make us think carefully about every blow we want to land. But if we are made of water, how can we attack with other elements? It's simple: One can absorb them, make them temporarily her own, and use them not only in combat but also to overcome inaccessible areas. In other words, the use of various power-ups allows the gameplay to be more layered and unique in a certain sense.

Despite these appetizing premises, the combat system did not fully convince us. The ideas are there, but with the controller in hand, we couldn't fully feel the impact of the blows, making everything appear more "mechanical" than expected and less reactive. To be clear, the feeling is that of repeatedly pressing buttons in clashes that are not exactly the best. Furthermore, it must be kept in mind that One does not have a stamina bar and can dodge continuously without getting tired: this makes the difficulty simpler even with selectors set to high. 

Good Ideas But Too Much Repetitiveness 

While Fading Echo left us with good impressions from a creative standpoint, we cannot say the same for the game's pacing. From the very first minutes, its somewhat schematic nature is so evident: defeat opponents, collect the crystal, open the multiverse door, activate the portal. This sequence, although accompanied by an overall interesting narrative, inevitably weighs down what a video game must primarily do: entertain and make exploration increasingly intriguing.

Another factor that doesn't help is the lack of points of interest, of a compass to guide the player towards the next objective, preventing them from retracing their steps. We understand the need to make players orient themselves towards the next goal with very few aids (much like it used to be, after all), but implementing this function (even optionally) we believe would have been a good and right thing. 

Fading Echo is a unique experience in its own way, it tries to change the genre's perspectives a bit and stages an interesting and interactive story. Facing this adventure is less conventional than expected and changes some of the RPG genre's rules. Innovating is not easy, and it is commendable when it is done, but one must always be extremely cautious because the player can be "alienated" by very little.

One last thing, the game is not subtitled in Italian, an aspect that makes the adventure even less "digestible" for those who don't have a good grasp of English: and the dialogues, especially in-game, are not few at all.