Variety is the spice of life.
If I was to play the same thing over and over, I would quickly become bored with it no matter
how good it was.
Although when something different does come around I see it through such different glasses
that sometimes I forgive things I wouldn’t in other games.
This is the case with Echo Night Beyond.
A survival horror game for the PS2 set in space.
And let me tell you, this is one of the most unique experiences you will ever have playing
a video game.
It is so unlike anything else.
It is refreshing and wonderful, like a large glass of water after a hard day’s work in
the desert.
The story for the game is you are Richard Osmond, a common everyman that is on his way
to a moon base with his fiancé to get married and go on their honeymoon.
Because everyone in the future honeymoons on the moon.
Why?
Because they can.
And also, they share the same word.
But right when they are about to arrive at the moon base something goes horribly wrong
and they crash in the moon.
Not the way Richard imagined starting off the honeymoon.
But now you awaken and see that everyone else on the shuttle is dead and you fiancé is
missing.
Then you notice a strange message written on the seat in front of you and you believe
you fiancé is still alive so you go search for her.
You soon notice that the base’s only population is that of the living impaired.
Ghosts.
And this is the main gameplay.
Ghosts will pop up and block your progress until you return certain items to them.
So the game boils down to a long series of fetch missions.
This would be reason enough for me to turn off the system and stop playing but what the
game does well is pull you into the world.
Not since Metroid Prime have I felt so alone.
You walk through the corridors of the base and you don’t see anything.
Your sight is also restricted to what your flashlight will show, making you feel completely
alone and in the dark.
All the while you know there are ghosts out there.
It does a great job with the atmosphere.
You really do feel what the game is trying to show, that you are the only alive thing
in this huge moon base.
And when you do see a ghost, you need to all you can to get away from it.
You are incapable of fighting off ghosts, so your only choice is to run.
One thing that really gets in the way of allowing this game to be great is the controls.
You control Richard with the analog sticks but to look up and down you use the triggers.
You will get use to it but never to the point that it feels good.
It always feels awkward which I think was the intension.
You are in a bulky spacesuit so movement isn’t the easiest thing.
This is also why you move so slowly.
This game the game awkward and slow but I think that was the intension.
If you are looking for something different I suggest you check this game out.
There will be elements from other game you will be familiar with but never have you seen
them put together in this fashon.
Frustrating but too unique to pass up.