It’s time to blast back in time to revisit the nostalgia of the 90s with our Echo Generation: Midnight Edition review! The game’s set in a colourful and retro world, but it’s definitely not the world we live in…
Blending turn-based action with sci-fi horror (not entirely scary horror though), this adventure takes you on a journey with the cast of Stranger Thin- I mean residents of the town Echo Generation.
Echo Generation: Midnight Edition Review – The Initial Charm
It’s not surprising that the cast of characters in this game reminds me of Stranger Things. It’s a group of kids going on a sci-fi adventure to solve the mysteries of their hometown. Sounds familiar, right? It also calls back to the charm of IT and even The Goonies.
In terms of the characters, they’re not the most memorable bunch. However, I was delighted to see that I could choose my own character out of a few presets. It’s not as customisable as I’d want but it was a nice personal touch!
I have a soft spot for games that include the Voxel art style, and Echo Generation: Midnight Edition doesn’t disappoint. The actual models of creatures and characters, as well as the environments, all look incredibly charming as a whole. Check it out on the Nintendo Store if you’d like to see what I mean!
Turn-Based Mini-Game Combat?
Now onto the combat side of things. Turn-based battles are always a controversial talking point. I, for one, quite like turn-based games, though the combat style isn’t my favourite. I think Echo Generation takes the usual turn-based mechanics and cranks it up to 100 with the implemented mini-games. It made the combat much more interactive rather than just selecting abilities. Every move you make requires you to complete a short task in between, which makes battles a lot more fun than I first expected.
As for the boss battles, I think the first boss is a make-or-break for players. It took me a few attempts to get through it, and I’m not quite sure why. The core mechanics were easy enough to understand, but the character’s movement and the camera placement kept letting me down.
Core Gameplay
Outside of combat, you need to take the initiative to work out what you need to do next. The game doesn’t hold your hand, which makes a change for this genre, so I was a big fan of that. Though, at times, I did struggle to know where I needed to go and ended up interacting with objects and people multiple times just to trigger something new. Once I did solve a puzzle or worked something out, it was a lovely boost of serotonin, I must say! I felt like I was a detective doing a good job.
Luckily you can teleport around the map using telephone boxes. This makes it a little easier to navigate the various areas of Echo Generation when having to travel back and forth to work through quests. Speaking of quests, there’s a ton! There’s the main overarching plotline, but there are smaller quests weaved throughout that add to the bigger picture.
Mystery Solved
In conclusion, I think games should take inspiration from the 80s and 90s era of sci-fi. It feels very different to how we view and perceive sci-fi now, but it’s a fun time all around. Some of the mechanics in Echo Generation: Midnight Edition need to be ironed out a little, especially with some parts of the combat.
I know I said I liked that the game forces you to work things out yourself, but perhaps an option to include hints now and again may be helpful too. Echo Generation: Midnight Edition is worth a pop for those who love retro science fiction and want something new out of the genre. For more cosy games to play, have a read of our Potion Permit review.
The good
- Lovely Voxel art style
- Nails the retro sci-fi vibes
- Feels like you’re truly solving a mystery
- Gorgeous environments and interiors
- Unique turn-based mini-games in combat
The bad
- Tough to know what you need to do at times
- Boss battles are sometimes let down by camera angles when avoiding mechanics