Returning To A World Worth Revisiting
I couldn’t even begin to estimate how many games I have played over the years. That said, only a select few have really resonated with me, leaving a lasting impression. One such game was Echo Generation, which released back in 2021. So when it was announced a sequel was coming, it shot straight to the top of my most wanted list.
Not too long ago I went hands on with Echo Generation 2, and it was shaping up well. Although I wasn’t expecting to see a sequel, it is most certainly welcome as there were definitely opportunities to expand beyond the first game.
This time around the action takes place in the eighties, where in a rather shady looking lab, a dangerous experiment goes disastrously wrong. As a result all sorts of hideous creatures are released into the world, kicking off a story of intertwining realities and world ending threats.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because once again Echo Generation 2 is very much giving Stranger Things vibes, but that’s by no means a bad thing. The game is set up differently to the first, giving some choice in the order you can play through events. There are several chapters which follow different characters, and how their arcs eventually converge.
Despite some foreshadowing at the start of the game, I struggled to buy-in to the big story that Echo Generation 2 is trying to tell. Instead it felt more of a fragmented anthology of almost random individual tales. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a conscious choice to set the game up this way, but as a result the final act ended up feeling lacklustre with no real pay off.
Losing A Little Of The Original Magic
The big difference in Echo Generation 2 is that the gameplay is much more linear, as is the narrative. There’s little exploring to do, apart from to find extra items. Instead, each character is on a tightly defined path. Unfortunately I did find this meant the sense of wonder and discovery which the first game nailed was missing in action here to a degree.
However, the very distinctive voxel art blocky style is back, and still looks brilliant. There’s even a chapter set entirely in monochrome which is effectively used to depict a dystopian world without hope. The soundtrack is also once again tightly tied to the genre and time period, helping to create that feeling of authenticity.
Where Echo Generation 2 Truly Evolves
Where Echo Generation 2 really moves ahead of the first game is when it comes to combat. Encounters remain turn based, but the card deck battling system opens up all sorts of different strategic elements. These are also taken further when deciding on how best to team up from the roster of heroes available. You’ll start off with several cards and find plenty more on your journey. These are sometimes found scattered around, available to purchase or simply gifted by interacting with the weird and wonderful characters in the world of Echo Generation 2. Your deck is made up of a maximum of 12 cards, meaning striking a balance is key to winning battles.
There are various attack cards and each is colour coded, and often they will inflict statuses on your enemy such as blindness, poison and bleeding to name but a few. Other cards will buff your heroes and their stats, and finally there are cards which heal and shroud your party in protective shields. Simply going on an all out attack will usually end in failure, so looking for cards which complement each other is your best chance of victory. A simple example of this is marking your enemy, before playing cards which offer damage and healing bonuses when used on marked targets.
Building The Perfect Deck
Paying attention to the coloured symbols on the cards is important, because enemies will have defenses that need breaking. To do this, attacking with each of the symbols on display will create an opening to do some serious damage.
There are also badges, of which three can be equipped at any one time. These offer different buffs which can link well to a themed deck. For example, badges offer the chance to do extra damage, land devastating critical hits, heal heroes mid battle and much more.
The final component to the battling system in Echo Generation 2 is the skill tree. Winning battles awards XP which will in turn level up your heroes, and as a result of this skill points will become available. You can choose from a branching skill tree that again will offer a variety of buffs, but I would focus on nabbing as many extra card draws as possible because this really tips the balance in your favour. Just don’t forget to spend your points, because I completely missed this until I got to a boss battle and couldn’t understand why I was suddenly getting my backside handed to me.
Better Battles, Smaller Adventures
All in all Echo Generation 2 took me just under ten hours to complete. I had a good time but came away unable to shake the feeling that somehow this sequel felt like a slight step backwards. The opportunity to retain the sense of wonder and discovery from the first game whilst at the same time expanding the combat system feels like a missed one, whilst the separate story chapters never truly came together to make for a gripping final act. Who knows, perhaps the third time will be the charm.
Although Echo Generation 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable deckbuilding RPG in its own right, it drifts a little too far from what made the first game so special.
Important Links
Echo Generation 2 Lands Day One On Game Pass! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/echo-generation-2-lands-day-one-on-game-pass/
Echo Generation 2 Announced for Xbox & Game Pass in 2026, Shifting from Turn-Based to Deckbuilding – https://www.thexboxhub.com/echo-generation-2-announced-for-xbox-game-pass-in-2026-shifting-from-turn-based-to-deckbuilding/
Download from the Xbox Store, via Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/echo-generation-2/9n17pd34g54m
