A Nordic Fantasy That’s Almost Perfection
At its core, Echoes of the End follows Ryn, a vestige wielding volatile magic, and her scholar companion Abram as they chase echoes of hope through a land on the brink.
Their emotional journey, while heartfelt, can shift unevenly, from strong character moments to more familiar fantasy tropes. The dialogue occasionally comes off not as predictable, but familiar. The lore is atmospheric and rich, but at this point in its lifecycle doesn’t quite leave the same lasting impression as it will once the game picks up more traction.
Ryn herself is what is known as a ‘vestige’, which in this world is someone who was born with ancient magical abilities that she has suppressed to the best of her abilities for many years. This seems to be due to her fear of hurting those she cares about, after a brief contact she left her younger brother with scars. Her abilities allow her to interact with the collection of protective wards that are scattered across the countryside.
Her younger brother is Cor, who she seems to care for deeply but often seems a bit short with, as she looks to do her best to prepare and protect him for the outside world. When the game starts he is joining his sister as Syrouvian Rangers, patrolling the countryside, with this being his first time. He is endlessly inquisitive and optimistic and has a penchant for fire.
Abram is a brilliant character to join Ryn on her adventures. He is a distinguished scholar, who has spent much of his life researching the ancient civilisations of the world. He saved Ryn’s life after her first encounter with an evil vestige while he was looking for her and Cor’s recently deceased father.
Visually Striking Vistas Plucked From Nordic Fantasy
Echoes of the End doesn’t rely on flash, it builds an entire world so rich, so distinct, that lingering in its landscapes becomes a joy. Drawing inspiration from Iceland’s dramatic vistas, each environment feels crafted with intention, from jagged volcanic ridges to sprawling ice fields, all rendered with a cinematic flair.
Character motion, especially during traversal and combat, is smooth and animated with believable weight. That said, these virtues are occasionally tempered by frame rate drops, texture pop-ins, and minor camera jitters that can briefly pull you out of the moment. These small little bugs are sure to be fixed by a post-release patch, so no real worries with any of these slight issues.
It should be said, this is easily the prettiest video game that I have experienced so far this year, and it is safe to say Echoes of the End has secured its place on my own personal ‘Top 5’ most stunning games ever.
Movement and Puzzle Design: A Fluid Dance
There’s a real thrill in the traversal mechanics here. Leaning into a mix of Tomb Raider meets Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, platforming feels tight and responsive, jumps, rope swings, and zip-lines can chain together in satisfying sequences. The world’s puzzle design plays into this beautifully; creativity and exploration are rewarded with puzzles that feel intuitive and rewarding, backed by a handy hint system to keep frustration at bay. Paths may be linear, but they never feel dull, each moment of environmental challenge rewards attention and clever thinking.
The puzzles themselves are interesting as they often require some lateral thinking, patience and timing. That timing will be crucial, as this is not a game that holds the players hands at all. There is an option to request help in the form of a cryptic clue, either from the companion or Ryn herself.
Some people may not be fully aware of this but in some games that have sections where players need to make crucial jumps, the game will be a bit lenient if the jump isn’t quite on target, in an effort to retain the flow of gameplay. Echoes of the End does not do this, every jump needs to be exact with millimetres of room for error.
The difficulty system is very similar to that of the Star Wars Jedi series of games, with each difficulty setting being split into sliders. These include things like, enemy damage output, max health and block timing.
Combat: So Close To Perfection
Combat is at its most compelling when spellcasting meets environment. Ryn’s magic, gravity distortion, illusions, and time manipulation, interplay delightfully with Abram’s frost stun utility, enabling creative takedown combos. Boss fights are cinematic and rewarding, with checkpoints generous enough to allow experimentation. Unfortunately, melee combat can feel a little stiff, and enemies can grow infuriating, reducing some encounters to rote exercises rather than dynamic duels. Still, the magical side of the battle system frequently delivers engaging moments.
Just as the game doesn’t hole players hands with the platforming, it also doesn’t with the combat. In what is realistic, even in a fantasy game, regardless of how trained a warrior is, being outnumbered is going to be a tricky situation.
Enemies mainly attack with the typical attacks that either need to be dodged or blocked, with a little red dot popping up for dodges. This pop up is very brief however, and enemy attacks are quick, so Ryn will need to be on her toes. Regardless of how often the attacks are seen, the combat needs to be taken seriously at all times.
There is also another aspect of combat, that depending on opinion, is either a challenge that needs to be overcome or an annoyance. After many hours of playing, the ranged enemies… don’t seem to miss… ever. This becomes increasingly annoying during the middle of a skirmish blocking three enemies at once, and then a fireball from the other side of the area hits out of nowhere killing the player. Again, depending on preference this may not be an issue for some players.
Technical Polish: Some Rough Edges
It’s clear Echoes of the End was crafted from passion and ambition, but the technical execution sometimes slips. Performance hiccups including stutter, occasional camera issues, and glitchy environmental interactions, stand out against the game’s otherwise polished presentation. None are catastrophic on their own, but together they chip away at immersion.
Hopefully, post-launch updates will smooth these moments out and allow the world to truly shine.
The Only Two Real Negatives That Hold This Game Back
Echoes of the End provides countless moments for challenging gameplay. There are the puzzle solving sections, the precise traversal around the world and the combat. But, there are two aspects that are more annoying and aggravating than challenging.
One of these issues is most seen in combat. This issue is not being able to cancel animations. When each clash of steel takes place, the damage that is taken is pretty significant and any encounter, no matter how brief, can quickly lead to death and failure. Most games allow players to quickly hit the dodge button to get out of the way even while mid-swing. Not Echoes of the End, so I experienced multiple defeats that I saw coming, and was unable to do anything about it.
This game of course is the debut title from the developer, and as the first in what could potentially be a series of games set in this world, the history and the lore needs to be established. This can be discovered through conversations between the characters and a whole bunch of collectible chests strewn across each location. Some of these chests either provide health or mana boosts or an item with some attached information and some XP.
However, if players find a collectible, then get into combat and die, and the checkpoint is prior to opening the chest then players must go and do it again. This may seem trivial after one or two deaths, but after multiple challenging encounters, completionists will begin to get annoyed by completing a challenging bit of traversal for 50XP points and a journal entry about the resource management of a nearby settlement. Again, this is a fairly trivial negative, but something that can become pretty jarring on higher difficulties.
Echoes of the End Is A Fantastic Debut
Echoes of the End captivates with its stunning Nordic-inspired world, fluid traversal, and intelligent puzzles. Ryn and Abram’s journey has emotional weight, though not always consistent depth. Combat has flashes of brilliance, especially through magical synergy, but is held back by mechanical stiffness and repetitive foes. Technical issues, while not game-breaking, do distract at times.
Echoes of the End is a beautiful debut from Myrkur Games. It doesn’t just ask to be admired, it asks to be explored. With smoother mechanics and technical refinement, it could truly become unforgettable.
Important Links
A Breathtaking Icelandic-Inspired Epic Awaits – Echoes of the End Launches on Xbox, PS5 & PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-breathtaking-icelandic-inspired-epic-awaits-echoes-of-the-end-launches-on-xbox-ps5-pc/
Icelandic-Inspired Epic Echoes of the End Arrives on Xbox, PS5 and PC This Summer – https://www.thexboxhub.com/icelandic-inspired-epic-echoes-of-the-end-arrives-on-xbox-ps5-and-pc-this-summer/
Buy Echoes of the End on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/echoes-of-the-end/9pjw26lzsh39
