Echo Night: Beyond |
Echo Night Beyond is a first-person adventure game with horror themes that takes place in space.
Not many mind you, but at this year’s E3 the good folks at Agetec were kind enough to show us a sneak of the upcoming Echo Night: Beyond, the sequel to 1999’s Echo Night.
Agetec has long been a leader at converting Japanese adventure games for the North American market. If you’re a stick-in-the-mud who dismisses the idea of pure adventure games on console, then you’ve obviously never played the vastly underrated Disaster Report or the jarring Clock Tower 1.
Agetec’s newest adventure is Echo Night: Beyond and if the private demo I was treated to is any indication then you may want to stock-up on Pampers (or Depends). In Echo Night: Beyond, you play as Richard Osmond a research scientist who, along with his fianc¡§|e Claudia, fly to the moon for their dream wedding. Their plans for a lunar honeymoon soon turn into a nightmare as their shuttle takes unknown damage during their descent and crashes as it approaches the Lunar Station. After an unknown period of time, Richard awakes to find himself outside the Lunar Station. His fianc¡§|e is missing and he now has no choice but to search for her in a desolate lunar colony that is haunted by the previous inhabitants spectral remains.
Armed only with a flashlight, you can only reach Claudia by releasing the souls of spirits who have been unable to cross over into death until their final mortal desire has been accomplished. Ghosts can be located by monitoring the surveillance cameras placed throughout the station and your ultimate goal is to discover what happened to the space station. Of utmost importance is an onscreen heartbeat sensor that monitors the player’s heartbeat. If the spirits are successful at scaring the playing during his exploration, then Richard will join the spirits he is trying to help.
Echo Night: Beyond is not a survival horror game masquerading as an adventure; rather it is an adventure game with touches of survival horror. Agetec is promising plenty of puzzles - and they have never let us down yet – set amidst stunning graphics.
Adding to the eeriness is a unique, first-person perspective as much of the game – other than the cut-scenes - is seen through your space helmet. The raspy breathing from inside your helmet and the sudden appearance of specters were enough to give me goose-bumps in an air conditioned room. The trailer alone is enough to give you the chills, but be sure to also enjoy some of the frightening screenshots. If Agetec lives up to their promises, then after playing Echo Night: Beyond, you may never look up at the full moon the same way again.