Разработчик: Wyrmling Productions
Описание
The end of the world has come and gone, leaving only phantoms where once there was life. Now Schorl, the last surviving human, and Spinel, the last of the magical saerii, search through the memories of a bygone era, hoping to find a future.
Pale Echoes is an RPG where exploration, collection, and critical thinking are key. Travel between the desolate real world and the vibrant world of memories, reliving the events of the past and collecting powerful human memories, each with their own unique skills.
Battle against and purify echoes, powerful phantoms left behind by the deceased, using a unique battle system where every lost memory you collect is a different character to summon to your aid. Beware, however, as each memory can only act once, and victory must be attained before your last memory has been used up.
Features:
• Open windows into the past to see the world as it used to be, solving puzzles and collecting memories to use in battle.
• A practical puzzle battle system, where the more memories you collect, the longer you can last in a fight.
• A story of finding hope when all seems lost, and friendship forged in the midst of resentment and despair.
• Uncover 40 different memories to summon into battle, and 30 different hidden lexicons that detail the history and culture of the world that was lost.
Поддерживаемые языки: english
Системные требования
Windows
- OS *: Windows 98 / XP / Vista / 7 / 8
- Processor: 1ghz
- Memory: 256 MB RAM
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 100 MB available space
Отзывы пользователей
A unique core gameplay loop with an incredibly engaging setting and a thought provoking story. This is the most I've enjoyed a games worldbuilding in a long time. Plus the more puzzle like gameplay elements make the game something incredibly interesting and unique, thoroughly recommend this one.
Let's get one thing out of the way: Pale Echoes is a game that quacks like an RPG, walks like an RPG, but it's not an RPG. It's a puzzle game in an RPG trenchcoat. I think that is important to understand before going in, because having the wrong expectations can leave one soured on the end experience. With that said, Pale Echoes is also quite a good puzzle game, which is more of a reason to treat it for what it actually is.
Gameplay is split between environmental puzzles that are pretty rudimentary, as the game is mostly linear, and combat puzzles that are not. Essentially you are collecting memories which all have one action each in combat, and the puzzle consists of figuring out what order to use them in and what action each needs to do. The game does a good job in escalating complexity in a natural way, since the more memories you collect, the more options you have in solving combat encounters. The enemies follow the same pattern every time and if you lose you just start from the beginning of the encounter (no long run-backs from a checkpoint). And, well... it's fun! The game hits that sweetspot of not being easy enough to be completely brainless, but not hard enough to make you sit there for half an hour wracking your brain. It's overall a pretty relaxing and still engaging experience, and keeping that balance deserves praise.
As for the story, I would call it solid. It's pretty straight forward while avoiding being completely without substance. There's enough mystery and personal conflict to drive the game forward, but not quite enough to truly wow you. For this game that's enough, and I do like how the memories give some small glimpses in different peoples' lives, leaving the rest to your imagination. Again, it's just enough to get your brain fluids flowing and for what it is, it's good.
Pale Echoes is a short game with a good flow, engaging gameplay and a solid story. As such, it's very easy to recommend, because all the shortcomings are apparent in the trailer and screenshots. If you really don't like how it looks or you're seeking a more challenging game, then you should already know that this game is not it. If that's not a problem, then the rest of what the game offers is all positives. It won't be the best game you've ever played, but it's a good time and worth checking out for those interested.
Really cool post-apocalyptic setting.
No! Refund the game.
Playing this is more about luck...also it is very short and limited.
An RPG that demands that you think before acting and adapt to the situation, rather than spamming the same strategy over and over.
This game strikes a chord with me, as I aspire to make games myself in a similar way. The characters are memorable as well as the events, story, and just about everything else (considering that as I'm writing it's been well over a year since I've played it). My only complaints albeit a little nitpicky, is that I don't know if I've gotten all the secrets in any area and Ruby is way out of my league. But those are the only complaints I have, and they're not anything I would fix myself.
10/10 game and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a little 16-bit RPG.
I was really on the fence about recommending this game or not, as it is very unique and does some cool things. I'm going to have to fall on the side of not recommending it, but if you are bored and have a spare 2-4 hours it's not a bad experience by any means.
Pale Echos is one of those cases where even though the game may quack like a duck, waddle like a duck, and look like a duck - it's not really a duck. Yes it's an rpg maker game, and yes it is a blend of a story, a combat system, and a progression system of sorts, but it I wouldn't want to compare it to other rpgs.
The game is divided into locations, and you will visit each location in turn until you reach the final location and end the game. Other than choosing whether or not to visit an optional location every now and then, you do not really get a choice of where to go next. You choose the next location on the menu, and away you go.
At a location, you will explore two worlds - the world that is, and the world of memories of what was. Everything is contained in a single section that is roughly the size of a typical jrpg town. You build a "party" out of the memories you find in these two worlds, but sometimes are asked to lose a memory to proceed. Upon talking to some of the memories, instead of joining you they will fight. There are also secrets to find on the map, so check every nook and cranny.
Combat is not what you will expect. On each turn, you summon memories out of your party to fight, but they will fight on that turn only. If you run out of memories to fight, the combat is over. You have health but memories don't. Each memory has a different set of skills that work best in a given situation. So the most important aspect of doing well in a fight is summoning your memories in the right order. Since you will be losing memories on the location map in order to progress, they are also the main resource of the game. You don't want to leave yourself without a particular skill.
The story is where the game really falls down for me. The premise is a kind of healing of the land after ait has been completely obliterated, while also trying to learn why the world ended. I like games about restoring a world, but the story structure here is lacking something. I never felt empathy for the world that was lost or the main characters of the game. Certain aspects were interesting, but not enough of it was truly engaging. I found myself playing until the end because the aspect of making sure you find all of the codex entries and collect all ofthe memories was addicting enough.
The combat also is not quite as good as I think it could have been. Although you collect many memories (your party goes up to about 20 large) none of them feel distinctive. The abilities they have are all very similar, to the point that as long as I could get away with it, I summoned them at random just to get through combat quickly. You restore all of your health afterwards, so there is little incentive to do well at combat, besides making it through. While the puzzle aspect of combat was very cool, about halfway through the game it became gimmicky and stopped interesting me.
But overall it's a pretty fun romp with some pleasingly fresh twists that make it stand out, despite not being as good as it could have been.
+ zero randomness in combat - solve the puzzle
+ collect and lose party members - decide who to say goodbye to
+ collecting things keeps you going
+ several new game plus modes (I didn't quite like the game enough to go for them)
- repetative combat and areas
- story about big topics fails to sell it
- very linear
It was OK for a 3 hour game. I'd love to see the developer make another game!
While I would recommend this game, only to people who don't want a really long game that makes more sense.
Not enough detail in the story, not enough background, and I finished it with almost 100% in 3 hours. Lower than my expectations were for this game, but still good.
3/5 stars
So many RPGMaker games just use the default assets, default combat system, and call it a day. Not this one!
This is a rare gem of an RPG in that...
* ...it is relatively short - 3-5 hours for one playthrough. No dragging on for 30-60 hours, until you've gotten sick of the gameplay.
* ...has a unique combat system. There is no RNG - instead, every battle is a puzzle against a unique enemy. In essence, you get three party members of your choice to join your main character for one combat round - after which they are "spent" for the duration of the fight. Every one is slightly different, so using their attack and support abilities efficiently is critical to your success.
* ...uses unique art and music assets.
* ...Rewards you for exploring and collecting things without making the process of collection arbitrarily hard or time-consuming.
* ...doesn't swamp you with scores of random battles.
* ...has a good story with a few score characters, centered around the concept of apocalypse - specifically, how people respond to impending doom and what, if anything, they feel after.
Totally worth $5.
Fantastic little RPGmaker title, turns every combat encounter into a perfect little turn-based combat puzzle, trying to figure your way through each enemy and trick thegame throws your way. The room for error in each solution is pretty low, but every failure only brings you back to try the encounter again immediately, so it's easy and compelling to keep trying until you get it.
Story is interesting enough, it does a fantastic job of feeding you the answers to your questions piecemeal, so you learn more about what's going on and what's happened with every major scene. It's well put together, and surprisingly compelling.
For the low price tag, I'd call it an easy buy. I'm certainly glad I did.
Though the battle system is very simple and it's a short story, I love this game.
It's challenging in later progress when you made the wrong decisions ins the beginning because you have to think tactically which is in conflict to your sympathy for the memories when you come to shattered windows.
But especially I love the story-telling parts. It's easy to follow and I really like the way of story-telling through flashbacks.
You learn something about the past of the characters flashback by flashback while you play the game and get to know the world you're in, which is very moving at a few points.
Also I really like the fact that there is no villain or evil person as you're expecting more and more when it comes to an end and although there is not a usual "happy end" I think the ending is quite satisfying.
Briefly: It's a nice little game with a beautiful and critical story and it's fun to play
Briefly: Pale Echoes is a turn-based RPG with a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting and hosting an unorthodox combat system with almost deterministic puzzle-like battles.
A cool thing about RPGMaker titles is that each of them presents their own quirks in the forms of combat (or sometimes the lack there-of) and particularly the story and setting.
For Pale Echoes it is actually the remnants of that setting: A huge catastrophe has destroyed the world. There are only two survivors: a magical pixie humanoid called Spinel and her guardian, a human named Schorl who becomes our protagonist.
They take on the quest to cleanse and fix the devastated world.
Memory is the treasure...
Not much is initially said about the strange pair of heroines. Instead, the introduction to the characters and the setting is organic: met characters (or their memories) and hidden lexicons all explain the setting bit by bit. Spinel the pixie also gives her own view of the situation from time to time.
Spinel has the power to open windows into the world of memories. While the real world is a wasteland filled with vile Echoes of the memories of people long gone, the world of memories is a beautiful place with all sorts of people, all talking about the upcoming end of the world.
Some of the people's memories are benevolent, and meeting them will add them to the party. Recruited memories are then used by Schorl (you) to fight the nasty Echoes. They will essentially form your party. However, Spinel sometimes needs memories to power the opening of windows, so you will inevitably lose a few when you infuse them for this ultimate sacrifice.
Level design is great: the world of memories is filled with all sorts of activity and objects, like cute little houses, wells and trees, often in at least two levels rendering the terrain interesting. On the other hand, real world maps are desolate wastelands with huge holes and wreckage covering most of the area and the pretty grass replaced by dirty, dead ground. The contrast between the two worlds is extreme and powerful.
That said, graphically the game isn't unique, supposedly (as noted by other reviewers) using lots of default assets. If you don't mind that too much, a good use has been made of those assets and I think the result looks excellent.
...and guardian of all things
Other thing cool about RPGMaker titles is the diverse variety of combat systems. Pale Echoes goes so far as to turn battles into puzzles.
Each battle is predetermined (i.e. there are no random battles) and the battle follows strict rules. At first it is actually confusing since all the default actions have been replaced but you'll get the hang of it soon and there's a convenient in-game tutorial.
Basically, you can summon three memories to fight for you each turn. Schorl can also attack herself. In the end of the turn the enemy echoes attack Schorl. Echoes disrupt Schorl's focus (i.e. health) and you'll lose the fight if it runs out. You will also lose if you run out of memories. However, losing only means that you have to fight again, and you never permanently lose memories by fighting.
The memories and sometimes echoes (enemies) have attack types called moods that work similarly to rock-paper-scissors: attacking with a superior type lets you inflict bonus damage and likewise inferior types inflict less damage .
Attacks are also divided into fixed, group and multi attacks with fixed always doing 100 damage (unless being affected by a mood) to a single enemy, group attacks affecting every enemy with half damage and multi attacking 3 random enemies with half damage. Multi attack is the only random element of the game. Every memory also has a support ability like focus healing or attack buffing.
As all attacks of the same type do same damage, the only difference between memories is the extend of their attack types and support abilities. "Better" memories have just more diverse moods or attack patterns. Hence puzzle-like battles.
Almost flawless jewel
On the technical side, Pale Echoes is one of the most polished RPGMaker titles I've ever played. For instance I encountered no bugs at all (and I tend to stumble upon them by accident), there's a built-in fullscreen option (rare in RPGMaker games) and as extensive options as possible for RPGMaker.
The engine does pose a couple of technical issues: the lack of proper screenshotting in Steam requiring special procedures to take and upload them, and perhaps the controls if you are not happy with the default ones. However, the game does instruct how to change the latter. Myself, I used default controls and played with Xbox Controller without issues.
After the end?
After beating the game it presents you with all manners of goodies to check, including the music box (to listen to all in-game music and also oldies), playing as different-looking characters or turning on the dev diary mode.
Dev diaries brought light to some game design elements and I found them very interesting since I'm dabbling with RPGMaker myself. Dev diaries are scattered across the game, so to read them all you would need to do a replay.
Fortunately there are two bonus modes for this: Plus and Perfection mode. Plus mode is the normal game but you retain everything from normal playthrough, and if you missed anything, there is a handy circle around it (convenient for completionists!).
Perfection mode has more difficult battles and it's more like a regular game since you have to recollect all the memories. You also have to be really strategic with infusing memories so as to not lose an advantage that would become critical later on. While the late game in the mode was done great, the early part does suffer from a potential need to reload since the early battles require very specific memories to win them. All in all I enjoyed the mode nevertheless for the challenge it presented.
In the Perfection mode one thing concerning combat became frustrating (as repetition often brings out that in games). Some group attacks or abilities would affect every enemy or character in turns, taking additional time even though the effect is exactly the same for each one. As the animation cannot be skipped it takes a relatively long time to wait it out. It would be better if the attack or buff would simply apply to everybody at the same time instead to save time.
Last words
I think the game had only one true flaw: it was too short. Even if it was 4 hours long, which is actually quite alright for the price of 5 €.
But just as I thought the game had truly captured my interest, the ending loomed into the view. That said, the replayability provided by finding all of the dev diaries, the Plus mode and the Perfection mode extended that to 11 hours for myself.
All in all Pale Echoes was a great RPG experience. For the first title of Wyrmling Productions, I salute: Nice entry to the scene!
Amazing game. I just completed the game at 95%. I'm a bit sad I was playing offline, because I got almost every single achievement. I guess it just means that I'll replay the game some time later this summer. It's well worth my time and efforts.
Who this is for:
1. People that want a slow pace puzzle in terms of exploration and turn based combat, with little consequences.
2. People with no time but want to indulge in a nice heart felt story. I finished pretty quickly,
3. Y'all just feel pleasant man.
Pros:
1. Interesting combat. I usually do not like turn based games but it was very fun to collect memories and fiddle with the order of using them.
2. Little consequences, so it's really refreshing to play after a difficult run in WoL, or something with a heavier plot like Transistor.
3. Cheap, and worth more than the price.
4. Short length promotes replayability. I WILL get my achievements back.
Cons:
I honestly don't have any unless I'm being nitpicky.
1. Music isn't anything special. But like, who cares.
2. Sometimes the animation is too slow and you can't skip.
3. Makes you too invested.
4. Perhaps some people would like a heavier plot or longer length. But buy it anyway. It's nice.
Have fun!
Got this during the jrpg sale and so glad I found this game. The story, characters, soundtrack, combat system (memories) are all quite charming and immersive. I grew up on final fantasy and zelda games and its just so nostalgic. You even have a fairy-like companion. Cute underrated game ٩(◕‿◕)۶
I don't even know how to put how awesome this game is into words. I absolutely love it and I guarantee you will too!
Pale Echoes is a 5-6 hour long rpg that is about purifying the world after it has come to it's end. The story is nothing too complicated in a good way. It is easy to understand and the twist it delivers later on did really surprise me(I can't guarantee that every one will like the twist, I just personally wasn't expecting it at all so it was effective on me). The graphics are the default rpg maker graphics(a.k.a RTP)however they are put into very good use which brings me to my next point. The mapping in the game is great with a lot of detailing. However, the point Pale Echoes really shines is it's battle system.
The battle system isn't your typical rpg ''mash attack'' kind of system. Neither does it actually feel like a battle system! The battles in Pale Echoes are really a lot like puzzles of their own. In the game you can collect echoes from the area, who are party members who will help you in battle. However, they can all only hit once before fading away each battle. You cannot win the battle if you run out of echoes, which means your moves are limited. For example, if you have 5 echoes you have to win the battle in 5 moves. There are three attack elements which are strong against one another. Differently from many other rpgs, losing in Pale Echoes will not give you game overs. You can repeat the battles if you lose which was really nice because you mostly have to lose at least once in the battles to form a strategy.
I really don't have much to say about Pale Echoes. You should just buy it, like NOW. It's price is near perfect and it has a great length so that it doesn't start to get boring or repetitive. Personally, I had so much fun playing Pale Echoes and I recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of rpgs or just indie games in general.
Pale Echoes is an interesting twist on the classic turn based RPG battle system with an interesting story to back it up.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Pale Echoes and the battle system was unique and fun to figure out. I liked how you fight with one time per battle Memories which requires you to plan your strategy instead of just mashing the confirm button.
The story was interesting enough to keep me hooked and the Lexicon entries which contained extra lore made for an interesting read.
The game also appealed to my collectible side with it's large amount of diverse memories and hidden Lexicon entries to collect. It also appealed to my completionist side with its 25 Achievements, percentage finish, and two bonus modes for an extra challenge.
Overall I think it made a great effort to utilize the default RPG Maker graphics to the best of it's abilities and my only regret was that the game was not longer.
I would recommend this game to anyone who thinks a good RPG Maker game can't be made with the default graphics and wants a unique interesting battle system.
A large part of my interest in Pale Echoes came from playing a very similar game on the Nintendo Wii back in 2009: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon . The game focused on exploring a lonely, memory-filled world following a planet-wide disaster that leaves the main character (Seto) completely alone, save for his companion. It remains one of my favorite titles on the system, and I was excited to see the formula tried again via the ever-common RPG Maker system.
So, how does it hold out?
Plot and Setting
By far, I would say the reason to play Pale Echoes is the ambient environment and story. Granted, the game is very short--I finished the game with all Lexicon entries and memories in less than four hours. But for those who like lore-driven games and this particular style of post-apocalypse storytelling, it's a pleasant little item. You play as Schorl, the last human alive after the apocalypse, as she and her magical companion Spinel approach the end of their purification of the world. In order to restore destroyed portions of the map, you must defeat a Dark Echo and give respite to the haunted memories of the dead there.
Gameplay
The actual areas you explore are somewhat small. Most are about the size of your typical 2D RPG villages. However, they are doubled in size and content due to the fact that you travel between the real world and the memory of the past world via Spinel's portals. You essentially look for two things: Memories (or Pale Echoes)--which are recruitable units you use in combat or sacrifice to open some of Spinel's Windows (portals)--and Lexicon entries, which provide lore information about the world and unlock various post-game bonuses.
Both are strongly recommended for enjoying Pale Echoes to the fullest. As far as combat goes, I would describe the game less as an "RPG" and more as a "light-RPG/puzzle" hybrid. All encounters are fixed and predetermined; specific Echoes are always encountered at specific locations. Fighting revolves around a simplified combat triangle (think Fire Emblem's sword -> axe -> spear -> ) of mental states: Composed, Provoked, and Erratic. Fighting is more about tactfully deciding each turn of Memories to maintain Schorl's Focus (aka HP), as all attack types deliver a determined amount of damage throughout the game; as an example, a Fixed attack without a mental state or buff will always deal 100 points of damage. Later Memories are more "powerful" through a greater variety of attack types and buffs. Losing a battle does NOT result in death, as the enemies are merely memories you are confronted with.
The system is simple, but it works. It's an interesting twist on the RPG Maker system, and it fits the more casual, visual- and aural-based gameplay. For those really looking for a challenge with the system, there is an alternate style called "Perfection Mode" which demands very specific actions and Memories in order to subdue the various Echo encounters.
Visuals
Let's get this over with-- Pale Echoes clearly uses RPG Maker components, and for many people this is a huge turnoff. To be fair, I myself am starting to witness recurring sprites and tilesets (I just played Moonchild a few weeks earlier). While my opinion may change on it in the future, I wasn't too bothered by this fact here. I thought the characters pictures and sprites fit the Memories well, and the game includes a wide diversity of them to find.
One thing that particularly bothered me was the fact that the Real World seemed far too empty after viewing the Memory World. The Developer Commentary even points out that they opted for giant, gaping holes where houses and structures existed to avoid needing destroyed sprites. This...is not a good thing to admit. I'm aware that custom sprites and tiles require time to make, but as I've seen numerous people point out in other titles, this is what separates good RPG Maker games from the poor ones.
The rest of the gameworld felt more detailed--I enjoyed jumping between the Windows to see exactly how the two worlds differ from each other. Numerous items and objects can also be observed in the world, which is great for this type of game. Exploration and world depth is key!
Audio
I personally love post-apocalyptic games that emphasize silence (again, coming from Fragile Dreams ). The Real World is mostly quiet, save for ambient sounds. However, the rest of the game uses various sets of music, so you might recognize a few of them (the alternate set of music that can be unlocked was nice, but I remembered several from Moonchild's soundtrack). I prefer the first set of tracks employed in the game, particularly the battle theme with the Echoes which gives a sort of nobility to the ruined world and significance to the memories of the dead.
Replayability
I wouldn't mind playing Pale Echoes again. However, much of the game can be achieved in one playthrough. There are several modes and features available after your first completion of the game, which flesh it out more (I applaud the developers for including them! I've gone through a few already). Honestly, it depends on your own personality. I tend to treat games more as books, and I'm fine with rereading a good story--if this isn't the same for you, it might be harder to justify going back to it.
Final Say
Ultimately, I liked Pale Echoes . It certainly has some flaws that prevent me from outright recommending it to anyone who likes RPGs or puzzle games, but I wouldn't condemn the game for it. Again, I stress that the game shouldn't be considered as an RPG first; much of the enjoyment I got came from the world, lore, and Memories. If you happen to find the game on discount and are remotely interested in this type of game or setting, I'd suggest taking a look at it.
A very satisfying gaming experience - especially from an RPGMaker game! Pale Echoes really differentiates itself with it's unique battle system, player choices and lore (I love the ingame Lexicon). You can tell the developer really enjoyed creating this world.
I had never heard of this game, saw its description when it was released, and decided to risk $4 on it.
It was definitely worth it. It's far more engaging than many game with better graphics that cost 5 times as much. One of the most melacholy game I've ever played, but not crushingly depressing like Planetarian. The battles really are puzzles, while still feeling like console RPG battles.
My only complaint is that it really needs something like a 200% window size, as the only options are tiny RPGMaker default and giant full-screen blur.
More window sizes were added, complaint gone.
While it's an interesting story, and the fighting techniques are quite unique I did find one thing very annoying.... I couldn't adjust the resolution of the game. It came up in a tiny window on my screen and I had to adjust the resolution of my screen in order to make it bigger. There should definitely be some controls for making the game full screen built into the game. Also the movement is bound to the arrow keys instead of W,A,S,D, and doesn't allow for mouse clicks to make the game easier to navigate.
I do plan on putting some more time into the game to see more of the story, but I hope the developer will address these issues eventually to make it a more enjoyable experience. Otherwise the story and world development, and the mechanic for going back and forth through memories is quite enjoyable.
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Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Wyrmling Productions |
| Платформы | Windows |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 15.01.2025 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 90% положительных (21) |