Echo Grotto

played on HTC Vive with Vive controllers
this game gives me a safe environment to satisfy my urge to explore the unknown using a limited toolset and my own wits and ability to conceptualize a space in my head to get around. i've played less than an hour and already love it; i could see myself sinking many hours into this

This game is actually pretty good, i would've given it a thumbs up if my belt hadn't made the pickaxe that i dropped on the floor by accident clipped through the floor, never to be seen again, i would've really recommended it but... It glitched so badly i couldn't collect any gems because of it, please fix this or just make the objects not interact with each other when they're on the belt. I had to restart it to look for it again but i literally explored the whole cave system just making wait points for the gems to collect them later... And then it failed miserably

found big scary dark room and quit cause it was spooky. 10/10



movement is kind of janky. wish it was normal joystick style.

Not for everyone but if you want to see a game that actually needs to be VR, this is it. Use grip locomotion as a back up but git gud at tossing the teleporter. Teleporter trick shots are half the fun.

I wanted this game to be great. I love the idea of what they did with this, and I was looking forward to spelunking. Unfortunately I couldn't get past the controls. Their teleporter was a great idea to traverse without giving the player free reign to break the game. However, mine just continually decided that it wanted to either get attached to my belt, or would transport me back to the step before i had thrown it. One step forward, two steps back, as it were. Other times (it appears this is part of the design) it would just disappear and not teleport me to an area I threw it to. Perhaps this is trying to keep me out of somewhere I I couldn't go or, or a drop that's too high, or just a dead end not worth bringing the player to. Regardless, there was no feedback to tell me what I was doing wrong. I get that the point of the game is exploration so I'm not expecting to be led along, but maybe a red flash or small buzzer to let me know that I've thrown it in the wrong spot (and even maybe a little message as to what's wrong) would be nice.

In general the index controls (can't speak for anything else) were too finicky and I found myself either dropping my tools or placing them in my belt in lieu of throwing them. Then not being able to retrieve them from the floor due to reach. Hopefully I'm just being dumb (most reviews are quite positive), but I can't recommend the game from the experience I got, which was only being able to bumble my way in the first couple rooms of the cave.

Very much cool very. I am deathly afraid of spiders so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that spiders and other bugs were included in this game. Luckily I figured out that they can be disabled in the options. This game is very relaxing, yet extremely nerve-racking at the same time. I think it comes mostly from the lack of noise and light when in the caves mixed with the beautifully designed cave systems that are randomly generated. It's always scary when you first go down there, but once you set up a glowstick or a torch, its smooth sailing form there. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys spelunking or exploring new environments.

Pretty neat! Needs some more variety but is still fun to explore.

I definitely get lazy and "fly" out of the cave though when I'm done exploring, instead of going the long/slow way back up lol. It's nice that they have some different locomotive options so it's not so tedious for those of us who are more impatient.... :P

Anyway, I've enjoyed it. If it looks interesting, you probably will too.

I'm grateful for this game. I'm very happy it exists.

It's a charming experience that does wonders to relax, and satisfy cravings for VR exploration. The visuals rouse awe, and I find myself regularly staking out good vantage points to sit and get a good view to admire the caves from. Index support is great; grip controls are very intuitive.

If there's any criticisms to be had, it's that the main method of locomotion, the thrown teleportation lamps, can be a bit finicky at times, and the structured "campaign" game mode where equipment is unlocked has confusing organization, and could be better.

If you find yourself buckling under the weight instigated by the daily races, do yourself a favor here. Do some caving. Throw some glowsticks. Smash some gemstones. Bully the local fauna. With this price tag, it's not a heavy investment.

Amazing cave exploration game with procedurally generated levels. A bit buggy, but it's one of the VR hidden gems, really. I had no interest in spelunking, but enjoyed Echo Grotto a lot.

Pros:
+ Great environments: they look really well-designed, despite being randomly generated. And the game makes the most out of low-poly visuals, especially with it's dynamic lighting. It feels incredibly good to throw a glow stick into the abyss and watch how it travels through the darkness
+ Great sound effects: from the water dripping to spooky wind howling. And when you descent to the very bottom of the cave, everything gets so quiet, it's just feels amazing. But for some reason, there is no echo for thrown objects, despite the game's name)
+ Immersive throwing-based locomotion, kinda like in the In Death
+ A lot of comfort and locomotion options

Cons:
- Very common and annoying bug: glow sticks and teleporter can fall through the floor
- No visual effects for water: it just look like blue semi-transparent area
- Drawing distance is too short: in bigger caves lighting sources just disappear, when you look at them from afar

Some years ago i had one experience in cave exploration, i have great memories from that day and loved the experience... Echo Grotto took me to that day again, what a great feeling, this is those kind of games that where made for VR and makes us loving it.
The immersion is total when you dive in those caves and find yourself way bellow ground surface...my wife suffers from claustrophobia and she tried the game and took her 3 minutes until she was gasping for air, that's the kind of realism this game offers.
As for me, i would like to thank that snail that made me give that jump scare and that scream like if i was a little scared girl, what a pu ssy.

The price asked is more than justified, on sale like it now theres no excuse to not buy this.

i was really in two minds as to whether or not i should recommend this game. at the end of the day i would say if it looks like some thing you would enjoy and its on sale go for it. that said im going to give it a thumbs down because although the game is a great idea and in some ways pulled off really well, in others its a nightmare.

my main problem and what got in the way of my enjoyment were the terrible controles and interaction system. you're constantly grabbing things you dont mean to and dropping everything else. your equipment belt always seems to be in the way and the movement system relies on throwing a small marker. while i can understand the thinking behind the idea it is not done well at all. there is however a grappling hook you can use instead but the sound of the thing shooting every time you want to move is hugely immersion breaking. there you are down in the dark depths of this spooky cave system, water can be heard dripping slowly from the stalactites around you as a gentile rush of air through the tunnels causes a soft howling. then you go to move and SHZZZEEEGAGHKKKK SHZZZEEEGAGHKKKK SHZZZEEEGAGHKKKK it killed it so bad!

id love for these problems to be fixed so i can give this game the positive review it deserves.

Overall: Halfway between game and experience, Echo Grotto is an enjoyable leisurely VR escape that could use more content for replayability. Other reviewers have complained about the controls; to address these early issues, the developers have made usability improvements that are available via the game settings.

The game will appeal to you if:
* You enjoy leisurely, nonthreatening freeform exploration with a few mining and advancement mechanics
* You have always wanted to go spelunking (or, I suspect, if you have gone spelunking and enjoyed it)
* You're looking for something with a bit more gameplay and replayability than some of the readily available "VR Experiences" but that isn't too action-oriented

It won't appeal to you if:
* You prefer an element of danger in your gameplay
* You aren't willing to explore the customization options to find a method of moving around that will work for you
* In exploration/harvesting games, you prefer a very high density of set pieces and resources
* You are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark
* You want AAA graphics in your VR games
* You aren't willing to tolerate the occasional glitch
* You find destructive harvesting of natural resources offensive in games

The good:

The game is highly atmospheric and, at least on the first playthrough or two, provided a very satisfying exploration experience.

There are a LOT of customization options available (and some customization will be necessary to make the game enjoyable for some people). There are tons of navigation options, and a few graphics options that allow it to be played on lower end hardware. You can even prevent certain wildlife from appearing in case you're creeped out by bugs!

Although graphics options are available, most people won't need to touch them - I'm playing with a GTX 960, below the Vive recommended minimum, and on the highest graphics settings I only had performance issues in the largest caves!

The bad:

Although the overall cave layout is computer-generated, a lot of the interest comes from hand-built set pieces. That's fine, but there just aren't enough set pieces to go around. By the second cave, you'll be recognizing the same set pieces you saw in the first game. At $8 for the game, this is understandable, but I would definitely pay for DLC that added additional set pieces. (I'd say that the game has at least 2-3 hours of enjoyable exploration as it stands; whether it has more than that will depend on individual players' tolerance for repetitive content)

The default/recommended modes of object interaction and locomotion are extremely finicky, and I've punched the wall a few times trying to throw the teleporter and glowsticks. Many users are going to want to adjust these settings. I actually found the somewhat clunky interface oddly charming, but I eventually tweaked it for usability.

Unless you have a lot of patience, I suggest the following configuration tweaks: For a less frustrating gameplay experience, turn off hand collisions and change the interaction mode to pointing. Always use underhand throws for teleporters and glowsticks instead of overhand; if you still can't get the teleporter to go where you want or are in a small space where throwing things tends to mean punching the wall, switch to a different teleport method.

The grappling hook is really glitchy. Use it as little as possible.



Final note: Multiple colors of glowstick are the best items in the game.

Amazing experience, this is why i wanted VR in the first place to do things i would never do in real life. Its such a strange and magical place the developer has made you really need to see it for yourself.

This really nails the atmosphere of a deep, utterly dark tunnel system of caves. The exploration is an absolute joy, and I love that at any time you can randomly generate an entirely new cave system. I have yet to get to the point that I feel like I've seen a specific tunnel feature more than once. I do wish there was a bit more variety in the "decor" of the caves, there seems to be an awful lot of stalagtites and stalagmite filled caverns. But, when you do come across a room that is different, it really feels like you've found something special.

The lighting in this game really makes the ambiance! There are tight tunnels that you have to weave your way around with dynamic shadows dancing everywhere from your flashlight, or lantern. Firing the flare gun sends off a beautiful firey ball that sets in motion a spectacular display of moving shadows as it shoots through the tunnels.

Discovering new tools that you can use in the caves gives you a sense of purpose to continue exploring the caves, hoping to find that next piece of equipment that will open up even more possibilities.

The movement system is a bit awkward, and it takes a minute to get used to how you toss the teleport tool. I understand that an update is coming soon that will open up all of the standard locomotion options which will be a welcome addition.

All in all, I have been amazed by the ambiance of this game. The feeling of depth, and vastness, and the sense of exploration is really nailed in this game. this is a very impressive addition to my VR game collection

Excellent exploring caves game with equipment upgrades and mining, gem find. One of my Fav VR games already. Just wanted to give it a quick go and go on and play something else and then found myself not wanting to leave. Real NZ feels to the caves and you play through different scenarios.

The grip teleport throwing system is a little hard to get the hang of, but you do after a while.

Really only needs the Madonna caving scenario but I'm guessing that cave would be just too large.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys exploring games and those who like a little relaxing adventure.

Finally, some good indie VR games that vary from the normal shooters.

I don't think I have written a review in Steam ever, however I had to write one for this game. Some people might enjoy shooters or adventure games heavy on puzzles, but for me, this is it, this is one of the games that showcases the potential of VR.

The graphics are adequate (some of the vistas can be quite breathtaking), the sound is adequate, and the gameplay is simple. What brings it altogether is the sense of discovery, the sense of loneliness while exploring the caves.

Throwing a flare down a black hole and lightning up a pond with a snake swimming in it is something that has to be experienced, I have not had this sense of amazement with a game in a long time.

Echo Grotto is a great example of a unique experience that only VR can provide. It's fun and immersive and definitely leaves you wanting more afterwards. It offers a few hours of quality entertainment, which is a pretty good deal for its price. I would strongly recommend it for people wanting new and interesting experiences to have in VR.

You explore gaves by throwing a "teleporter" around, which also creates a series of waypoints which you can warp back to if you hit a dead end or go the wrong way. You get glowsticks which you can use to light the cave around you, thus helping keep track of where you've been. As you explore, you find crystals and better gear for moving around and seeing, such as a head light, a belt with more "pockets", or my favourite, the grappling hook.

Personally I really enjoyed the experience. Everywhere you go gives you that sort of "wow, look at this" feeling as you light it up and search for gear or crystals. The caves are very pretty and the art style is perfect for it. You also start to become very completionist, quickly wanting to search every nook and cranny of the cave until the whole place is lit up with glowsticks. The addition of gear like the snorkel means there are some areas which you'll have to backtrack to in order to fully explore them, which adds a sort of progression feel to the game.

There are some downsides, however. First of all, throwing your teleporter to move is an incredibly frustrating experience at first, as it tends to kind of dribble out of your hands instead of travel any useful distance. This is partially because they designed it so that you press the grip button to release objects instead of holding it down and releasing at the height of the throw. Secondly, glowsticks are unlimited but you have to relight them every single time you throw them. While this isn't a huge issue, if you forget to light it and throw it you've just lost your entire stock of glowsticks and have to go pick one up again. You eventually get skilled enough not to worry about these issues, but it does take a lot of practice.

Furthermore, although the caves are "procedurally generated", it quickly becomes obvious that it's not the cave "rooms" which are procedurally generated, but the locations of the rooms instead. Because of this you will soon start to recognize (and get bored of) certain features from previous cave runs, which heavily reduces replayability. Also a lot of the items you can find are kind of pointless (why would I use an old flame lantern when glowsticks have more light and are in unlimited supply?), and have to be purchased at the start of every new cave with gems you collected in previous runs.

Anyway, despite my complaints I found the game to be thoroughly entertaining and well worth the money. I hope maybe in the future they'll expand on this game and release more types of caves, items etc. It could be the start of something amazing.

This game is a must buy if you even think you might enjoy cave exploration. What this game doesn't have in the stunning graphics department, it more than makes up for in the gameplay element. It's just fun to explore these caves. This is quite the bargain for the sale price of $4.79 USD and worth a lot more than that Note: I played this game on the Oculus Rift with Touch controllers and had zero issues.

I highly recommend you start the recommended gameplay mode and turning the scary bugs on also to the recommended (why it's not default I have no idea). In this mode, you start off by equipping the helmet (you just grab it with the grip and put it on top of your head, no other button pushes needed, it'll stay on your head when you move it there), the utility belt, the flashlight and/or glowstick (I prefer just the glowstick), and finally the tracker locomotion device that you throw with the grip button and teleport there. Most of the reviews mention the locomotion as a negative thing, however, I found the locomotion to be more immersive done this way (teleport would be too easy, joystick movemen would be too easy, arm waving running style would be dumb). I quickly got used to the locomotion after 60 seconds and had no issues throwing the device where I wanted. It just made sense and was more fun this way.

What this game got right is the sense of discovery. It's just amazing going down these caves and finding snails that you can pick up or giant bugs which you can also carry and put in your utility belt. And you find things while exploring like gems that you need to buy stuff you discover. You'll see a flare gun and pick it up. But then you'll need the right gems to unlock it in a future exploration. The caves may seem monotonous or monochromatic green at first (depending on your random generation), but there's little surprises thrown in there (and not just the wildlife), for example you'll see glowing crystal patterns or underwater grottos. You'll start seeing blue crystallized areas of the cave. Just tons of little surprises as a reward for your exploration. You'll go deeper into the cave and wonder just how far down the rabbit hole you can go.

This game actually makes me wish I could go to a real cave and do all this cool shit, minus the bugs. Any game which can make you want to do that IRL is a game that got the experience done correctly.

Rating 8/10

Really pretty with the lighting, and is fun to explore caves. The auto-pickup is annoying at first, but you get used to it. I'd still reccomend this, though.

This game manages to capture all of the joy of hunting for diamonds in Minecraft deep below the earth while giving you all the time you need to breathe in its beautiful world. Several times we paused, gazing into the blackness of the cavern lit only by small specks of glow-worm light, wondering if we had stepped out of the earth and into space.

It is easy to do nothing in this game. The progression system adds a layer of value to all of the exploration you do, but for some the wonder of new 'biomes' or at least new vistas will be reward enough while playing Echo Grotto.

A thin but sometimes-frustrating layer sits on top of the captivating art, sound, and design in this game; the interaction system. Grips do most of the interaction, and when moving your hand around your belt to grab items some seem to grab involuntarily. Your hand may get stuck in or out of the 'near enough to grab' state, causing you to wiggle your arm violently to wake it back up.

Moving is quite frequently a mix of happy-accidents and inexplicably well placed tosses to get your anchor in exactly the right place. Throwing is, as in any game, a pain to do with the grip buttons, but for those with wanderlust this movement scheme can lead to some very cool secrets!

We really enjoy this game, and we will be returning to it when the need to escape comes climbing back!

Very nice experience. Reminded me of the feeling you get the first time you ever find a huge cave system in minecraft.

Its pretty relaxing exploring the randomly generated caves and finding gear left behind by other spelunkers that have come before you, the wildlife is a nice touch when you find them. Particularly liked the animation on the longfin eels.

Playing the default mode where you pick some gear, find better things in the cave and bring back gems to exchange for better gear next time gives a sense of progress, but i would like to be able to buy gear i didnt have when i come back to the surface so i can return back into the same cave in one sitting. Like keep the "store/gear selection" table at the surface so i can return to it.

I take issue with the current throw mechanics though. As they are right now you throw something as soon as you press the grip button, which is counter intuitive. I would prefer it if they were changed to release the throw on release of the grip button (like you press and hold grip to activate "throw" mode and when you let go of grip the hand would release the item.)

I feel like the game/experience is fairly priced for whats contained within.