Developed by Emeteria, ‘Fading Echo’ was released very quietly. Even dedicated gamers who dig deep into games are likely to have not heard of it, simply because it hasn’t received much exposure. Being an indie game with modest scope in the first place, it’s hardly surprising that most people don’t know about it.
However, that doesn’t mean ‘Fading Echo’ is lacking in value. Familiar yet unique, lighthearted yet complex and bold, this game has earned overwhelmingly positive feedback among players and is steadily building word-of-mouth momentum. Out of 81 reviews, an impressive 92% are positive. High praise is never unearned.
That means there is no reason to hesitate to give it a try.
‘Fading Echo’ is set in a unique world that deviates from the typical settings found in conventional games. Set on ‘Corel,’ a dying desert world overrun by an unidentified corruption known as ‘Paradox,’ the protagonist ‘One’ is a descendant of the Kellebra family, who command fluid magic. While training with her mother, Rain, to survive in this ruined world, One stumbles into a ruin where she touches an ‘Æther Source’ and gains the ability to transform her entire body into liquid. From there, the main narrative arc of ‘Fading Echo’ revolves around solving the crisis alongside ‘Vellum,’ an artificial intelligence that managed the Æther Source.
What stands out in this process is that the protagonist, One, can transform her body into liquid itself—and that each liquid form possesses distinct effects. There are four elements in total in ‘Fading Echo’: pure water, lava, toxic waste, and ‘Paradox corruption.’ These elements share dynamic interactions with one another.
For example, enemies in ‘Fading Echo’ each possess their own elemental affinity. Water-elemental enemies take no damage while on top of water. However, touching lava inflicts damage over time, and touching toxic waste weakens them, making them vulnerable to attacks. Conversely, lava- or toxic-waste-elemental enemies freeze solid upon coming into contact with water, allowing them to be shattered in just three strikes.
On top of this, another gameplay mechanic comes into play. In addition to standard attacks, One can unleash a powerful kick that deals no damage but knocks enemies far back. Combat in ‘Fading Echo’ is built around combining these elemental interactions with the kick.
When transformed into liquid, One leaves a trail on the ground as she moves. Water spread across the floor blocks the paths of non-water enemies and can freeze them, leaving frozen foes extremely easy to destroy with normal attacks. Even if enemies don’t move where you want them to, you have the kick. Knocking enemies into pools of lava to eliminate them or kicking them into water pits to freeze them are basic tactics, and you can even kick them off the map entirely to trigger environmental fall kills.
Furthermore, One’s state transformations aren’t just useful in combat, as several additional rules apply while she is in a transformed state.
First off, in liquid form, One can easily pass through structures like iron bars and carry objects inside her liquid body while moving. Touching toxic waste while in her base liquid form, water, triggers a high-soaring ‘rocket jump,’ allowing her to ascend toxic waste waterfalls. Additionally, in ‘vapor’ form—which occurs upon contact with lava—she is barely affected by gravity, allowing her to glide across vast distances.
The rules governing these state transformations serve as solutions to the game’s various puzzles. Overcoming terrain impassable in human form through state shifts, and contacting other elements while transformed to alter forms once more and carve out new paths, form the core structure of puzzle-solving and exploration in ‘Fading Echo.’
As such, the rules of ‘Fading Echo’ are simple. What players must do is figure out how to leverage these straightforward mechanics to fight efficiently and navigate the obstacles blocking their path.
Shifting focus away from the overall gameplay systems to other aspects, ‘Fading Echo’ showcases a remarkably stylish art direction. While it doesn’t feature hyper-beautified characters, it constructs its world with clean, concise art design while making full use of a vibrant color palette, adding vitality to gameplay through comic-book-style flair.
The back-and-forth banter between One and Vellum, along with humorous moments, also serves as a highlight. For a game of its scope, ‘Fading Echo’ boasts an exceptionally star-studded voice cast: protagonist One is voiced by Samantha Béart, known for her role as Karlach in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ while Vellum is voiced by prominent voice actor Laura Bailey, who appeared in ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man.’ Vellum’s personality and acting tone shift whenever traveling between worlds, and watching these changes unfold is one of the joys of the game.
In summary, ‘Fading Echo’ is not a title aiming for AAA status, and its actual content clocking in at around 8 hours falls well short of that scale. However, it is a classic indie-style action-adventure game that relies on simple mechanics to demand creative problem-solving from the player.
Granted, the phrase «indie-style» has diluted in meaning recently and carries mixed connotations, but ‘Fading Echo’ embraces the positive side of that spirit: simple mechanics, creative application, and the resulting gameplay variety.
Once upon a time, that was the defining image of indie games: titles with novel experiments and unique logic that formulaic mainstream games couldn’t offer—games that were accessible yet delivered fresh fun like nothing before. While the indie scene has also undergone its own share of homogenization over time, with low-budget copycats far outnumbering true indies today, there are still games that embody the indie spirit with audacious imagination and distinct concepts.
‘Fading Echo’ is one of them.
- Unique worldbuilding and colorful art style
- Diverse gameplay variables created by state transformations
- Affordable price point
- Enemy lineup could use more variety
- Short playtime leaves something to be desired
Review Platform: PC (Release Build)
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