[ECHOSTASIS]

There comes a point with the trial and error routine of the game where it stops becoming fun and enjoyable and just turns into an unnecessary slog. It became unbearable for me at a point where you have to travel down a long passageway whilst being chased by a slow enemy... except further ahead (when you get far enough) is an enemy shooting projectiles at you that seems borderline impossible to avoid properly. You have to jump through doorways on the sides, sometimes without any visual cue to show you when one of projectiles has missed or hit the wall. There didn't appear to be a rhythm to it, at times shots were evenly spaced out, other it was firing 3-4 shots a second without "fast-forwarding" the time (which made it impossible to advance). Skill Issue or not, the repetition of some of these sections threw my interest out the window. Enemy monsters can sometimes walk through walls as well, which isn't exactly fair. You can hear the jingling noise they make to warn you they're near, making you look left and right and everywhere, but there are a few of them which can phase out from a wall and reset you. Why most need to walk around obstacles and some can just appear at will without anything to differentiate them got aggravating for me. There's also an irritating bug that can cut down your valuable source of seconds even when the game says you can just remain still to not lose any time. In [ECHOSTASIS], you can find a shotgun(s) dotted around each level which are required to be able to advance. When you aim it, time continues ticking, including when you shoot. The bug is where, after aiming and shooting with the shotgun, the timer will still tick down even after you've made the shot and you're no longer aiming - you're forced to double click aim to "return" it to a neutral stance that doesn't spend any banked time. It's an interesting game with interesting concepts, along with nifty visuals and a gameplay loop that's certainly unique, but there became too many flaws for me to enjoy the game after a while.

she [CEREBRAL HIJACK] on my [DREAMSCAPE] til i [ECHOSTASIS]

A frustratingly difficult time-pressured maze at times, but what a trip.

The aesthetics of this game alone are enough to make The Lawnmower Man ♥♥♥

I hope I can make art this beautiful in my lifetime

This game, no this [STORY] is incredible. Please play all of them.

Okay so obviously I recommend this game. But before we begin, here's a lil preamble. This is the third (technically fifth) game in the [ENGIMA] Trilogy. The correct order for these are The Enigma Machine, [ECHOSTASIS] Prologue (the demo for echostasis), Mothered, Mothered home (the demo for mothered) and finally, [ECHOSTASIS.] I highly recommend playing through these first. They are very short (at most 30 minutes per title,) cheap, and contain important context. It might seem like a lot to play through at once, but the preceding titles (the enigma machine in particular) show you certain tricks that are key to making progress in [ECHOSTASIS]. Plus, without appropriate context you will miss out on some very cathartic story moments. Compared to the preceding titles, [ECHOSTASIS] is a monster of a game. This game is not completed in one sitting, but something you work at. Opening new [PATHS], discovering the links to between areas and trying to understand your purpose and [ROLE] [PROGRESSION] is tied to your ability to open new [PATHS] throughout an area. You only have a limited amount of [RESOLVE] everytime you enter a level so you need to find new shortcuts to make it easier for you to traverse [WHERE YOU ARE]. It's not always clear where to find the next [PATH] though, mostly the hints are clear enough to show you the way, and other times [spoiler] like the Church fortress [/spoiler] I'd encourage you to check a walkthrough. As mentioned above, gameplay comes down to the limited time you have in each area, your [RESOLVE.] When your [RESOLVE] runs out, you will be forced out of the [DREAMSCAPE] and back to the [SUBJECT'S] [ECHO,] forcing you to start again. This gameplay loop can get a little bit repetitive but is very rewarding when you finally connect a [PATH] that gives you more [DREAMSCAPE] to explore or access to a weapon that changes the dynamic. The music is also fantastic, a good mix of futuristic and synthy tracks, acoustic instruments playing classical pieces, and sound of the fabric of [REALITY] breaking apart. I recommend not just [ECHOSTASIS], but the entire [ENIGMA] Trilogy. [spoiler] Play it to the [END.] You have to fix [WHAT HAPPENED.] Don't do it for yourself. Do it for [HER] [/spoiler]

I do not know if I can even muster the words to convey how amazing this game is. All I know is that this game is a true masterpiece in all senses. It's Graphical Style, and the way it melds into the world, the game, and all of its little tricks and ways it will wow you is unexplainable. The way the gameplay builds upon the two proof of concept games (MOTHERED and The Enigma Machine) WHICH YOU NEED TO PLAY!!!!! THEY ARE WORTH IT!!!!!!!!! Is monumental. To see the throughline is fantastic and I can only imagine the time needed to plan and work out that long winding [PATH]. I shan't spoil, but the gameplay does twist the form of its puzzle [NATURE] and I was left gobsmacked at the shift. Several time I looked at my PC and went "Wow, this is..just..wow..I am..Dude." The [STORY] on presentation here is also just. I can't say much, but I love it. I loved it so much that I didn't want to put it down. I thank you Jamie Gavin for making this, and I hope that if you ever read this, know you have touched another creative with an amazing and inspiring experience. As someone who makes games and such, when you play something LIKE THIS; your first instinct is "I gotta make ♥♥♥♥. This is so good I NEED to make stuff because its so good."