[ECHOSTASIS]

I liked Enigma Machine and Mothered, but this game transformed them into part of a masterpiece.

I played though it right after the release when the game was a bit harder. There was also a bug where 2 Achievements were not be able to be obtained, but that is fixed by now. This game is a true masterpiece, visually and storywise. The gameplay is quite interesting but may be a bit rought sometimes. Still... This does not ruin the experience at all and I really enjoyed my time with this game!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ please play it

Incredible. 10/10. Cinema.

i played this trilogy and quite liked [WHAT HAPPENED]

[ECHOSTASIS] is a game about exploring metroidvania-esque labyrinthine [DREAMSCAPES] on a 1 minute time loop. Outside the [DREAMSCAPES], you can enter [KEYWORDS] that you find throughout the world into a [TERMINAL] to gradually learn more about [WHAT HAPPENED]. The game's aesthetic combines dark Gothic architecture with 80s vaporwave. There's a great soundtrack, a bit of horror, a deep mystery, and a heart wrenching and thought provoking [STORY] about human [CONNECTION], [SELF]hood, and the nature of [STORIES] themselves. This game/trilogy seems to have gone totally under the radar, I only found out about it this week. I took a gamble and immediately played the full series and I was not let down. I can definitely understand how a game like this would lack mass appeal, but I think it's criminally underrated and I hope others will click with it like I did it and maybe give it the attention it [DESERVES]. [ECHOSTASIS] reminded me a lot of Outer Wilds, especially the Echoes of the Eye expansion. If you liked those, I think you'll enjoy this one. The horror elements might seem offputting for some, but the horror is more slow-burn psychological rather than jumpscares or Amnesia-style stealth gameplay. The enemies are not particularly scary or threatening, their main purpose is as a barrier that blocks certain paths unless you have a certain item to deal with them. Also, while the dreamscapes are generally well designed and fun to explore, there was one tedious maze section that I just used a guide for. In games like this I'd usually recommend against using a guide, letting yourself get stuck and having to really think about where to go, but in this case I think getting to experience the full story is more important than remaining a purist on the exploration. Still don't use a guide unless you're really, truly stuck though. This is one of those games you can't play for the first time twice, like Outer Wilds. There's a prologue demo you can try for free. The main barrier to entry is that you will need to play the other games in the trilogy to fully understand the [STORY]. The first game in the series, The Enigma Machine, is basically the proof of concept for the [CORE] gameplay and structure of [ECHOSTASIS]. It's only $5 and it gives a descent preview of what the full experience is like, so I'd still recommend trying that if you're not sold on the [ECHOSTASIS] prologue, or just start with The Enigma Machine and play in release order. The second game, Mothered, is basically a purely linear, [STORY]-focused walking sim. I don't have a lot to say about it other than the [STORY] is really good and stands on its own outside the trilogy. This is the first entry chronologically and is more representative of the writing and tone of [ECHOSTASIS] (as opposed to the gameplay side), so it's just as good a place to start. Don't miss the epilogue, [HOME], hidden inside the Mothered demo. If really you want, you could also just dive straight in to [ECHOSTASIS]. You can safely play through act 1 without really needing prior [STORY] knowledge from the other games. After completing act 1, there will be a popup telling you to play the other games in the series before progressing. I'm a bit curious about whether the flow of the [STORY] is more or less satisfying broken up like that, so it'd be cool if anyone wants to be my guinea pig and report back on whether that play order works or not. (Be warned that there is a bug that deletes your save in [ECHOSTASIS] if you play the prologue after the main game, so make sure to play the prologue first).