ecotone

On the outside, ecotone looks like a typical indie platformer. Each level is physically disconnected from the next and there is no story exposition, no cutscenes. But once a few levels have been played, the game shows how it truly stands out from the crowd: the mechanics can be completely different from one level to the next. All these modifications are inspired from other platformers. Time stopping from Braid, gravity switch from VVVVVV, size changing from Mario/Rayman, and so on. An element that comes back a few times (albeit with different twists) is the mind-bending ability to control two characters at the same time. As a consequence, it is really hard to get bored while playing this game. It is short enough not to overstay its welcome (5h to 100%) and well worth its asking price. Some mechanics are so fun that I would have loved to see them stay a bit more. However, some rare levels here and there can be really difficult and frustrating. I would not recommend this game to people that are not platformer enthusiasts. Of course it is not as difficult as the later levels of Super Meat Boy or I Wanna Be The Guy, but still, do not think that the cute art style does not hide some tough as nails sections. My real problem with these tough levels is that I believe that they are made harder by the way the character handles. It is fine everywhere but in these specific levels, like the one about jumping in between shadows (the character slides slightly too much after moving) and the final level about jumping in between tight spaces (crouching while jumping is rather counter-intuitive, and hard to perform according to your control scheme). The good thing is that since the mechanics and levels keep changing, anything that is not appreciated does not bother again. My main criticism is actually quite vain: there are no achievements :( As this game borrows mechanics from others, it risks being hollow and have no personality on its own. Thankfully it's not the case here, thanks to the overall art style. Unique, great, it feels both eerie and mysterious. I would enjoy to know more about this bizarre world infested by black worms and fireflies. The music supporting the game is great, even if a tad too dramatic for atmospheric levels. ecotone is a love letter to the whole platformer genre, borrowing mechanics here and there to surprise the player and make each level become a completely new experience. It is cute and pulls its own weight. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys indie platformers. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=684909023

[b]Ecotone[/b], desenvolvido pela [b]Sundae Factory[/b], é um simples porém bonito e atmosférico jogo de plataforma com elementos de puzzle. O jogo tem uma bonita história, e quando digo isso, não significa que ela seja linear ou que tenha começo-meio-e-fim. É uma história abstrata e filosófica que é mostrada por curtas falas do personagem, que costumam vir no começo dos levels e às vezes durante, que também são uma espécie de introdução e explicação de cada level,às vezes até dando dicas do que fazer. O jogo também introduz as mecânicas aos poucos, já que os primeiros níveis, bastante simples, funcionam como tutorial. Correr e pular, por exemplo, só é possível um pouco mais na frente, em levels que introduzem obstáculos onde essas mecânicas são necessárias. Os níveis são bem elaborados e únicos. O ponto alto do jogo é que não possui níveis repetitivos. Cada um tem uma temática e conta uma pequena parte da história. Os desafios são sempre novos e você se sentirá sempre interessado em continuar para saber como o próximo nível ao é, ao invés de apenas progredir por níveis iguais e mais difíceis como na maioria dos jogos. Algumas mecânicas também são usadas com maestria, como por exemplo, a do clone espelhado, que seguirá todos seus movimentos (porém ao contrário) e que você deverá utilizar para passar de obstáculos de outra parte da tela, enquanto tenta manter os dois vivos. Além disso, há níveis no escuro, níveis aquáticos, há muitas diferenciações e o design de level é ótimo. Com gameplay decente mas que poderia ter melhoras, ótima atmosfera que lembra jogos como Limbo, e trilha e efeitos sonoros relaxantes, níveis muito bem elaborados e bons puzzles, Ecotone é uma ótima experiência, pouco desafiadora porém muito relaxante. A história é bastante abstrata e não possui uma linearidade, você pode interpretar como quiser, mas é interessante o suficiente e serve de pano de fundo para cada level. [h1][b]Prós:[/b][/h1] - Ótimo design de level, cada um possui sua temática e é único, sendo introduzido por falas do personagem que dão um pano de fundo para a atmosfera e às vezes até dão dicas do que fazer - Atmosfera relaxante, graças à linda arte e a trilha sonora, lembra os melhores do gênero e tornam o jogo uma experiência única [h1][b]Contras:[/b][/h1] - Pequenas coisas como colisões poderiam ser melhores, o gameplay em termos de movimentação não é perfeito [h1][b]Nota final:[/b][/h1] 7/10

Po prostu cudowna. Ciężko znależć coś dobrego z indyków. Ale ta gra jest świetna. Grafika, muzyka, ok. Wyzwania są duże. Przejdziesz plansze, chcesz więcej. Czasami lepiej jak druga osoba pomoże, ale udało mi się poradzić w pojedynkę. Trochę mi to przypomina "adventures of shuggy". Też jest duża różnorodność. Polecam

Ummmm... Ecotone, Ecotone... Hmmmm.... Ecotone will make you cry, will give you nightmares, will haunt your shadow, and bring you an experience unlike anything you've experience before. With an extremely unique gameplay style and art-form, Ecotone is unique, yes. But... You will also grow to hate this game, especially if you're not the best at platformers. A single level can take ages, especially the very last one. But as I played the game I enjoyed it more and more. The story is... Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Anywho.. I'm rambling, essentially what I'm saying is, this is a great game, but requires a steadfast heart and patient mind. 10/10 would see the end again. <3

Pros: - Great visuals - awesome music and atmosphere - challenging levels - interesting gameplay Cons: - Some game mechanics have issues and not very fun (playing as crab is annoying) - When you have to control two players at one time you can't use only controller and it is quite frustrating Overall a very good game with few small issues. Well worth the price

It is a very interesting platformer, in which every level brings something new, some fresh mechanics, gimmick, etc. Without it, it would probably go boring very soon, but because every next level brings slightly different type of challenge, it keeps being non repetive and fun. This changing of circumstances makes it a quite hard game - almost every new section needs some time to get used to. Above that, it has atmospheric, disturbing graphics and music, which gives this game orignal appeal. For sure it is worthy of attention.

Original ! J'ai adoré la musique et le visuel ! Le personnage, les bestioles (très atypiques) que l'on croise tout au long du jeu et l'ambiance générale sont vraiment sympas. Les créateurs sont malins et ont trouvé pas mal d'astuces pour qu'Ecotone soit attrayant... et pour nous faire galérer aussi :) Les niveaux sont intéressants à découvrir. On se prend facilement au jeu, malgré les innombrables morts pour ma part XD Bref, Ecotone est un beau jeu, à tester et à encourager !

Un très bon jeu de type puzzle-plateforme. L'ambiance du jeu, que se soit la BO ou les graphismes, est juste magnifique. Je le recommande pour sa, son atmosphère, et également pour son gameplay évolutif. Cette histoire floue et étrange centrée autour de ce mystérieux personnage (qui semble tout droit issu de l'univers de Miyazaki) est très sympa.