First off, I would like to clarify that I am in no way directly affiliated with the developer of this game. The opinions contained herein are my own, and are shared here to attempt to give an accurate and comprehensive picture of my experience with this game. I omit commenting on the plot itself, as I don't feel I have enough information at present to comment accurately on the componant, and won't bother giving input on the multiplayer since I live a ocean away from everyone I've tried to play with. That said:
EPOCH is a 2-D adventure game with a strong influece from the BloodSouls series. The mechanics are inspired by those found in BloodSouls games, in which the player is encouraged to pay close attention to attack animations, enemy traits, and one's environment while reacting appropriately. Much like BloodSouls games, the strict difficulty of the game is just lenient enough to convince the player that difficult obstacles CAN be overcome given the correct strategy. This draw to overcome challenges serves as an excellent hook that leaves one fuming at seemingly 'unfair' enemies and puzzles, only to return to the game minutes later as a potential solution claws at the player's mind. Whether the solution lies in upgrading a weapon, reconfiguring one's equipment, or approaching the obstacle differently; EPOCH continuously offers the player a sense of challenge, with the proper tools to succeed lying in wait. This balance between difficulty and mechanics is exactly what makes the BloodSouls experience so engaging, and it is just as well implemented in EPOCH.
This drive to overcome obstacles lends itself to EPOCH's unique approach to exploration. The player levels up by acquiring 'Essenses' hidden throughout the game. Each essense gained earns the player 1 experience point, which can be allocated to improving the character's stats, upgrading equipment, or gaining new skills. Some of these are left directly in the player's path, some are neccesary for progressing further into the game, while others are more subtly hidden in nooks and passageways. This encourages players to actively pay attention to the environment, and serves as incentive to revisit previous areas in the hopes of uncovering more experience. Many have alluded to this mechanic as remeniscent of 'Metroidvania'-style exploration, and in a sense this is not inaccurate. However, by giving the player the agency to decide how this experience will be used, one never has the sense that their efforts are wasted on perks which aren't beneficial to one's character. In this sense, exploration in EPOCH very much feels like a hunt to complete a jigsaw puzzle, with the final picture looming ahead of the player as they try to conform the game's mechanics to their own style of gaming.
The levels themselves are divided into about a dozen areas which are interconnected by small hubs populated with NPCs. The levels themselves are not terribly large, and new avenues open up to the players as they progress through the game which allow for more convenient passage between hub-areas. That said, navigating these mid-ways can be confusing at times as one struggles to recall the path to a particular landmark. The areas themselves are visually unimpressive (with noteworthy exceptions in the form of pixalated statue-art) and contain countless corridors which can be difficult to distinguish from each other in one's mind, save for trace color cues. Further, at the time in which this review is being written, the game features no over-world map which might alleiviate this frustration. While these shortcomings are cetainly forgivable given the nature of the game's engine, it's unfortunate that the environments themselves are rather bland when one of EPOCH's greatest pulls is it's incentive to explore.
Yet EPOCH compensates for it's visuals with a well-utilized soundtrack. While the environments may not be visually impressive, each boasts distinitive, memberable tunes from the sombre tones of the game's main theme at The Tower to the sharp, unnerving notes of the spider-infested tunnels of Bloodrood. The tracks also compliment EPOCH's sprarce, yet compelling, plot as each evokes feelings of anxiety, drama, awe, and tranquility at the appropriate moments. The quality of the soundtrack is one of Epoch's strongest assets, as it manages to engage the player's imagination with EPOCH's melancholy reality.
Maybe I'm wrapping too many words around my experience, and appear overtly partial to the game. In closing, I'm happy to promptly list a number of things I dislike about the game. The dodge rolling mechanics can be unresponsive at times, which sometimes hamper combat; there's a lack of diverse end-game equipment; the inability to respec experience can lead to frustrating handicaps that compromise the player between restarting a character 50 lvls in or bearing one's past judgements; bugs are quite common; &c.
And yet, I insist that EPOCH is a worthwhile and unique exeperience. Rather than a 'rip-off' of its insiprations EPOCH is more appropriatly a tribute to these influences. It is one of the few games of its kind that manage to manipulate its constraints while providing enough original content and ingenuity to distinguish itself from the crowd. Despite its constraints, it manages to deliver a genuine, underivative BloodSouls experience tempered with its own individual aethetic and passion. Further, the growing community coupled with the developer's drive to improve the game promise to help the game steadily improve in the future. EPOCH is a must-try for avid dungeons crawlers, lore hounds, and retro 8-bit enuthisiats alike.
Brave unforgiving dungeons, discover lost cities, and explore crumbling catacombs as you unravel the mysteries buried across EPΘCH's multiple play-throughs.
EPΘCH's world has been carefully crafted using a combination of environmental narrative and exposition to layer rich detail into every nook and cranny. The world is jam-packed with hidden content and recursive design to ensure that each playthrough is more rewarding than the last.
EPΘCH features an expansive hour and a half long OST comprising of 43 custom composed tracks; each meticulously crafted to enhance the experience of each zone and boss battle.
EPΘCH has a very deep customization system allowing you to create a unique character.
Prepare yourself; the challenges that await will certainly kill you many times. EPΘCH firmly believes in "tough but fair" design principles, where each death is intended to be a learning experience for the player.