Echo Generation 2

Not a game I can recommend, but a laudable attempt at building on a beloved world with a tone shift.

While it looks and sounds just about identical to its predecessor, it takes a few steps away from the standard turn-based combat system, instead presenting players with a deck-building card battler of sorts. Some will undoubtedly prefer the first game in the series, but the difficulty curve is gentle enough and there’s enough overlap between the games to make it absolutely worthwhile to still give this one a go.

Echo Generation 2 features a clever deck-building combat system with a variety of characters and card types and the story keeps you motivated all the way to the grand finale. Personally I would have preferred a slightly bigger challenge in the game and voice acting for the characters would have elevated it to another level. However I definitely had a good time during the six and a half hours I spent with the game.

Echo Generation 2 blends adventure RPG elements, card-based battles and retro sci-fi with a huge amount of personality. Its stories may feel confusing at first, but everything eventually comes together in a powerful, challenging and visually outstanding experience.

Echo Generation 2 has fun card combat and a whole lot of style, but leveling up new characters can feel like a bit of a chore.

Echo Generation 2 is a pretty adventure that doesn’t have a particularly compelling hook.

Echo Generation 2 represents a bold attempt by the development studio Cococucumber to evolve its IP. The highly inspired art direction confirms exceptional aesthetic talent, but unfortunately, these brilliant ideas are held back by a combat system that, while intriguing in the early hours of gameplay, ultimately clashes with poorly balanced spikes in difficulty. Despite this, Echo Generation 2 is well worth experiencing for fans of tactical challenges and vaporwave atmospheres.

Echo Generation 2 is a compact turn-based RPG with strange character chapters, clear card decisions, and Cococucumber’s familiar voxel style. Its separate hero stories and deck-focused combat make it a more interesting sequel, but short chapters, light exploration, and a tougher late-game gauntlet make it better suited to RPG fans who don’t mind a demanding final stretch.

Echo Generation 2 is a game that’s about having goals. It broadens, complicates, and lessens the surprise of the original. The leap from typical RPG rules to a comprehensive deck-building system is a major gamble, but one that mainly succeeds.

Echo Generation 2 delivers an outstanding sci-fi adventure, combining striking voxel art visuals with a clever combat system that integrates deckbuilding mechanics.