Echoes now reverberating on PC and Switch

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Former mobile-exclusive interactive graphic novel murder mystery significantly remade for new platforms

For mobile gamers, Nova-box's small-town graphic novel murder mystery Echoes is old news, having been released episodically many years ago. But good things come to those who wait, and now, a decade after its original launch, the game has been completely overhauled and (re?)-released on PC and Switch. 

Even those who did play the mobile-exclusive version will find that so much has changed, Echoes is almost a brand new game after being "completely re-imagined, rewritten and adapted" for new platforms. The story takes place in the small town of Greenhearth, where the mysterious death of Dr. Arthur Petrovski lures his best friend, NYPD detective Ricky Fox, to "Oregon’s countryside to begin his own, unsanctioned, investigation." Refusing to believe the official ruling of suicide, Fox must "search for clues and evidence, interrogate the off-kilter townsfolk, and follow a thrilling tale full of twists and turns." Little does he know the depths of the "dark secrets lurking beneath the unassuming surface" of this seemingly sleeply little town in the middle of nowhere, and the "eldritch horrors" he risks awakening by digging too deeply, jeopardizing not only his sanity but his life. 

Along with the indie French developer's script rewrites for a story that begins with a "film noir pastiche, and then seamlessly melting into an 80s horror flick," leading to one of four different endings, the new version of Echoes also promises "extensive improvements to the visual assets, brand new sound effects, and a remastered and expanded soundtrack." The game still plays out for the most part like an interactive visual novel, presented in stylish hand-painted black-and-white illustrations that "evolve and shift with each new chapter, from a soft grey scale to a technicolor-drenched finale." In between choice-driven dialogue sequences with "quirky and lively characters, from the badass sheriff to the strange car mechanic, the neurotic waitress, the jovial hotel manager and more," there will be some light adventure-style interaction with the environment to find new evidence.

After waiting ten years for this game to arrive, the good news is that you don't need to wait a minute more, as the new and improved Echoes is available now on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux, along with the Nintendo eShop for Switch.

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