Somber Echoes Review
I love it when video games draw from real life. Many games are based on a specific location or occur during a period and/or a famous event. It is even better when the sources come from more obscure or niche things. Did you know Assassin’s Creed draws inspiration from the 1938 novel Alamut by Vladimir Bartol? Or that Spec Ops: The Line is loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (famously adapted in Apocalypse Now - Spec Op’s Konrad is the game version of Colonel Kurtz played by Marlon Brando). Greco-Roman culture is no stranger to being the setting for video games with games like God of War, Hades, Age of Empires, and Age of Mythology. Everyone knows the main players like Zeus, Ares, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. Have you ever heard of Adrestia and Harmonia?
Developed by Rock Pocket Games and Lav Games, Somber Echoes is a dark fantasy Metroidvania set aboard the space vessel Atromitos (Greek for fearless). You play as Adrestia and must stop your twin sister Harmonia from destroying the universe. According to Greek history, Adrestia and Harmonia are the children of Ares and Aphrodite with Harmonia being known as the goddess of harmony and balance while Adrestia was known as the goddess of revolt and balance between good and evil. I mean, if Thanos felt killing half the population was balance, I guess Harmonia can do the same. In a way, revolt is not necessarily bad if it brings balance between good and evil. Anyway, evil sister needs to be stopped before she destroys everything including you.
Despite Adrestia’s combat prowess which is on showcase right away, Somber Echoes is more of an exploration-based Metroidvania. That said, Adrestia has quite the arsenal at her disposal that you should learn how to utilize so that when fighting is necessary, you will be ready. Shortly after starting, you get a sword, Gladius, and a shield. The shield is not just for blocking. Parrying is a key component to the combat system. A last-minute block with briefly stun your enemy, common ones and bosses alike, for a brief moment, at which time it is advised to unleash hell. Each of the enemies has somewhat of a tell as to when you need to parry or get out of the way. It could be a charge move where they back up or a wind-up and rear back before a big swing. In some rare instances, the parry can be used to create space if you become overwhelmed. A poorly timed parry may end up just becoming a block but a complete swing and a miss and you may find yourself stunlocked against a wall. Even worse if a group of enemies are attacking as survival is unlikely.
As you progress through the game, Adrestia will come across new weapons and abilities, the first of which is a spear, which is your ranged attack. It also needs to be picked up when you throw it. Seriously, it does. One time, I threw it at a flying enemy, I missed said flying enemy, and the spear was stuck in the part of the ceiling that I was unable to reach which removed the spear from my use until I saved my game. One of the spear’s upgrades is the ability to summon it back to your hands but for a brief moment, it felt somewhat realistic (and super obnoxious). Arbiter, an axe, is your heavy weapon/attack and it is a bit of a mixed bag. It hurts HARD but it has a charge-up time. The charge-up cannot be interrupted or you start over which makes using it on an enemy bearing down on you nearly impossible. You can use it after a parrying as you will have the time to charge it or you can try to guess when an enemy coming at you will be within range. Last but not least is the bow and arrow which will pierce through multiple enemies BUT you lose a portion of armor every time you use it. Luckily, killing enemies drops health so do not be afraid to use it as needed. So you see, Adrestia is well equipped to face the enemy but there are not a lot of enemies to worry about encountering - the density of enemies compared to the size of the biomes is alarmingly low at times. Surprisingly though, there are a wide variety of types of enemies you will encounter. I would trade some of the variety for a better balance. Even the number of bosses in the game was disappointingly minimal. The game provides Adrestia and the player with an impressive moveset but lacks the substance to use it fully.
Even killing enemies loses its luster midway through the game. All upgrades cost favor and a specific item depending on what is being upgraded. Enemies drop favor when killed but it can also be found behind walls and in favor deposits that you will see on the map. The favor cost though for upgrades is remarkably low. The specific items needed are well baked into the exploration and secret finding portion of the game so by the time you need to upgrade, there is no need to worry about having the favor. In my personal experience, at no point did I not have enough favor to upgrade any one item. There is no traditional leveling in Somber Echoes so with no need to farm favor and no experience drops, why waste the time fighting? I did thoroughly enjoy the combat though and killed mostly everything I came across unless it was an enemy type I disliked fighting. I probably stopped actively seeking out fights around the point I was 80% through all the upgrades and secrets so it is not a completely lost cause but something to keep in mind when playing.
I mentioned earlier that this is more exploration-based so of course Adrestia comes equipped with abilities to aid with that. The biggest one (we have to keep some things secret) is the ability to turn into an aether lantern and zip around. Adrestia can use this at any time and it serves to cross large gaps or reach higher locations. In the early goings, you need to touch the ground to recharge the ability but later upgrades increase the uses and the functionality. The map in Somber Echoes is massive and that is not just taking into account the number of biomes. The verticality in some areas is pure insanity. As you explore areas, the map slowly becomes uncovered. Sometimes it feels like the ceilings of rooms will never be reached. The developers did a great job of making sure there were still areas to uncover as you approached 100% completion. Every single time I upgraded the lantern or another ability, I would immediately head back to an area that I knew had more than I could reach, and every single time, I would find out I would need one more upgrade to complete my goal. This back and forth may seem tedious but this is a Metroidvania and with the low-density enemy count, zipping around the map was pretty satisfying. There is a fast travel in-game but it is a bit convoluted. Within any biome, you can travel to shrines you have encountered. Traveling to different biomes requires a singular location per biome that is not necessarily close to the shrines you can access. What makes this more annoying is that the fast travel map does not allow for zooming so you need to figure out where you want to go before you try to go. Luckily, the shrines are named so once you know that, the fast travel map has a listing but it could have been a cleaner way of doing that. Sometimes though, you just need to move around each zone without fast travel and find secrets on your own. The in-game maps provide a general layout of each area but there are a plethora of hidden walls to find. That low-density enemy count comes in handy because you can largely ignore lesser enemies and focus on those secrets.
Visually speaking, Somber Echoes is breathtaking. As previously mentioned, there are several biomes to explore and each one has a uniqueness both in its overall look but also down to the enemy variety. It was great seeing the Greco-Roman influences in numerous sections but the uses varied from statues to remnants of statues as you dove deeper into the depths of the ship all the while maintaining the styles of a futuristic spaceship setting. The aforementioned verticality makes the artwork even more impressive as you are not just looking at static backdrops as Adrestia climbs to the top of sections for more secrets.
Are you a history buff who needs a break from the old (SEE WHAT I DID THERE). Somber Echoes does an incredible job of weaving Greco-Roman history into a futuristic sci-fi epic. You may even encounter old (did it again) familiar faces from history. This is a Metroidvania through and through. Whatever shortcomings the game may have (or maybe it was me) in the combat department, it more than makes up for it in the exploration aspects. It is so easy to get lost and away from the main quest (I did get lost for almost half an hour and had to regroup before continuing - I was obsessed with areas I was convinced I could access NOW and not later when I had more upgrades) but getting lost is all part of the game and Somber Echoes makes getting lost a wonderful experience.
