REVIEW – Myrkur Games’ latest title kicks off with a familiar premise — saving a kidnapped family member — but tries to differentiate itself with supernatural abilities, puzzle-solving mechanics, and a light sci-fi twist. Yet despite these elements, the game awkwardly straddles the line between action and brainteaser, never quite landing firmly on either side.

Echoes of the End places a far heavier emphasis on puzzle-solving than on combat, and that shift in focus can feel jarring for players expecting a more traditional action-adventure experience. It’s a game that often feels like it’s chasing two genres and catching neither.

Ryning Through It All

You play as Ryn, a vestige — a character with mysterious powers — who sets out with Abran, a family friend, to rescue her kidnapped brother Cort. As the journey unfolds, Ryn confronts themes of trust and self-forgiveness, all while fending off enemies who covet her abilities for their own ends. Sounds compelling, right? Well, not so fast. The storytelling has some issues. Early on, key narrative elements are underexplained, and the in-game journal entries don’t do much to help. Characters talk as if you already know what’s going on, ignoring the player’s potential confusion. It takes time for the story to properly gel, which requires a fair bit of patience — but thankfully, things do come together nicely by the end.

Gameplay-wise, the dual pillars are combat and puzzles, though the latter clearly take the spotlight. And these aren’t simple puzzles you can sleepwalk through — they require a fair amount of thought. Even though combat sequences can be lengthy, puzzle-solving dominates the experience. You’ll drain life from enemies, toss them into one another, and exploit openings for merciless takedowns. The combat animations are solid, especially the finishing moves, which you’ll see often. But responsiveness is a major issue. Once an attack animation starts, you’re locked into it — no canceling or quick shifts. Dodging and parrying can also be unreliable, which becomes frustrating fast. This lack of responsiveness leads to awkward moments where you’re forced to roll forward preemptively just to avoid taking hits due to input delays. If the controls had a bit more finesse, the overall score would be looking a lot rosier.

Skill Tree, or Skill Shrub?

Yes, there’s a skill tree — but don’t get too excited. While it promises combat upgrades, it feels largely pointless. You can easily go through the entire game without ever investing in upgrades, and you likely won’t miss them. This only reinforces the notion that combat is secondary. Echoes of the End clearly prefers puzzles over brawls, and the key to success lies in being methodical. Ryn can manipulate objects, while Abran freezes them, offering a simple but effective puzzle dynamic. The difficulty curve hits a sweet spot — never too easy, but never controller-snappingly frustrating either. Paying attention to your surroundings is critical. That said, Myrkur Games may have gone too far with the puzzle emphasis. At times, it feels like a full-on puzzle game disguised as an action-adventure title.

There are bosses, sure, but when Abran casually skips puzzles entirely, you’re left wondering if the whole mechanic is really essential. Sometimes, it seems the developers inserted these puzzles just to stretch the runtime. Without them, this would be a pretty short game. As it stands, you’re looking at around 10 hours of gameplay. The environments? Gorgeous. The voice acting? Unfortunately, not so much. Dialogue delivery feels like it was lifted from a reading session, and during intense moments, that lack of emotional depth really hurts immersion.

Echoes, Silenced

If Echoes of the End had presented itself as a 3D puzzle game — think The Witness — it might have received more favorable reviews. But as an action-adventure hybrid, it ends up painting a blurry picture. The game earns a 6.5/10 because it does contain worthwhile challenges and some neat ideas, but it also wallows in mediocrity and missed potential. Recommended only for those who enjoy flexing their mental muscles — and don’t mind a bit of awkward swordplay on the side.

-V-

Developer: Myrkur Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Genre: Action-Adventure / Puzzle
Release Date: August 12, 2025