This RPG is coming to Game Pass and mixes a Guardians of the Galaxy-style misfit crew, space travel, horror, and a gloriously cheesy 80s vibe. After the award-winning first game, Echo Generation 2 arrives with a much more focused Cococucumber team that clearly wants to push its way into the wider RPG market.

Over the last decade, RPGs have fused with just about every genre imaginable to stay relevant, and Echo Generation 2 is exactly the kind of project that shows how well that strategy can work. Developed once again by Cococucumber, the studio behind the original Echo Generation, this sequel pushes its already distinctive presentation even further. The chunky voxel look that gave the first game so much charm is still here, but now it is paired with fresh science fiction ideas and a much more refined turn-based combat system that leans into its RPG roots.

In Echo Generation 2, players control Jack, a father who finds himself trapped in a strange, utterly alien dimension. From that starting point, Cococucumber leans into clear touchstones like Back to the Future and Stranger Things, sending Jack on an intergalactic odyssey with one simple goal: to find a way back home. Armed with his wits, a small crew, and a custom-built deck of cards, he has to navigate a hostile cosmos full of threats and hidden truths while exploring the “lost years” that, according to the studio, connect to – or maybe even predate – the events of the first game.

The best thing about this setup is how flexible it is. Because the team is not shackled to a strict timeline or a conventional sequel structure, Cococucumber can go all in and suggest that Echo Generation 2 might not really be a sequel at all, but a kind of prequel dripping with mystery, retro aesthetics and cosmic creatures. Space travel and a wide variety of backdrops – from overgrown jungles to neon-drowned cyberpunk cities – give the adventure its own distinct tone and help it break free from any rigid chronological expectations.

Combat In Echo Generation 2 Looks Deeper And More Dynamic

There is at least one major area where the goal is less about changing things sideways and more about adding depth, and that is the core gameplay. Beyond exploring stylized 2.5D environments, Cococucumber is once again betting on a blend of turn-based combat and card-driven strategy, where how you build and tune your deck is crucial to survival. The studio talks about a surprising amount of depth, with more than 100 unique cards to collect and customize for Jack and his companions, Noliva and Bulder – one of whom is apparently a gremlin, though they are keeping it vague which one, a detail that doubles as a playful wink to the audience.

These cards are the backbone of your options in battle, allowing you to unleash special attacks, string together devastating combos, and adapt your tactics to each new alien foe that steps into your path. Rather than just watching stats collide, the turn-based system is built so that deckbuilding decisions and moment-to-moment reading of the battlefield work together to decide who walks away.

Allies are just as critical to the experience. Over the course of missions and spaceborne hazards, Jack will get the chance to recruit unusual companions who can be summoned into combat. Each of these partners brings their own special abilities and unique synergies, expanding the range of possible decks and keeping encounters fresh and tactical. The result is a party that feels more and more like a ragtag, tightly knit space crew instead of a generic collection of numbers.

Visually, Echo Generation 2 keeps the voxel foundation of the original but clearly pushes it up a notch. The 3D pixel art is sharper, more colorful, and more detailed, looking at times like a VHS era world that has been dragged into the present with modern lighting and effects. Put together, all of these points toward a space adventure packed with 80s nostalgia and card-based combat, currently slated for a 2026 release with no exact date yet. One thing is already confirmed, though, as announced during the Xbox Partner Preview, Echo Generation 2 will be available on Game Pass from day one.

Source: 3djuegos