Review NaN of 1
Price Paid:
$5.00
from Blockbuster Summary:
Survival bore
Japanese horror movies centered on weird black haired kids seem to be raking in the box office dough for the last couple of years, but has the Japanese ghost fad gone too far? FromSoftware, a Japanese developing and publishing company, tells the tale of Richard Osmond in Echo Night: Beyond. Richard is sent on a trip from hell when he finds himself stranded on the moon. With his fiancé missing and no sign of help, he decides to investigate a tragic moon shuttle accident armed with nothing other than his flashlight and space suit. In this puzzling chiller, the undead residents of the shuttle have a bad habit of scaring uninvited guests to death. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Because little do the ghosts know that Richard has a secret weapon of his own. As soon as our hero catches a glimpse of danger, he turns around and runs to the next room like a bat out of hell! But Richard soon learns that if he is going to survive the night, he’s going to need a little more then a sturdy pair of running boots….That last part you won’t find on any other description of this game, but it’s the truth.
I have seen Resident Evil rip-offs as far back as I can remember, and I have seen games that wouldn’t scare anyone old enough to beat them. And after playing this game I have only two questions for FromSoftware; who designed the ghosts and where did they buy the Halloween napkins they stole them from!? Whether I know what a scary game is or not, I know what I like, and I don’t like to run around in an astronaut suit and take crap from ghosts that can’t even open automatic doors! I didn’t find anything in the game worth your money unless you love situational puzzle games like Myst or D. The graphics were atmospheric and even a little frightening at times, but the visual effects mean nothing when there is no real threat and very few enemies to worry about. The sound was good but more music could have helped. While the game stays true to the realistic experience of being a stranded astronaut, a flashlight is no substitute for a Shotgun or magic candle or ANY type of excuse for a weapon.
The puzzles are nothing new, treasure hunts for weird crap and password puzzles. The story is as hokey as any imported Japanese game or anime I can think of. The real problem was the pacing of the game. I mean how many times have you wanted to play a game that has the action and intensity of a charity walk!? A charity walk where everyone walks in single-file lines with blindfolds on, except of course you. Overall, the game is just too boring. I’d think it would be hard for regular gamers and survival horror fans to keep interested when the thrills and chills are too few and far apart. The game does use some interesting scare tactics to get your heart pounding. It’s funny how much scarier a bursting light bulb can be then a room full of blood thirsty ghouls! Echo Night is by all means a unique survival horror experience, but if you’re not a patient gamer, you’re not going to have any fun. I give the game a low 2. Even if the presentation was what kept it from getting a 1.5, I don’t recommend it while there are other action-deprived survival horror games on the PS2 that are still more fun to walk through.
Story value= 2
Replay value= 1
Difficulty= 3 (a bit challanging) Report this review >>
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