Horror Gaming with Ack

Posted on Nov 11th 2009 at 03:49:51 AM by (Ack)
Posted under Echo Night, PlayStation 2, horror, classic gaming

Echo Night: Beyond



Since last week I went with a very well known title in horror gaming, I figured I'd go for something a little bit more obscure, and a bit more mellow.  In fact, this odd futuristic ghost story is more sorrowful than anything else.  That doesn't mean it's without it's freakier moments, but the gameplay in this title doesn't have all the big action sequences of other titles.  It's also the third in the Echo Night series, so if you're familiar with those, you should know what to expect.

In Echo Night: Beyond, you play Richard Osmond, a passenger on a space shuttle heading to a small lunar base.  His fiance, Claudia, lives there, and it's their intention to marry once he arrives.  But things don't go according to plan.  His shuttle crash lands, colliding with the very place you're trying to get.  Richard awakens to find himself alone in the wrecked shuttle.  He decides to grab a spacesuit and enter the base to find Claudia.

Unfortunately for Richard, it appears everyone inside the base is dead, the power is out, and ghosts are wandering the halls.  To progress in the story, you'll have to find various items and appease the wandering spirits so that their souls get released from this mortal coil.  To do this, you'll have to talk to them, which is a bit unsettling as they tend to fade in and out depending on how close you are.  There's also lots of backtracking in the game, which can become annoying, though much of the game takes place around a central junction, so nothing is ever terribly far away.



So, you're wandering in the dark, there are corpses everywhere, and their ghosts are wandering around.  Could it get worse?  Well yes, actually.  You see, there's a bizarre mist that has spread throughout the base, making ghosts that inhabit it hostile, and if they get near you for long enough, your heart rate will spike and you'll go into cardiac arrest.  This means two things: every encounter can be fatal fast, and your only options are to run away.  There's no camera to fight with, no proton packs, no nothing.  Instead, you have to sneak past them and pray one doesn't find you.

Also, the game's first person view really adds to the tension here, because these ghosts just have to be near you.  You don't have to see them, and likely you won't: as your heart rates goes up, your vision blacks out.  It can be a harrowing experience to enter a room with one and suddenly scramble for the door, only to realize you can hardly see where you're going.  And if you do see it, well...some of these things get downright creepy.

Still, ghosts register on film, so you can use the vast network of security cameras to watch their patterns and discover their routes, since most of them follow set paths.  Note I said most: there's one ghost in particular that will stalk you throughout the game, and he knows when you're using a security camera.  Whenever you look at him he's got a nasty habit of looking back at you.



And then there's the atmosphere: you'll spend a good chunk of the game wandering around with just a flashlight, though it's not as bad as when you wander outside in my opinion.  Once outside, there's little gravity so you jump really far, and the lighting gets a bit odd.  The first time outside, I nearly threw myself off a cliff into a crater.  To make matters worse, there are quite a few jumping puzzles while outside, and you do still have to look out for spirits.

The lack of action might bother some players, so this game definitely isn't meant for everyone.  But if you're a fan of the old point-and-click adventure gameplay or enjoyed titles like Penumbra or other first person horror games, such as Juggernaut, D, or Hellnight, this may be right up your alley.  And as an added bonus, it saw release in all three major regions, so getting it shouldn't be too difficult.  Just be aware that in Japan it's known as Nebula: Echo Night.



Here's the intro for you:




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Comments
 
This sounds really cool, and I've never heard of it. I havnt played any of the other games you recommended that are similar, but If I do come across this I will definately be picking it up. I'm finding the PS and PS2 libraries waaay to big for me to explore so I love it when people highlight obscure games like this for me. Thanks a lot and keep up the amazing blogs!!
 
@Crabmaster2000:

Oh don't worry, I'll be focusing a lot on the lesser known horror titles for the PS1 and PS2.  Did you read my article on PS1 horror games over at Racketboy.com?  There's a few titles in there I want to bring up soon.
 
I did read it, but I'll have to re-read it and brush up on my survival horror. After playing through Eternal Darkness recently I'm having a bit of a craving for some more.
 
Great review! This one sounds awesome. I tend to really like the games that make you feel helpless, so this sounds like it would be a blast.

I'm not joking when I say that every horror title you have profiled, both here and on Racketboy.com, have ended up on my want list.
 
If I collected imports for PS2, this game would be at the top of the list
 
@ Link41:

I Just checked the wikipedia page and it states a North American release
 
@Crabmaster2000:Ah! then I will try to track it down thanks for the info! Smiley

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This blog is about horror games. The good ones, the bad ones, and the ugly ones. And the obscure ones. The point of this is to educate, both the reader and the writer. Because I love horror games, and I love learning about them.
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