Echo Night (video game)

Last updated
Echo Night
Echo Night cover.png
Japanese box art
Developer(s) FromSoftware
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Akinori Kaneko
Producer(s) Toshifumi Nabeshima
Designer(s) Sakumi Watanabe
Writer(s) Toshifumi Nabeshima
Composer(s) Tsukasa Saitoh
Kota Hoshino
Series Echo Night
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release
  • JP: August 13, 1998
  • NA: July 22, 1999 [1]
Genre(s) Graphic adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Echo Night [2] is a 1998 adventure game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. [3] It is the first game in the Echo Night series, following up with the Japan-exclusive Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares in 1999, and Echo Night: Beyond in 2004. A spinoff for the PlayStation Portable was included with Adventure Player, an adventure game creation tool, which was released in Japan on June 30, 2005. [4]

Contents

The story revolves around Richard Osmond, the game's protagonist, and his journey to find out what happened to the ship Orpheus, which mysteriously disappeared from the sea. The story also uncovers the mystery of two stones that contain some kind of supernatural power.

Gameplay

Echo Night is played from a first-person perspective. When confronted by a ghost, the player must turn on the lights in the room by means of a light switch. The player is often transported into the past via the passengers or certain objects. Once the player fulfills a task important to a spirit, they will vanish and drop an "Astral Piece", which can be used to get a different ending scene.

Plot

The game starts with Richard at his apartment receiving a call from the Anchor Police Department regarding his father, Henry Osmond. Summoned to his father's house, Richard discovers his father's diary, which leads him to a train. He meets at the train a man named Henry Osmond, who is actually trying to pursue William Rockwell who, according to Henry, is being possessed by the Red Stone that is attached to a knife. They duel inside the train, but William uses his granddaughter, Crea Rockwell, as a defense against Henry. William then shot Henry, but the bullet hit the Blue Stone from the latter's chest. The Blue Stone was split into two, one half of which Henry gave to William's granddaughter, Crea. It is revealed then that William is being possessed by the demon of the Red Stone. After that, Richard is brought back to his father's house, where he discovers inside the secret room a painting of the ship, Orpheus.

Richard is brought to Orpheus and meets the passengers who died when the ship disappeared. Richard saves the souls he meets inside the ship by resolving their personal issues. As the game goes on, Richard discovers that the Red Stone which William possesses has the power to change one's destiny to their desire by killing people using the knife the Red Stone is attached to. Richard meets William's son and daughter, who are aware of the story of the Red Stone and plan to kill their father on the ship, but were killed by him first. Richard also meets Crea Rockwell through time travel, and is able to retrieve the Blue Stone. At the game's climax, Richard discovers that his father was on the ship too, and was able to kill William. But as soon as Henry gets hold of the stone, he proclaims that he desired the Red Stone all along. Richard is able to destroy the Red Stone using the Blue Stone. After the Red Stone is destroyed, Henry instructs Richard to leave the ship, and the ship itself disappears soon after.

If the player fails to leave the ship, an article states that Richard Osmond and his father were mysteriously lost in an accident. If the player reaches the nose of the ship and doesn't enter the secret passage, Crea saves Richard, who awakes in his father's house. He leaves the house and approaches the policemen in the car, who ask Richard to get tools from the trunk as the car won't start. When Richard opens up the trunk, he finds the red knife in there. Reaching the nose of the ship and entering the secret passage leads to a dialogue with a blind man, with two additional endings depending on the player's choice: if the player takes the red knife, Richard awakes in his father's house and kills the policemen, as he is now possessed by the red knife. Refusing to take the red knife destroys it, after which Crea saves Richard, with several scenes and messages from her being shown in the last scene at Richard's house.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. [5]

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a 32 out of 40 score. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Metroid Prime 2: Echoes</i> 2004 video game

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The sequel to Metroid Prime (2002) and the first Metroid game with a multiplayer feature, Echoes was released in North America, Europe and Australia in 2004 and in Japan under the name Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes in May 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel McCrea</span> American actor (1905–1990)

Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he became best known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Most Dangerous Game</span> 1924 short story by Richard Connell

"The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in Collier's on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter from New York City who falls from a yacht and swims to what seems to be an abandoned and isolated island in the Caribbean, where he is hunted by a Russian aristocrat. The story is inspired by the big-game hunting safaris in Africa and South America that were particularly fashionable among wealthy Americans in the 1920s.

<i>The Pillars of the Earth</i> 1989 historical novel by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth is an historical novel by British author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the time between the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket, but focuses primarily on the Anarchy. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture, and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory and village against the backdrop of historical events of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Rockwell</span> American actor (born 1968)

Sam Rockwell is an American actor. He is known for playing distressed police officer Jason Dixon in Martin McDonagh’s crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for the same category the following year for portraying George W. Bush in Adam McKay's political satire Vice (2018). In 2019, he portrayed Bob Fosse in the FX biographical miniseries Fosse/Verdon, earning a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, and in 2022, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo.

<i>Castlevania</i> (1999 video game) 1999 video game

Castlevania, also referred to as Castlevania 64, is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by Konami's Kobe branch for the Nintendo 64. An expanded version of the game, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, was released later in the same year.

<i>Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within</i> 1998 video game

Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within, known in Japan as Clock Tower: Ghost Head, is a horror-themed adventure game developed by Human Entertainment and released for the PlayStation in 1998. It is the third game in the Clock Tower series. The story follows 17-year-old Alyssa Hale who occasionally is possessed by an alter ego named Mr. Bates. The player must guide Alyssa through various environments, altering between her normal and twisted personality, to uncover the secrets of her and her family's past.

<i>Echo Night: Beyond</i> 2004 video game

Echo Night: Beyond, known in Japan as Nebula: Echo Night is a 2004 survival horror adventure video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 2 console. Agetec published the game in North America, with the European release, by Indie Games, following in August 2005. It is the third game in the Echo Night series. While it shares common elements with Echo Night and Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares, Beyond takes place in its own timeline.

<i>Dark Cloud</i> 2000 video game

Dark Cloud is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. Originally intended as a launch title for the system in March 2000, the game was eventually released in Japan in December 2000, in North America in May 2001, and in Europe in September. A spiritual sequel, Dark Chronicle, was released in Japan in 2002 and worldwide the following year.

<i>Shadow Tower</i> 1998 video game

Shadow Tower is a 1998 action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. The game was originally released in Japan by FromSoftware on June 25, 1998 and in North America by Agetec on November 23, 1999. Shadow Tower shares many similarities with the King's Field series of video games. A sequel, Shadow Tower Abyss, was released for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan.

<i>Bird of Paradise</i> (1932 film) 1932 film by King Vidor

Bird of Paradise is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic adventure drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Dolores del Río and Joel McCrea. Based on the 1912 play of the same name by Richard Walton Tully, it was released by RKO Radio Pictures.

<i>Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time</i> 2009 video game

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a Wii and Nintendo DS action role-playing game in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series developed by Square Enix.

<i>Arabian Nights: Sinbads Adventures</i> Japanese anime television series

Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures is a 52-episode anime series directed by Fumio Kurokawa and produced by Nippon Animation which was first aired in 1975. The story is based on the children's story "Sinbad the Sailor".

<i>Kill Shakespeare</i> 2010 limited run comic book series

Kill Shakespeare is a twelve-issue comic book limited series released by IDW Publishing. It was produced by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, who also served as co-writers, with Andy Belanger as artist, Ian Herring as colourist, and Kagan McLeod as cover artist. The first issue was published on April 14, 2010.

<i>Broken Age</i> 2015 video game

Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure video game developed and published by Double Fine. Broken Age was game director Tim Schafer's first return to the genre since 1998's Grim Fandango, and was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One platforms. The game was developed in two acts; the first was released on January 28, 2014, and the second was released on April 28, 2015. A retail version of the complete game for Windows, macOS, and Linux, published by Nordic Games, was released on April 28, 2015. A Nintendo Switch version was released on September 13, 2018.

<i>Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares</i> 1999 video game

Echo Night 2: Nemuri no Shihaisha is a 1999 survival horror first-person adventure video game developed and published by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. It is the second game in the Echo Night series. While it shares common elements with Echo Night, Echo Night 2 takes place in its own timeline.

<i>Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia</i> 2017 video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. It is the fifteenth installment in the Fire Emblem series and a remake of the 1992 Famicom game Fire Emblem Gaiden, the second entry in the series. It follows dual protagonists Alm and Celica as they aim to bring an end to the war through opposite methods, with Alm fighting to resolve the war through battle, while Celica attempts to find a peaceful end through guidance from the Goddess Mila. Fire Emblem Echoes carries over the core gameplay mechanics of the Fire Emblem series while incorporating mechanics from Gaiden like dungeon crawling.

<i>Wraith: The Oblivion – The Orpheus Device</i> 2020 video game

Wraith: The Oblivion – The Orpheus Device is an audio-based adventure video game developed by Earplay and published by Paradox Interactive on October 29, 2020 for Android, iOS, and smart speakers, and is played using the virtual assistants Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, or the Earplay mobile app. It is based on White Wolf Publishing's tabletop role-playing games Wraith: The Oblivion (1994) and Orpheus (2003), and is part of the larger World of Darkness series.

Echo Night is a trilogy of Japanese adventure games developed by FromSoftware. The original Echo Night was first released in 1998 for the PlayStation. Two sequels were developed; Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares for the PlayStation in Japan in 1999, and Echo Night: Beyond for the PlayStation 2 which released worldwide between 2004 and 2006. All the titles feature a protagonist called Richard pursuing a magical artifact and interacting with ghosts. Titles are played from a first-person perspective, and place a focus on puzzles and exploration.

<i>High on Life</i> (video game) 2022 video game

High on Life is a comedic first-person shooter game with action-adventure and Metroidvania elements. It takes place in a science fiction world which features talking guns. It was created by Justin Roiland, and developed and published by Squanch Games. The game was released on December 13, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It was later ported to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 22, 2023. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who were divided on its humor, while criticizing the technical issues upon launch.

References

    1. ↑ "Game Informer News". Game Informer . 1999-10-11. Archived from the original on 1999-10-11. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
    2. ↑ エコー ナイト, Ekō Naito
    3. 1 2 3 "エコーナイト#2 眠りの支配者 [PS] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
    4. ↑ "Choose Your Own Adventure Preview". IGN . Ziff Davis. 4 April 2005. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
    5. 1 2 "Echo Night for PlayStation". GameRankings . Retrieved November 12, 2016.
    6. ↑ House, Matthew. "Echo Night". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
    7. ↑ "Echo Night". Electronic Gaming Monthly . 1999.
    8. ↑ Fitzloff, Jay (August 1999). "Echo Night". Game Informer . No. 76. p. 65. Archived from the original on June 4, 2000. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
    9. ↑ Liu, Johnny (September 1999). "Echo Night Review". Game Revolution . Retrieved November 12, 2016.
    10. ↑ Stahl, Ben (August 2, 1999). "Echo Night Review". GameSpot.
    11. ↑ Everingham, Max (September 7, 1999). "Echo Night". IGN . Retrieved November 12, 2016.
    12. ↑ "Echo Night". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . 1999.
    13. ↑ "Review: Echo Night". PSM . 1999.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.