Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition is the kind of game that should be an easy recommendation. A cinematic, story-driven action-adventure with a strong visual identity, great atmosphere, and a focus on character relationships – it sounds like the perfect blend on paper. Unfortunately, my first hours with it were spent fighting something far less poetic: the game itself. On my AMD Radeon GPU, the Enhanced Edition simply refused to run. Crashes, fatal errors, and failed launches made the experience borderline unplayable, and based on community reports, I’m far from alone. In the end, I had to borrow my brother’s PC just to play the thing. Not a great start.
And yet, once the game actually works, it becomes clear why the original release earned praise despite its flaws. Echoes of the End has always had a strong artistic foundation: rich worldbuilding, moody environments, and performances that carry emotional nuance far beyond typical game delivery. The Enhanced Edition promises to refine the experience, smoothing out combat, fixing pacing issues, and addressing technical problems. To its credit, much of that effort shows.
Enhanced Edition released as a major free update.
Even in its updated state, Echoes of the End still carries the unmistakable marks of a debut project. Movement feels weightless, combat lacks impact, and enemy variety is minimal. Collectibles feel like afterthoughts, and the game demands more horsepower than its visuals seem to justify. But underneath these shortcomings lies a surprisingly sturdy skeleton. The game’s central ideas, its puzzles, its magical shifting mechanics, its rhythm-based combat, are clever, satisfying, and often refreshing.
Throwing enemies around never really loses its novelty, and each puzzle section introduces just enough new mechanics to keep the downtime between fights enjoyable. The writing can be predictable, but it rarely feels clumsy, and the performances elevate nearly every scene. Ryn and Abram’s relationship is the emotional anchor of the game, unfolding with a natural, believable progression free of unnecessary narrative padding. Their bond evolves through both story and gameplay, something even major narrative-driven titles often struggle to achieve.
Importantly, the game trusts you to discover its world rather than forcing lore down your throat. Exploration is optional but rewarding, and the Icelandic-inspired environments are genuinely beautiful, full of sweeping vistas and natural formations you’ll eventually climb, cross, or revisit in various ways.
Echoes of the End’s combat was always conceptually strong but technically messy. The original release struggled with overly aggressive enemies, awkward parry windows, and AI that couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to do. The Enhanced Edition improves much of this: enemy behavior is more consistent, heavy attacks interrupt predictable patterns, and parries feel fairer. While it’s nowhere near the precision of a Soulslike, and isn’t trying to be, the updated combat now better supports the game’s cinematic rhythm.
The game is structured across 10 chapters, culminating in a final boss encounter. However, be warned: I’m talking about constant, nonstop puzzles in literally every single area you encounter. This repeated mechanic, doing the same thing over and over, while not the game’s biggest flaw, certainly disrupts the overall pace of the action-adventure experience.
Secondly, the main protagonist, Ryn, can definitely be a bit insufferable. She is characterized by constant lashing out, anger, and what can only be described as “bitchy” moments. While the story does eventually provide context and reasons for her disposition, players who are not fans of difficult protagonists might find her character slightly challenging to follow or connect with.
On the other hand, cinematic storytelling is the heart of Echoes of the End, and here the Enhanced Edition delivers some of its most noticeable upgrades. Cutscene transitions are smoother, animation blending feels natural, and awkward stiffness from the original version has been reduced. The cinematography, including wide shots, slow pans, and carefully staged compositions, lands with more confidence thanks to improved technical polish.
I still have the feeling that this is just another solid AA game without anything truly special happening. Yes, it has some interesting fantasy elements and decent enough gameplay. But, honestly, it feels similar to games like Hell is Us, clunky, but playable. It’s clear that games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have definitely set a higher standard for titles in this category.
In the end, Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition is a cinematic, atmospheric adventure that shines brightest in its art direction, and emotional performances. Its combat, while improved, remains simple and occasionally repetitive, and the technical hurdles, especially the baffling AMD GPU issues, make recommending it on PC tricky.
But when the game works, it really works. If you enjoy story-focused adventure games with good character relationships and a unique look, you will find a lot to like here. Players who want deep gameplay mechanics or big RPG systems might find it lacking. However, Echoes of the End still manages to succeed by offering a clear and focused experience.
Just… ideally, play it on a machine it actually works on.
Review copy provided by the publisher
