Somber Echoes: Everything We Know

You probably have Hollow Knight: Silksong at the top of your mind. But while we wait for a definitive release date, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming new Metroidvania in town. Titled Somber Echoes, developer Rock Pocket Game hopes to scratch the itch for ancient Greek tragedies with a standalone sci-fi set in an expansive cosmic metropolis. Intrigued yet? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Somber Echoes.

What is Somber Echoes?

Somber Echoes is an upcoming 2.5D sci-fi Metroidvania that its developing team calls a ‘love letter’ to the genre. Its reveal trailer only recently came out on March 2, 2024. However, its Greco-Roman spaceship setting is already spiking gamers’ curiosity. The upcoming game intends to intertwine Greek mythology and modern sci-fi in a compelling Metroidvania adventure. 

Story

Somber Echoes tells the story of Harmonia and Adrestia, who are twin sisters in an alien world. It pits them against one another, with Harmonia as the evil twin wanting to destroy the universe, while an unknown force resurrects Adrestia to stop her. 

The game is set in a futuristic Greco-Roman spaceship called Atromitos, where, after a mysterious calamity, horrific creatures from another dimension wreak havoc. They render Atromitos a dangerous and challenging labyrinth to maneuver. 

Your job is to destroy them all across seven visually distinct districts in terms of scenery and enemies. Each one will pose new dangers, testing your patience, tactical thinking, and problem-solving skills. However, you’ll also unlock new powers, skills, and knowledge to help you survive and save the world.

Finally, you’ll come face-to-face with your evil twin for the final boss fight. Here’s the official story description via Steam:

A cataclysmic event turned the once beautiful and proud Greco-Roman space vessel Atromitos into breeding grounds for infested horrors from an unknown dimension. In the aftermath, a mysterious force chooses to interfere with destiny and awaken Adrestia from rubble and ashes.

As Adrestia, you are trying to stop your twin sister Harmonia from unraveling the universe, but many questions remain unanswered. In the search for answers, you explore the vast space vessel while gaining powers, knowledge, and skills that might shape your ultimate destiny.

Experience a Metroidvania, where combat is about mastering acrobatic freedom. Explore an environment that embraces diverse gameplay styles to suit every player.

Gameplay

According to the reveal trailer’s description, Somber Echoes will be powered by Unreal Engine 5, so we can expect striking visuals. On Steam, Somber Echoes promises ‘beautifully crafted distinct districts,’ of which you can catch sneak peeks in the trailer.

You’ll wield a spear, slicing and dicing alien foes to oblivion. Steam suggests a progressive system where you master your spear skills over time. You’ll unlock new abilities that help you craft a unique playstyle while giving you room to gain the upper hand in enemy encounters.

Additionally, you’ll unlock new abilities to traverse new areas, seamlessly unlocking more acrobatic freedom in combat. One stand-out gameplay feature to expect is precision and timing. You’ll need to accurately time parries to counter-attack incoming attacks effectively. 

Somber Echoes combines three main gameplay elements: acrobatic combat, exploration of a Greco-Roman labyrinthine spaceship, and character progression, forging your destiny over time. It merges cosmic horror and platform exploration. Check out the key features to expect via Steam:

Features

• Emotionally charged story inspired by Greek tragedies and Greek Mythology
• Unique Greco-Roman science fiction setting
• Visceral combat designed with player freedom in mind
• 7 distinctive districts with their own visual identity
• Acrobatic player freedom by design
• Ultrawide aspect ratio support
• Advanced visuals taking advantage of Unreal Engine 5

Development

Developers Rock Pocket Games and Lav Games, in partnership with publisher Bonus Stage, are currently working on Somber Echoes. They draw heavy inspiration from ancient Greek tragedies, with Adrestia and Harmonia referring to Greek goddesses: Adrestia, goddess of ‘inevitable fate,’ and Harmonia, goddess of harmony and concord. 

It’s unclear how extensively Somber Echoes’s story will draw from Greek mythology. Either way, a Greco-Roman-themed game is no surprise from Rock Pocket Games, given their previous work in Martian horror, Moons of Madness. 

With Somber Echoes only recently unveiled, there’s no telling when future updates or the final release will be. Some gamers are hoping Somber Echoes will make it to consoles. It’ll be up to the developers whether they allow for future ports. 

The developing team has used the words ‘love letter to the genre’ to describe Somber Echoes. And while those two words have become watered down over the years, hopefully, the final game proves to be something special for Metroid fans and every gamer in general.

Trailer

The official reveal trailer is out now, packed with plenty of action and flashy visuals to look forward to. You see Adrestia bounce off walls and pull off ballet combos on a space vessel crawling with horrific interdimensional alien beings. It generally looks like a lot of fun, with the environments looking stunning and quite close to Triple-A quality games. You see brush strokes of Dead Space’s cosmic horror and modern Metroidvania design. Here’s to hoping the final product holds up post-release.

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

While Somber Echoes’ Steam store page says the game’s release date is ‘to be announced,’ the official reveal trailer’s descriptions say the game is coming out this Fall. At the moment, we don’t have the exact release date. Whether it’ll launch sometime this year or at a later date is anybody’s guess. 

We can confirm, though, that Somber Echoes will be released solely on PC platforms via Steam, where you can add it to your wishlist as early as now. As of now, no editions have been revealed. However, you can always follow the official social handle here to keep track of updates. Alternatively, we’ll let you know as soon as any new information comes up right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Somber Echoes when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.