Shoot'em-up afficionados rejoice: a new challenger has entered the arena! Last week, the third iteration of
Echoes, one of my favorite twin-stick shooters, was released on Steam. I was not even aware that this game was in the making as developer
binary zoo hasn't been promoting the title much except for a few tweets on
Twitter. His website doesn't even mention the game and it certainly isn't easy to find among the many new releases on Steam. If you don't want to miss out on this retro shooter, head over to its store page and check out the trailer, which unfortunately can't be found on YouTube.
This entry in the series was updated with shiny 3D graphics, even more intense visual effects and some interesting gameplay tweaks. Players can test their skills in five solar systems and four game modes. 50 Steam achievements, which I usually don't care for, are crucial for progress in this game, as unlocking them will upgrade your ship and allow for higher scores. The gameplay is white-knuckle tight, the controls are precise and I immensely enjoyed my short trial session with the game, although I still utterly suck at it. So if you have any love for SHMUPs or well-made, polished indie games in general, treat yourself and get the game for a -25% discounted launch price (£5.39 / 6,14€ / $7.49 until September 12th) on Steam. If you're still on the fence, check out its
free prequel Echoes+, which is very similar and should give you a good idea of what to expect.
On a side note, I wish the developer would step up his game and raise more awareness for his work because he has some serious talent. Chris, I'm probably not your only fan and certainly you want more people to enjoy your game, so please update your website and YouTube and keep them tweets coming! It might also be a good idea to get in touch with Indie Gamer Chick, who is doing an amazing job promoting indie games with her IndieSelect event on Twitter. It would be a shame, if your games did not get the spotlight they deserve.
