Here lately, I've found myself increasingly interested in metroidvanias. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that a good friend of mine is currently obsessed with them, so we're constantly talking about them. But something else to consider is that there have been quite a few decent ones dominating the conversation lately, like Well Dweller, Silver Pines, and, of course, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. The thing is, I generally know what I'm getting into with a metroidvania, particularly when it comes to their mechanics, as the majority of them follow the same traditional ability-gated progression and backtracking loop—and that includes the aforementioned titles. Don't get me wrong, tradition isn't a bad thing at all, especially with a metroidvania. But if one does come along daring to approach it differently, as Echo Weaver does, you better believe I'm going to take notice.
I recently spent a little under an hour with Echo Weaver's demo on Steam, and I have to say, I haven't been this excited for an upcoming metroidvania release since Hollow Knight: Silksong. The other metroidvania demos I've played on Steam recently—like Well Dweller and Silver Pines—have been excellent. There's no doubt about that. However, Echo Weaver offers an incredibly unique gameplay loop that actually makes it more akin to something like Outer Wilds than any other metroidvania, specifically. In fact, its developers like to refer to it instead as a "metroidbrania," because rather than gating its progression with abilities, it actually gates it with knowledge, much like Outer Wilds gates its own way forward. It's an interesting concept, for sure, but the more interesting thing is perhaps that I walked away from Echo Weaver's demo with a huge smile on my face and overwhelmed with joy that it's launching on October 8, 2026, which is just around the corner.
I am a massive fan of all things sci-fi. There is just something about the worlds and atmosphere the genre creates that makes me want to hang out there forever. RPG franchises like Mass Effect and immersive space exploration games like Starfield or No Man's Sky are all among my favorites, and I am immensely looking forward to the release of Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn next year. So, when I came across Echo Weaver, which is also sci-fi, I was immediately sold on at least giving it a try. And boy, am I glad I did.
For starters, Echo Weaver is one of those games that absolutely must be played with headphones. The music, the sound effects, the atmosphere—it's all best experienced with headphones, especially if you have access to a great gaming headset. This is largely because of how immersive Echo Weaver is, which, in my opinion, is the hallmark quality of a good sci-fi game. But atmosphere is also what I would consider a fundamental element of a side-scrolling metroidvania as well, and this one certainly nails that much. Even its hand-drawn, painterly art style, which has some of Ori's storybook beauty mixed with the heavier comic-book linework of Borderlands, is captivating, and it reinforces the game's humorous side as well.
As far as what you're actually doing in Echo Weaver, you play as the last of the Weavers, exploring what remains of a ruined society known as Provenance after an event called the Collapse. There's obviously quite a bit more going on than the demo reveals outright, especially where the mysterious Congregation is concerned, but figuring all of that out is essentially part of the point. The world is stuck in an endless time loop, and it's up to Weaver to learn enough about Provenance, its people, and whatever happened there to eventually break the cycle. Of course, your faithful companion, whom the game endearingly refers to as "Pizza Cat," is along for the ride as well, which makes the whole thing even better.
Even its hand-drawn, painterly art style, which has some of Ori's storybook beauty mixed with the heavier comic-book linework of Borderlands, is captivating, and it reinforces the game's humorous side as well.
However, presentation and premise aside, Echo Weaver's gameplay mechanics are, without a doubt, its standout feature. The most important thing to understand is that time itself is quite literally a resource in the game, represented by a clock at the top of the screen that is constantly, albeit slowly, ticking down. Once that time runs out, the current cycle comes to an end, and you're brought back to the starting area and the beginning of a new cycle.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to add more time to the clock as you explore, whether that means finding pickups scattered throughout the world, breaking open boxes, or defeating enemies. But Echo Weaver also lets you spend that time on certain things, including maps, which adds an interesting layer to the whole system. It's manageable, it makes sense, and its in-game logic is solid, which is a breath of fresh air after The Blood of Dawnwalker's time limit let me down severely in that regard.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/echo-weaver-steam-sci-fi-metroidvania-like-ori-outer-wilds-progression/
