Myrkur Games’ inaugural project, Echoes of the End, arrives with a premise that initially suggests fresh ideas but swiftly succumbs to worn tropes. Early hours struggle to escape comparisons to genre stalwarts, creating a sense of déjà vu that hampers immersion. Only in its later segments does the adventure carve out fleeting moments of narrative resonance, though these fail to offset its uneven execution.

Players assume the role of Ryn, a so-called “vestige” whose explosive abilities distance her from human contact. The opening sequence establishes her fraught relationship with brother Cor through clunky exposition about past disasters. When invaders abduct Cor, Ryn partners with scholar Abram—a grieving father seeking answers about her lineage—to confront antagonistic forces threatening their nation’s mystical defenses.

The central allegory about marginalized power shows glimmers of depth, particularly through voice actors who elevate pedestrian dialogue. Ryn’s journey from self-loathing to cautious acceptance occasionally tugs heartstrings, especially as her surrogate father dynamic with Abram evolves. However, the archetypal “chosen one” narrative and fantasy tropes feel derivative, frequently echoing other AAA titles’ narrative beats and visual motifs.

Environmental puzzles emerge as unexpected highlights in later chapters, combining elemental manipulation with spatial reasoning. A volcanic temple’s color-coded gate mechanisms and an icebound shrine’s shifting platforms demonstrate clever design potential, though these innovations remain underutilized. The option to request hints tarnishes these triumphs, with some solutions prematurely revealed by NPCs during early encounters.

Combat systems falter catastrophically, blending repetitive enemy behaviors with unresponsive controls. A malfunctioning lock-on mechanic forces constant camera wrestling, while basic heavy attacks remain progression-gated—an inexplicable design choice. Boss encounters recycle antagonists with negligible AI variation, reducing climactic battles to tedious slogs against health sponges.

Technical performance compounds these issues, with persistent texture pop-ins and frame pacing problems across all tested platforms. The Unreal Engine 5 implementation fails to justify its demands, delivering visuals that—while occasionally striking—recall early PS3-era jank. Moments of spectacle, like battling atop crumbling magma flows, are undermined by invisible projectiles and unstable geometry.

Myrkur’s debut effort ultimately collapses under its ambitions. Brief narrative highs and thoughtful late-game challenges can’t salvage an experience riddled with technical flaws and uninspired combat. Patient players may find glimmers of potential beneath the roughness, but most will rightfully question why they should endure hours of mediocrity for occasional competence.

5.7

WCCFTECH RATING

Echoes of the End