DaRmaZat At the end of last year, the smaller games on everyone’s lips were Pacific Drive, Hades II, Animal Well, Neva, and, of course, Balatro. Yet, curiously absent from the chatter was Echo Point Nova. How could a game as captivating as this—a destructible open-world marvel with lightning-fast FPS mechanics, intricate sandbox puzzles, and challenging navigation— slip under the radar, or at least, when the prizes were awarded?
Perhaps it was the art style, which leaned too heavily on the Borderlands aesthetic. Or maybe the extreme difficulty, with its chaotic screen-filling action, deterred players. It might also be the oversaturation of the FPS genre or the shorter main campaign paired with a steep price tag. Whatever the reason, Echo Point Nova appears destined to thrive as an uncelebrated gem.
After spending nearly 20 hours immersed in its dreamlike world, I came to appreciate its eccentricity. This was a game of extremes—where triumphs felt monumental precisely because of the frustrations leading up to them. Solo play, for all its grueling difficulty spikes, was immersive in its own right, but the balance tipped dramatically in co-op mode. Playing with a partner revealed a smoother, more dynamic experience: the ability to respawn each other after strategic kills, fewer enemies to manage per player, and a shared sense of accomplishment that softened the game’s sharp edges.
For better or worse, Echo Point Nova doesn’t hold your hand, and in solo mode, it’s unapologetically punishing. The Colosseus boss fight is a testament to this, for me personally a grueling five-hour ordeal featuring relentless turret attacks and infuriatingly vague weak points. Yet, when I finally defeated it, the sense of achievement was unmatched. That’s the paradox of Echo Point Nova: it’s both merciless and deeply rewarding.
That said, the game could have done more to accommodate solo players. Adjustable difficulty settings or tweaks to the AI might have made the experience less punishing without sacrificing its challenge. Another minor issue was the music transitions, which could feel jarring—either abruptly cutting off or jumping too quickly to a new track. It’s these little things that could have made the game even more polished.
Nevertheless, Echo Point Nova shines in its core strengths. The destructible environments, layered world design, fluid combat, and an unforgettable soundtrack come together to create an experience that’s easy to lose yourself in. Whether I was discovering artifacts, battling rogue factions, or exploring with my pink grapple hook and triple jump to scan for anomalies, the game kept surprising me with its creativity. Every weapon, every perk, every superpower earned through exploration felt purposeful and exhilarating.
To conclude: Echo Point Nova may not have cracked my top three games of last year, but it left a mark unlike any other. Its imperfections—ambiguous map markers, solo difficulty spikes, and uneven pacing—held it back from perfection but also made its moments of brilliance shine even brighter. It’s a game that demands perseverance, rewards ambition, and lingers in your memory long after you’ve finished it. While I’m confident that Greylock Studio’s next outing will raise the bar even higher, especially after enjoying Severed Steel as well, Echo Point Nova earns its place as one of 2024’s most unforgettable experiences for me.
