There was once-olta-olta (to be read like an echo that fades hand – do you understand? “ECHO generation”... Eco... Marò, mo I also have to explain the jokes!) on 2021, when Cococucumber published the first Echo Generation. The developers in flannel shirts armed with maple syrup (capita? Why so Canadians!) managed to conquer a niche of nerd thanks to a special formula like “Minecraft + Final Fantasy = barrel”, able to merge suggestions from the fantastic cinema of the eighties with an immediately recognizable aesthetic. Echo Generation 1 was not a perfect title, but possessed a rare personality in the independent panorama... And it is therefore for this reason that the arrival of Echo Generation 2 on 27 May 2026 was welcomed with curiosity and a good dose of excitement by us people with thick glasses repaired with scotch.
Generation-ation-ation...
Understand? DUE times the echo of Generation. Come on, I promise that's enough jokes.
With this second chapter of the saga, the will of the Canadian study was not simply to continue a story already told, but to expand your narrative universe with a follow-up that preserves the DNA of the original work, while choosing a different road in some respects. Echo Generation 2 in fact abandons much of the suburban atmospheres that had characterized the background of the first chapter to move your gaze towards environments suspended between science fiction and horror years '80.
Another change that jumps immediately to the eye is the shifting the paradigm from linear history to multiple stories that intertwine. If on the one hand we can argue that all this has compromised the identity of the series, on the other we must see if these formulas work... and “the big” of these choices turns out to be winning.
This time we will not dress up the young heroes of the original chapter, but those Sister M, Annata Z and Noliva: three completely different stories to play once. Three styles of play around mechanics on the genres (in one, for example, you will have to accumulate as much money as possible, in another there will be more mini-games...) for each of the stories and three graphic styles also distinguish each other: Sister M with a classic style, Annata Z with one in black and white, particularly suggestive, Noliva with a more neon and colorful, cyberpunk of old mold.
The story is managed to “tree”: ending the chapter of Sister M will unlock the chapter of Jack, father of the characters known in the first episode (who will also make them a small appearance). Finishing that of Jack, Annata Z and Noliva, will unlock the plot of the stories and the final chapters.
...And if on the one hand this premise allows the authors to tell a more “adult” story without sacrificing that sense of discovery that had made interesting the previous episode, on the other, after about 10 hours of play, I realized that the plot of the stories is a little bit a forcing to tell a chapter still different.
Cococucumber avoids overloading the player with long narrative sequences and prefers to gradually build their own universe, letting them be the places visited to suggest a certain type of pathosHowever, writing, even if more mature than the past, does not always reach memorable levels. Some characters manage to leave the mark thanks to an effective characterization, with their themes that emerge naturally during the adventure, however sorry not to have a real ending except just for Jack.
From the RPG to deckbuilder
The most obvious change concerns the combat system. If the first Echo Generation proposed a rather traditional RPG structure and accompanied by minigames, this follows introduces a component deckbuilding that significantly changes the rhythm of battles. Cards, abilities and synergies become key elements to build an effective team and face progressively more complex clashes. The minigames are almost all referred to the exploration phases.
The choice could initially spy on those who expected a simple evolution of the previous model (but we are honest, those who do not laugh not rosica!). After a few hours, however, it emerges clearly how this solution allowed developers to expand the strategic depth of the entire experience.
Each fight requires attention in the management of available resources (you have a limited number of card uses and these are sometimes identified by a symbol that will have a certain effect to “break” the opponent’s guard) and in the construction of the most effective combinations (with combo if you play cards of the same type, effects based on symbols and buildup of status of alteration that will have more or less marked effects on enemies). Cards are not only offensive attacks, but also affect support for allies and group survival. The system thus maintains high involvement even in the most advanced stages of adventure.
Here too. some balancing problems and QoL: certain strategies are more effective than others, some battles have peaks of little homogeneous difficulty, it is not possible to build a deck of cards simply removing some from roster, there are too many altered statuses that you struggle to understand and last but not least there is the function of “Save the Shift” which is absolutely useless if you do not blaspheme when by mistake you press that button. For charity, these are limits that do not compromise the general quality of the combat system, but if I had been in the shoes of coconut (Cococucumber) maybe I wanted to manage differently.
Finally there is a tree of progression at levels that will allow to unlock some skills: some almost useless, others rather than "break" completely the difficulty of the meetings.
A world that strikes the gaze... In all senses
If there is one aspect in which Cococucumber continues to stand out from competition, this is definitely the artistic direction: the models voxxxellosis adopted by the Canadian team have immediate recognisability and Echo Generation 2 exploits this visual identity to stand out. But it's not just the models to master: fascinating settings as underground labs and unknown planets really seem to come out of an old science fiction cover and make the title a feast for the eyes.
Dynamic lighting is incredible and managed at least as well as I had already observed inReplaced and contributes to enhancing the work done by artists. The animations are also more fluid than the past. Although it is an independent production, the shot remains remarkable throughout the duration of the adventure.
If I can give the proverbial blow to the circle and barrel, however, although the graphics are absolutely pleasant, some models (species enemies and monsters) are amazing and deserve a “♪”, others are quite “meh” and could be done better.
The sound sector also plays an important role in defining the atmosphere of the game: 1980s influences and chips remain present, but they are reinterpreted within the contexts of each of the stories (for me the absolute apex was the musichetta of the dance floor in the history of Noliva).
Less is more... or more is less?
The ambition of Echo Generation 2 constantly emerges during the adventure with the most articulated narrative and the much deeper combat system than the predecessor. However, not all these elements manage to maintain the same quality level throughout the (race) duration of experience. In certain fringents it is clearly perceived the desire of developers to expand the scope of the project, even at the cost of sacrificing part of the compactness that characterized the first chapter.
While presenting some uncertainty in rhythm and balance, the title confirms the talent of the Canadian team in creating worlds capable of stimulating the player's curiosity. For those who appreciated the first Echo Generation it is a convincing return to pacts that do not twist your nose its defects; for the newcomers, instead, an interesting door of access to one of the most particular intellectual properties of the contemporary indie panorama.
The title is available for PC and Xbox Series X|S at the price of 20,69€ on Steam (to the day I'm writing)... discreetly exoso, if I have to express myself about it, for a handful of hours of play.
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