1. Gameplay

2. Plot

3. Development and release

4. Echo Arena

5. Reception

6. References

7. External links

Gameplay

Players can pick up and move objects, as well as manipulate switches and control panels. In addition they are given a data scanner that can interface with machinery, and a plasma cutter than can cut through certain surfaces. As a service android,the player must repair damaged or inoperable systems, as well as aid and protect the station's sole human crew member, with whom they interact using dialog trees.^[6]

Plot

Set in the year 2126, Lone Echo casts players in the role of an ECHO ONE service android nicknamed "Jack," aboard the Kronos II mining station orbiting Saturn. Jack serves under the command of the human crew member Captain Olivia Rhodes, who will be reassigned by her employer "The Atlas Initiative", leaving Jack behind as the sole crew member of the facility. When a mysterious spacial anomaly knocks out some of the station's vital systems Jack and Olivia work together to repair the damage and investigate the mysterious phenomenon.^[7][6].

While the two investigate the anomaly, a massive unidentified ship appears and Kronos II gets destroyed by flying debris. Jack is temporarily decommissioned. When Jack reawakens, he notices that Olivia is no longer on or around the ship. In an emergency beacon, Olivia states that she had to abandon the facility due to power failures and loss of life support and that she would take her chances aboard the unknown vessel. Jack follows her to the ship to find out if she's still alive.

On the way, Jack discovers a mysterious biomass formation that seems to be activated to nearby electrical currents and absorbs anything that it touches while active. While travelling inside the unknown vessel, Jack encounters the ship AI named Apollo, who needs Jack's help to repair some of the ship's functions and reawaken the ship crew. Apollo explains that the ship, named Astrea, was attacked and that the biomass spreading throughout the ship is a biological weapon used by the attackers. When Jack releases the crew from their stasis pods, he discovers that they are all human and members of the Atlas Initiative. However, all the crew members are deceased. Apollo informs that according to his records, Olivia Rhodes disappeared over 400 years ago, in 2126, and suggests that Jack is malfunctioning. Jack is certain that Olivia is still alive and somewhere in the ship, and convinces Apollo to help him. Eventually, with Apollo's help, Jack finds Olivia in the ship. Apollo recognizes Olivia as a member of the Atlas Initiative and promotes her as the new captain of the Astrea. Apollo concludes that the ship must have made a time jump that caused Olivia's disappearance in his timeline.

Jack and Olivia try to repair the ships life support systems as Olivia's oxygen starts to run low, but eventually fail to return the airflow due to many construct failures on the ship. They retreat to bridge, the strongest part of the ship, and try to repair the life support there. However, before Jack succeeds in repairing the systems, Olivia's oxygen reserves run out and she goes into a cardiac arrest. Jack uses a defibrillator until Olivia starts breathing again.

In the final event, the ship's reactor destabilizes and threatens to destroy the entire ship. Apollo suggests to attempt a faster than light jump to expend a large amount of energy that could stabilize the reactor. This could, however, lead to the ship making another time jump. With no other choice, Jack and Olivia prepare the ship for the FTL jump by destroying non-essential power systems and finally activating the FTL. After the jump, they find out that they are still in an orbit around Saturn, but 400 years into the future. Outside they see the aftermath of a battle that the Astrea was involved in before jumping back in time. A friendly rescue vessel contacts the Astrea and states that help is underway.

Development and release

Development began in 2015, when the first prototypes of the Oculus Touch were made available to developers. A small team created VR prototypes, while Ready At Dawn was finishing 1886.^[8] Inspired by footage of astronauts moving aboard the International Space Station, the team completed a demo weeks after receiving Oculus Touch development kits.^[9] After demonstrating an early prototype showcasing the locomotion system, Oculus came on board as publisher to produce a full game. The team was expanded to 15 people, and eventually grew to 60 at its peak. ^[8]

About a year into its development, Ready At Dawn held an internal game jam, which resulted in an early prototype of Echo Arena. The decision was made to split the team, and develop both Lone Echo and Echo Arena alongside each other. ^[8]

Echo Arena

A multi-player component, Echo Arena, was developed alongside the title, and included with its release, but was also made available as a stand-alone release. As the result of a partnership with Intel, Echo Arena was offered for free to anyone who redeemed it within the first three months of launch.^[11][10]

Echo Arena is a team-based sports game, based around the locomotion mechanics of Lone Echo. Players compete in an arena to grab a flying disc and throw it through the opposition's goal. Players can grab onto other players and punch opposing players in the head to stun them, making it a full-contact sport.^[12]

Reception

Prior to its launch, Lone Echo won the Game Critics Award for Best VR Game at E3 2017.^[17]

Upon its release, Lone Echo received positive reviews. As of August 4, 2017 it had an average score of 89 on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews."^[13] UploadVR awarded the title an 8.5/10, calling it "a landmark achievement in three key areas of the VR experience: locomotion, UI, and interaction," but criticized the game's deliberate pacing and abrupt ending.^[6] In his review, GameCrate's Leo Parrill called it "one of the best VR experiences I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy," while noting the presence of some frustrating bugs and glitches.^[7] Road to VR awarded the game a 9/10, with particular praise given to the storytelling and the relationship between Jack and Olivia.^[16]

References

External links

• {{Official website|https://www.loneecho.com/}}

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