Review by Jon Donnis
"Sofie: The Echoes" aims high with its ambition to deliver a story-driven, emotional journey, but it's a mixed experience that doesn't quite land where it should. Stepping into Sofie's life as she fights to uncover the whereabouts of her missing family sounds like the foundation for a gripping story, and, in fairness, the narrative has some genuinely compelling moments. Sofie's character is refreshingly multi-dimensional; as a mother and a college professor, she's not your typical action-game protagonist, which should make her journey feel more grounded and relatable. The haunting, echo-laden world she navigates is eerie and atmospheric, drawing you in with its dark landscapes and glimpses into a twisted past. Unfortunately, it's everything outside the story itself that holds the game back, and in more ways than one.
The visuals start off promisingly. Cutscenes are gorgeous, truly cinematic, with a level of detail that pulls you right into Sofie's world. But then you drop into the actual gameplay, and the graphics quality takes a noticeable dip. It's a shame because the world itself is quite stunning in concept, but the execution leaves you wanting. From beautifully crafted cutscenes to environments that sometimes feel bland or glitchy by comparison, there's an inconsistency that undermines the game's potential.
Gameplay mechanics are functional but not especially inspired. It's the standard run, find a weapon, and shoot, a format we've seen plenty of times before. Sofie does have some unique combat abilities that make things interesting for a while, but they don't fully make up for the overall clunkiness. Enemy AI is subpar, which often turns fights from tense encounters into frustrating struggles with unpredictable, often buggy foes. The game's combat sometimes feels like it's fighting you, rather than challenging you in a way that would make sense. Puzzles are present, yes, and they add some variety, but they feel largely inconsequential, which is a shame given how much more depth they could have added to the story if woven in more effectively.
Now, the bugs and glitches deserve their own paragraph because they're unfortunately ever-present. While the developers are pushing out patches, "Sofie: The Echoes" still feels half-baked on launch. It's baffling to see priorities skewed in such odd ways, especially with that unusually polished cloth physics that seem to exist solely to showcase Sofie's skirt and backside in every possible situation. It's jarring and raises questions about what the developers deemed important in a game that's supposed to be an emotionally charged journey. Performance-wise, the game is demanding, too; unless you're running it on a powerful PC, expect drops in frame rates and lengthy load times, which only add to the frustration.
The game's world has depth if you dig for it, with collectible documents and recordings that shed light on Sofie's family history and the dark secrets she's trying to unearth. These snippets are intriguing and genuinely well done, but they're buried beneath so many technical issues that you might find it hard to care enough to look for them. Choices in the game matter to some extent, with certain paths impacting the story's outcome, though this feature feels underdeveloped. If you're looking for something akin to branching narratives that shape the game in meaningful ways, you may feel disappointed by the limited impact of your decisions.
"Sofie: The Echoes" wants to be a deep, cinematic experience, and there are flashes of greatness here and there. The narrative is the one consistently bright spot, filled with emotional weight that's rare in action-adventure titles. Yet the bugs, lacklustre gameplay, and wonky AI ultimately drag it down. This is one of those games you might want to keep an eye on and revisit in a year when the developers have hopefully ironed out the issues and given it the polish it deserves. For now, though, the story just isn't enough to carry it. A disappointing 5 out of 10 feels about right. It's not without merit, but there are far too many flaws for it to be a satisfying experience.
Out now on Steam
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