And just like that, another studio with a very promising start shuffles off this mortal coil.
Anyone remember Echo? That minimalistic and visually spectacular title released two years ago? I was freeing up some space on my hard drive just a few weeks ago when I noticed this title among my Steam purchases, and remembered just how good it was. I set about playing it again, and I enjoyed it immensely. It’s probably because I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before. It’s not without its flaws, mind you, and the repetition of areas with the sometimes incredibly unforgiving difficulty spikes may piss some people off. But as it stands, I can see it as one of those very unique titles that should give its studio a leg up in terms of what projects they could make next.
Sadly, not a lot of people thought so. Ultra Ultra, the Danish indie studio behind Echo announced yesterday in a tweet that they have ‘ceased to exist.’ In business terms, the studio is now defunct, and all future projects from Ultra Ultra will most probably never be realized.
We’re terribly sad to report that Ultra Ultra has ceased to exist. We are grateful to have had the chance to crystallize something truly from the heart. ECHO will remain available on stores.
— Ultra Ultra (@theUltraUltra) May 7, 2019
While in hindsight it’s not surprising that the studio is fated to go under, it’s still very saddening. I was kind of looking forward to what they had to offer next, but as it is, Echo was not as big of a hit as the studio would’ve liked it to be. Looking through the Steam reviews for the game and you can see what really put people off of the experience; while most reviews agree that the visual presentation was superb, killing all of main character En’s echoes can become quite tiring and incredibly frustrating.
While we may have heard the last from Ultra Ultra, Echo as a film adaptation is still in the works. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around how they will adapt the story, although if I have to look for an inspiration, I guess Duncan Jones’ Moon starring Sam Rockwell would be a good place to start.
In any case, Echo is still available for purchase through Steam and GOG, if you want to give it a try. It’s not for everyone, but there really isn’t anything like it either.
