[ECHOSTASIS] p.3 - Echostasis Completed?

[@foxyshibata3783]

I always love it when SGF does the Tootsie-Roll 'Ta-hoo!' whenever he's counting to 3.

[@Scarwing]

This is what we rely on SGF for. To bring us really cool stories, trapped in games that we would never actually play.

[@kimtae858]

Bless you for playing this. Outer Wilds and Majora's Mask both gave incremental progress out often enough that you never felt too annoyed by the time reset. This game, on the other hand, seems super frustrating; Pure gametime padding in the form of mazes, blind time-sink hallways, and effects that hide key visual info. I would have dropped it after the first hour.

[@LordQuadros]

Interesting. I'm kind of in an opposite mindset when it comes to stuff like this. I could never really get into Majora's Mask because if you're, for instance, trying to figure out a dungeon on the third day, you risk losing all that progress and having to redo hours of stuff. This game's relatively short loop feels more akin to me to losing a round in a fighting game. Doesn't take much time, and you can sort of collect yourself, figure out what went wrong, and try something different. Which is all not to say you're wrong to feel how you do, I just think it's really interesting how different people can process these things in completely different ways.

[@ivant.w.9152]

So I adore the aesthetic, the game looks incredible. And the story is intriguing and compelling so far, I love how it ties in with the dev's other games and look forward to seeing where it goes. But man, the combination of no map plus the time limit makes my anxiety spike, and there's no question I could never actually play this game. It reminds me some of Siren in that aspect, another game I really admire but every time I've tried to play it I've given up after a handful of maps.

[@GabrielPhelanLucas]

Latest update makes the timer stop when you stop moving, so you can take your time exploring now. Enemies still move normally though.

[@ivant.w.9152]

@@GabrielPhelanLucas Awesome, that's a great change

[@kimyohbee1245]

Reminds me of the old Grasshopper games.

[@tsilly5267]

i think this game can be very frustrating if you get too caught up in trying to make progress instead of exploring - the game seems to actively reward you for being patient, trying different paths, being curious about the environment. a lot of its themes are rooted in philosophies of self, unself, the traps of memory, and its making an attempt to have gameplay that mirrors that (and YMMV on how much you think the developer achieves that). of course, there's a good few ways in which that can make this frustrating as entertainment rather than an art project. like, the gameplay and story are in friction, because it wants you to go slow and be patient but the story motivates progress, so of course you get frustrated about what feels like a lack of progress. there's definitely bits that i would've given feedback on if i were a playtester. definitely not a game for everyone

[@elmarjuz]

wow what a game to randomly click into the middle of

[@edsplosion1]

I would have to echo what a lot of people seem to be saying, in that I love everything about this game except for actually playing it, which just does not seem like my cup of tea at all.

[@blackdog9698919]

Would you say that you have to _[ECHOSTASIS]_ what a lot of people seem to be saying? tee hee

[@edsplosion1]

@@blackdog9698919 ah.... yeah..... i guess i would have to do that..........

[@edsplosion1]

@@blackdog9698919 ah.... yeah... i guess i would.....

[@foxyshibata3783]

55:20 Me on a Friday Night

[@BarasDai]

Can you still boot to BIOS like in the Prologue?

[@segaherman_twitch]

Fun stream SGF

[@blackdog9698919]

... Why is the gameplay like this? That's the real mystery of _[ECHOSTASIS]._ Like, this goes beyond just a matter of taste; timed puzzle-solving action segments do *_not_* blend well with what this franchise is trying to do.

[@foxyshibata3783]

I think I get what they're going for. The repetetiveness of it grinds into you, and you feel like you're really 'Breaking a Cycle' when you make progress. I think it fits with the theming, personally. Does that justify it? I do not know. But I get what they're trying to do with it.

[@blackdog9698919]

@@foxyshibata3783 I donno man. sgf is about as unflappable as let's players get, and he's got a higher tolerance for frustrating time-wasting gameplay than I do, so when even he is apologizing for how repetitive the game is and has to play ahead to make watchable videos... I don't want to make uncharitable comparisons, but the only other game he had to do that with for his channel was _Crying Is Not Enough._ There's a lot I like about Enigma's games, but this one seems really bad to play.

[@MrDosenburg]

I kinda get the idea of the time limit and maze-like environment: we are exploring someone else's mind and we were never meant to be in there for long. Its confusing and reliant on "dream logic" (pushing a button in one mind opening a random door in someone else's) . But the process of severing our connections to others (and to themselves) is *hard, and the strict time limit reenforces that idea. I think it's also meant to add to the frustration of the "end" we're getting - all that effort for little to no understanding. With that said, it would have been nice for a bit more leniency with the time limit. I think that in a game where you need to *explore*, the fact you do it in minute intervals in annoying af.

[@LadyDeSelby]

@@blackdog9698919 I'd guess it's probably better to play than it is to watch, actually, because you're actually trying stuff out and making new discoveries over time instead of just trying to remember what you did last playthrough. Not the game's fault it doesn't make for a good LP.

[@TheTapeandscissors]

It's an awful watch for sure, nothing that is sgf's fault.