From ETLOK Studios, a new MMORPG has been announced. Into the Echo will bring players to a new world called Raava and is an attempt to reimagine the genre. A teaser trailer was released today alongside the announcement that pre-alpha for the game will be starting soon.
A relatively new developer, ETLOK Studios is based in Toronto and is focused on producing massively multi-player experiences. Its first title, Into the Echo, was announced with a teaser trailer on the IGN YouTube channel. The game remains without an exact timeline at the moment but ETLOK Studios promises updates in the near future.
The trailer for the game shows a stone path that leads to an elaborate gate and wall. Through an interesting aesthetic and a unique art style the video displays temple-like structures in the background. Through a strange and bright portal in the ground bursts golden chains surrounded by some form of disturbance. A character with a mix of light armor and weapons approaches this portal and disappears along with the chains. This reveal trailer ends on the game's title, Into the Echo. This new game is characterized as a time-travel based game and is supposed to alter the MMORPG landscape through new gameplay approaches.
Into the Echo is set to have a unique progression system, a community challenge aspect, as well as a mix of PVP, PVE, and puzzling. The promises of time travel and collaborative events in this studio's first game look interesting and it seems likely that more information will be forthcoming soon. Though MMORPGs have been around for years, ETLOK Studios suggests the genre has been undergoind a phase of transition as technology has advanced.
It is impossible to judge much from the short trailer available for ETLOK Studios' Into the Echo but it seems like an interesting title. The developer promises to avoid the things they see as detrimental in the world of MMORPG games and the available details are promising. For one thing the hub and spoke progression system could result in promising interactions between players of different skill levels.
But there remains the question of actual gameplay. Though it seems as though ETLOK Studios have done their homework, the game remains in pre-alpha stage. Which leaves a lot of unknowns and a lot of questions. Until players actually get their hands on Into the Echo, those interested are going to have to continue to check in on ETLOK Studios' updates. Hopefully it joins the list of titles to look forward to in 2022 like Sifu.
Into the Echo is currently under development.