Eschaton is a short, surreal first-person exploration game. Explore the 'aftermath' of a cult ritual in the grounds of a manor in the remote and picturesque Scottish highlands.
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The most interesting things about Escaton are easy to miss. There are some interesting environmental details to pick up on that aren't immediately obvious, like how each of the figures you find is also represented in a painting inside the mansion, or how the painting by the lake changes after the horses rise from the water, reflecting the new state of the lake.
The sound design is also really good. The most unsettling moments in this game are carried by the audio, which genuinely got under my skin at points. It really helps carry the game's atmosphere.
If you want a vibe, this is an alright game to check out. The actual plot left me a bit confused. I think I follow what happened, but I am not entirely sure what it means, or what I as the player am supposed to take away from it. Pretty much all of the dialogue in the game is spoken in riddles about philosophy and existence, and that sort of writing can work pretty well in concert in a larger work, but for a short game like this I find there isn't quite enough to contextualize it. I didn't really get the writing, and even now its hard for me to remember the proverbs. I still enjoyed the game, though I think its strongest as a mood piece, or as an exploration in level design. Its worth looking into if you can snag it on sale.
The sound design is also really good. The most unsettling moments in this game are carried by the audio, which genuinely got under my skin at points. It really helps carry the game's atmosphere.
If you want a vibe, this is an alright game to check out. The actual plot left me a bit confused. I think I follow what happened, but I am not entirely sure what it means, or what I as the player am supposed to take away from it. Pretty much all of the dialogue in the game is spoken in riddles about philosophy and existence, and that sort of writing can work pretty well in concert in a larger work, but for a short game like this I find there isn't quite enough to contextualize it. I didn't really get the writing, and even now its hard for me to remember the proverbs. I still enjoyed the game, though I think its strongest as a mood piece, or as an exploration in level design. Its worth looking into if you can snag it on sale.
i too know what the kabbalah is :3
Could have been better. The developer clearly tried to go highbrow deep concept but without any real foundation on which to build the concept it felt like a whole buncha words dotted around a spooky house and a climax that felt like "more random stuff to do".
Steam description mentions the "aftermath" of a cult? but there's seemingly no mention of said cult within the game which is bad narrative.
Very walking sim. Very unspooky. Very 30 minutes I won't get back.
Steam description mentions the "aftermath" of a cult? but there's seemingly no mention of said cult within the game which is bad narrative.
Very walking sim. Very unspooky. Very 30 minutes I won't get back.
This review contains spoilers
Interesting and richly presented, but held back by some distracting details which feel more noticeable in a game based so much on atmosphere and mood.
Movement gets funky with some geometry especially going down steps, audio looping points are noticeable. The framerate seems to massively tank at certain points (fog effect?)
The 'observe' option pretty much always gave uninteresting responses and it sort of made me less interested in everything? As in, if there wasn't a dedicated observe button I think I would have felt more immersed and interested in the environments. I didn't 100% the game so maybe this was an important feature.
The other big sticking point for me was the voices. I can't tell if they were AI generated but they certainly felt off in that way. The deliveries felt stilted, which could have been a positive thing on paper, but felt flat and bad to me.
The audio definitely made me feel pressured and a little sick, which I think was a good effect. Overall a worthwhile experience!
Movement gets funky with some geometry especially going down steps, audio looping points are noticeable. The framerate seems to massively tank at certain points (fog effect?)
The 'observe' option pretty much always gave uninteresting responses and it sort of made me less interested in everything? As in, if there wasn't a dedicated observe button I think I would have felt more immersed and interested in the environments. I didn't 100% the game so maybe this was an important feature.
The other big sticking point for me was the voices. I can't tell if they were AI generated but they certainly felt off in that way. The deliveries felt stilted, which could have been a positive thing on paper, but felt flat and bad to me.
The audio definitely made me feel pressured and a little sick, which I think was a good effect. Overall a worthwhile experience!
Not particularly scary, and the narrative isn't great. Cool PSX style though
This review contains spoilers
An interesting short first person narrative game, Eschaton has a wonderful sense of style both in its visual presentation and its focus on overwhelming binaural audio.
Bonus points for having a really cool interpretation of an biblically accurate angel at the end.
Bonus points for having a really cool interpretation of an biblically accurate angel at the end.