Echoes is a game that deals with mental health in episodes

By Dan Isacsson Published May 23, 2016

Portraying mental health and psychology from a critical perspective in video games isn’t very common. While players may see their characters undergo stress or change their mood throughout a story, it usually doesn’t extend to the more alarming and enduring states of mental stress from which some people suffer. There could be several reasons for this, but one of the undeniably strongest arguments is that it’s hard to tackle this sort of issue and retain entertainment value through traditional game mechanics.

But the issue has been gaining traction as it’s becoming a more openly discussed topic, and even top developers have decided to tackle it with games like The Last of Us and the upcoming Hellblade. Thermo-Dynamic Games is an indie studio working on Echoes, a game dealing with the journey through counseling and overcoming mental issues.

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The game will be released episodically, with the first release, titled Episode 1: Diagnosis, exploring the beginnings of the protagonist and introduces the game’s “mind break” game mechanic. According to the developer players will have to “overcome challenging and alien sections of the environment in order to progress and discover the story behind it all.” Making use of a well established storytelling device, dreams, the player explores the main character’s dream states. The further you progress the more challenging it gets, and the player is supposed to be charmed by the game’s initial moments.

It seems that the game takes visual inspiration from some of the more stylized games of recent years. It bears a strong resemblance to The Witness, which was released for PlayStation 4 in January this year. Admittedly there’s a more bleak tone here, but it seems to work in the game’s favor. Nothing here disappoints visually.

The developer says there will be more news to come in the next month, and episode one will see a full release later this year. Anyone looking to try the game before its official release can look into Itch’s Refinery program where the game will be found (presumably soon) as it moves towards the release date.

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Being a gamer since the age of three, Dan took an interest in mobile gaming back in 2009. Since then he's been digging ever…

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Gaming

The best smoothies in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Zelda makes a mixed smoothie in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Adventuring through Hyrule and the Still World is a tough job in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but our heroic princess is up to the task. She's armed with the power of Echoes, various accessories, and even outfits to give her an advantage over the various mobs and hazards in the world. But one new trick Zelda has access to that will make her adventure much easier (and more delicious) is smoothies. These consumable items offer dozens of benefits, from health recovery to temporary stat increases. You'll be collecting ingredients by the handful while exploring that you can give to the Business Scrub to whip up into a powerful drink. The only question becomes which ones are the best that you should spend your precious inventory slots to carry with you. Let's explore the best smoothies in Echoes of Wisdom, what they do, and how to make them.
The best smoothies in Echoes of Wisdom

Each smoothie must be made at one of the various Business Scrub stands in exchange for two ingredients and 10 Rupees. There are a total of 69 different recipes to test out, which is way too many to keep in your head to remember the best ones. However, you should still make each smoothie at least once if you want to get 10 Golden Eggs easily.
Refreshing Mixed Smoothie

Gaming

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Key art for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Every new Zelda game feels like an event, and yet Nintendo managed to keep a new mainline entry hidden almost all the way up until its release. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is not the same size and scale as the 3D entries like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom -- it's actually the long-awaited continuation of Zelda's 2D titles. The last game we got in this style was 2019's The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which was a remake of the 1993 Game Boy title.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom caught the attention of everyone at the June Nintendo Direct where it was announced for many reasons, chief among them being Zelda taking on the starring role instead of Link. The perspective and style might look familiar, but there's a lot to learn about Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom before you jump back into Hyrule.
Release date
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be released on September 26, 2024.
Platforms

Gaming

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom takes the right cues from Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda holds a rock in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

The only constant in the Legend of Zelda series is change. From its perspective to its art style, Nintendo takes some surprising risks when it comes to one of its most valuable franchises. That often pays off. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for instance, was a bold open-world reinvention of the classic adventure formula that put an emphasis on flexible gameplay and emergent moments born from creative thinking. That design didn’t just influence its direct sequel, the excellent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s very much present in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom too.

I’ve been curious about how the first Zelda game to actually star Zelda would work ever since it was revealed. It looked like a return to top-down form, but its item-copying hook suggested that it might be more creatively open-ended than any traditional Zelda game. After playing 90 minutes of it, I can see exactly how Nintendo is fusing old and new to once again reinvent its tried-and-true formula. Echoes of Wisdom plays like a miniature Tears of the Kingdom, at least in terms of how it lets players tackle problems in multiple ways. That makes for a unique puzzle adventure hybrid that I’m already eager to return to.
Summoning echoes
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom begins with mysterious rifts opening up around Hyrule. Princess Zelda is blamed for their appearance and imprisoned. My demo begins in captivity, where she meets a little sidekick named Tri. The Navi-like partner gives Zelda the Tri Rod, an item capable of copying items and letting her freely summon them. I get to test it out right away, cloning an object in my cell and using it as a platform to reach a high-up exit. A stealth sequence ensues that introduces the basics of that echo play.