On paper, Echoes of the End looks indistinguishable from a dozen other action adventures. Its blurb lists “cinematic fantasy”, “fast-paced combat”, “ancient ruins”, “sacrifice”, and “redemption”. If you saw that and bounced, no judgement – its pure checklist. Combined with its AA scale and modest marketing push, Echoes felt destined to slip quietly under the tide – another solid if unspectacular release despite 2025 being a year stacked with AA gems. Early coverage didn’t help either, fixating on unpolished edges and performance issues.
But, beneath the surface lies hidden depth. Its Icelandic-influenced setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a personal world, crafted by a studio that genuinely cares. And now – with the arrival of Echoes’ Enhanced Edition – the rough edges have been rebuilt or transformed outright. Finally, it’s a game which showcases the contemplation behind its features. The Enhanced Edition proves Echoes of the End isn’t underrated because it was mediocre, but because the version you played never fully reflected what the developers were aiming for.
At a glance, it’s easy to see why Echoes of the End struggled to stand out. Yes, its marketing reads like template fantasy-adventure copy, but early reviews also framed it as a restrained, AA spin on modern action games: tight corridors, linear-based progression, and the occasional boat ride, punctuated by cinematic cutscenes. Sure, Echoes is very much in the vein of various other action adventure games, but it’s without the AAA sheen that makes those odysseys sing.
Throw in reports of unresponsive inputs, missing assets, crashes, and awkward traversal stuttering – issues the base version suffered from far too often – and a picture quickly forms. What you saw was another mid-budget game chasing blockbuster ambitions. If you dove in anyway, you were swiftly kneecapped by its unattainable scope and lack of polish. Echoes was more than playable, even promising in places, but it couldn’t shake free of its shortcomings. Its ideas were sound – they just needed steadier execution.
Yet, the base version didn’t communicate how these ideas actually fit together. Easily missed is that Echoes of the End wasn’t attempting the same mythic sweep as its AAA contemporaries. Its scope was intentionally smaller, its narrative more intimate, its world built with the kind of regional specificity rarely seen outside of AA passion projects. Even the most derivative-sounding ingredients – its swords, magic, vestiges, rope swings, and air-dashes – were part of a framework intended to embed you into your character’s world, not just to induce wide-eyed spectacle.
But, as is often the case, first impressions take root. Once that perception sets in, revision gets locked out. Conversation stagnates – the game now must work hard to prove itself.
But, before we detail what Echoes’ Enhanced Edition brings in, let’s outline what the game nailed the first time around.
Swimming beneath the familiarity, Echoes’ storytelling kicked the game to more interesting shores. Multiple reviewers flagged the game’s writing as its unexpected strength, but even that undersells how character-driven it actually is. Beneath the sweeping landscapes and magical setpieces lies a human story built on grief, trauma, fear, trust, and the burden of power – all conveyed with subtlety that many players never realised was there.
At the centre is Ryn, whose attitude became a point of contention in online discussion. Some players saw her as unnecessarily abrasive, while others praised her emotional arc. But the more forthright introduction of the Enhanced Edition – plus a closer reading of the game’s themes – makes clear her persona isn’t bravado but armour. Ryn is a vestige – someone born with barely controllable magic power, with her volatility causing an accidental injury to someone she cared about. But, instead of leaning into cliché empowerment tropes, Echoes’ takes a measured approach. Ryn’s bluntness isn’t standoffishness for its own sake, but a defence mechanism. She keeps others at arm’s length so she doesn’t hurt them again. And flipping this around, Echoes establishes clearly that society has grown wary of vestiges, perhaps precisely because of Ryn’s miscontrol.
Ryn’s foundational persona epitomises Echoes’ restrained emotional language, wherein characters carry weight without melodrama. Their inner turmoil shows in ambivalent tones of voice, guarded body language, and expressive facial animations that are noticeable in trailers and footage if you pay attention. Echoes does a prime job of establishing its lore, but its personal silence demands you peek through its veneer.
And then there’s Ryn’s ever-present companion Abram, whose presence is as a genuine counterpart rather than glorified quest giver. He’s reactive, adaptive, and someone you’ll build trust with throughout Ryn’s journey. Their partnership is the spine of the story, and the friction between their goals – her search for her brother, his unspoken agenda – grounds the narrative into something tense, dynamic, and relatable. Strip away the fantasy aesthetic, and Echoes is a story about learning to trust again, and discovering that power – both in the magical and emotional sense – is only dangerous when wielded alone.
Then we have the combat which, in Echoes of the End’s original release, imbues the game’s ambition. Yet, while it was widely praised as enjoyable it lacked sharpness: lightweight hit detection, loose lock-ons, and spasmodic combos left skirmishes feeling tiringly ornamental rather than tirelessly engaging. Echoes’ Enhanced Edition re-works combat with retimed animations, while remixed sound and visuals add incisive force. Combos now continue through dodges and parries, with lock-ons moving fluidly between targets. Sure, these tweaks are subtle rather than radical, but Echoes’ fight scenes now feel authored; finally, they’re bouts of precision, not approximation.
Where these combat fixes steady the ship, the Enhanced Edition’s new content strengthens Echoes’ trajectory. Redesigned progression – a leaner, more readable Gear System – expands customisation, where unique playstyles can be cultivated at a pace which matches the story. Retooled difficulty options massage the challenge to meet a broader spectrum of newcomers, while veterans can access New Game+, where elite enemies meet new abilities, with outfits and relics retained from earlier playthroughs. Fresh dialogue options, environmental hazards, and accessibility options widen the experience further.
Developer Myrkur Games insist Echoes of the End is not patched-up, but clarified. They haven’t just sanded down the rough edges, but confronted the base version’s shortcomings with honesty and humility – an increasingly prevalent characteristic of the AA space. The Enhanced Edition coming a mere two-and-a-half months after the original release is a sign of their commitment. Likewise, the game’s environment reflects their connection to Iceland, where its distinct cultural overtone sits comfortably with other ambitious, mid-budget AA titles – Clair Obscur: Expedition, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, or Eternal Strands. These games are made by nimble teams not defined by constraints, but a willingness to explore deep meaning; in their systems, in the beat of their worlds, in tone, pace, and how it all speaks to you as a player.
The fact Echoes’ Enhanced Edition is a free upgrade is icing – Myrkur Games is a studio whose ambition is matched by genuine artistic and cultural pursuit. What began as a broad sketch is now sculpted into an experience the studio always meant to release. Its first wave didn’t find an audience – many players didn’t even know of its existence – but now, in a year dominated by mid-budget giants, it’s a small Icelandic studio that is delivering one of 2025’s most heartfelt adventures. In an industry where first impressions matter, Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition proves reinvention isn’t always necessary – just a second chance to show what was already there.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.