ECHOPLEX

A thought-provoking cyber-horror puzzle game

 

Output Games

“If you’re a fan of minimalist visuals, cyber-punk themes, and imaginative puzzles, upcoming horror game ECHOPLEX may be up your alley.”

– CJ Melendez (Rely on Horror)

Award-Winning Puzzle Platformer ECHOPLEX Exits Steam Early Access

Do you have what it takes to break free?

 

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – March 15, 2018 – ECHOPLEX is launching today on Steam! Merging hardcore puzzle platformer mechanics with high-end, professionally shot full-motion video (FMV), ECHOPLEX delivers an unparalleled cyber-horror experience to audiences looking for deep storytelling and minimalist visuals.

You are followed by an exact duplicate of yourself that repeats everything you do. Every move matters. Every move can be your last.

Created by South African studio Output Games, ECHOPLEX was awarded Most Innovative Game & Best Art Direction at Lisboa Games Week IndieDome 2017. The full Steam release features 27 challenging levels and a complete FMV story – with a new user interface, puzzle mechanics, and gameplay improvements.

Don’t Look Back
ECHOPLEX explores the mysterious connection between an engineer working at Clonochem Corporation and an activist protesting the company’s controversial product, Continuum. When the engineer calls a phone number written on a severed arm, he finds himself trapped in a looping simulation with countless iterations of himself.

An eerie “Echo” shadows your every move in ECHOPLEX. Everything you do is repeated by it – and if you stand still for too long, it’s game over! The secret to surviving is to use the entity’s mimicry to your advantage. For example, walking through a trigger will lock a door – but as the Echo passes through the same trigger, the door will open … allowing you to pass through.

As you learn to outsmart your Echo, you’ll be able to unlock a full-motion memory fragment with another clue – a must if you intend to escape the simulation. Once put together, these fragments congeal into “micro-cutscenes” that reveal an intriguing, non-linear narrative.

“With ECHOPLEX, we were looking for new ways to create a fully-realized world that carries emotional weight – something that only real actors can bring to a story,” says Tyron van Vuuren, founder and game director at Output Games. “The game doesn’t come to a halt during cutscenes; instead, ECHOPLEX allows players to get involved in the storytelling process – building their own interpretation of events as they piece things together. And although the cutscenes may look expensive, we had a very tight budget. Kudos to the visual effects team who worked hard to achieve those results.”

New Features: Official Steam Launch

  • Explore 18 challenging new levels.
  • Collect fragments throughout each level that combine to form a new video memory when you solve the puzzle.
  • Freeze time to explore puzzles.
  • Face armed autonomous drones and use them to destroy your Echoes.
  • Test your skill against timed static pulses in new platforming elements.
  • Rewatch pieces of the story you have collected in new video review UI.
  • Experience 4 new story chapters – completing the FMV story!

Key Features

  • Solve unusual spatial puzzles anchored by an innovative Echo gameplay mechanic.
  • Experience a rich storyline through puzzle-solving and live-action video clips shot by indie film director Tyron van Vuuren.
  • Explore intriguing, minimalist environments.
  • Enjoy an abstract soundscape augmented by a “cyber-horror” score produced by Irish composer Revin Goff.
  • Play under intense time pressure as your Echo draws near…


Pricing & Availability
ECHOPLEX is now available as a full Steam release (Windows/Mac) for $14.99.

Steam URL:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/611060/ECHOPLEX

Assets

Press Kit
http://echoplexgame.com/presskit

Launch Trailer

YouTube
https://youtu.be/OVyFoUe4oK4

Screenshots & Logos

IMGUR
https://imgur.com/a/0Rxot

Social media

Twitter – https://twitter.com/EchoplexGame

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/echoplexgame

Reddit – https://www.reddit.com/r/ECHOPLEX

Discord – https://discord.gg/JyHNgub

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSQRFtm0nNGRo_VdhnJ5c7A

About Output Games
Output Games is a small indie studio based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Founded in 2016 by creative director Tyron van Vuuren, the studio’s goal is to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling in games – particularly through experiments with mixed media. Tyron collaborated with developer and art director Henk Scheepers to create ECHOPLEX, the studio’s first game. For more information about ECHOPLEX and Output Games, please visit http://output.games.

The ECHOPLEX “Premonition” Update is Live

 

The Premonition Update (previously known as the Timeline Update) is now available. It introduces two new features to ECHOPLEX Early Access: Premonition and Timelines.

PREMONITION
When you activate Premonition, time freezes. This allows you to explore the environment – moving through any area that is already unlocked – while your Echo (or Echoes) stays frozen in place. When you exit Premonition, time unfreezes and the chase is on again. You can enter and exit Premonition by pressing the TAB key.

TIMELINES
When Output Games first released ECHOPLEX Early Access, some players told the studio that they were completing levels by simply running blindly until they solved the puzzles. This update introduces a time limit to each level and a lifespan to each Echo. The time limits are customized specifically to each puzzle – so you’ll really have to think about how to complete the level using the seconds you have available. If you want to freeze time and think for a bit, just hit TAB and enter Premonition!

The Timelines show how much time you and your Echoes have left in that particular level. You’ll see two sets of timelines onscreen:

*   Main Timeline: On the left side of the screen is the Main Timeline, which displays your remaining time. Switches you activate are marked as colored lines. The white triangle indicates when your Echo will enter the level.

*   Echo Timeline: On the right side of the screen is the Echo Timeline, which displays your Echo’s remaining lifespan and records the switches it has crossed.

When the Echo Timeline runs out, it disappears from the level. When the Main Timeline runs out, the level resets – and you’ll find yourself back in the test chamber.

Note: Since the Premonition Update makes fundamental changes to the way ECHOPLEX works, any existing game progress will be lost.

Pricing & availability
ECHOPLEX is available on Steam Early Access (Windows/Mac) for $9.99.

Evade a Frightening “Echo” in ECHOPLEX – a Cyber-Horror Experience Launching Today on Steam Early Access

 

DURBAN, South Africa – April 6, 2017 – ECHOPLEX, the thought-provoking debut title by indie developer Output Games, is now available on Steam Early Access for Windows and Mac! Are you willing to question your very existence in this intriguing cyber-horror puzzle game?

In ECHOPLEX, an eerie “echo” of yourself shadows your every move. Everything you do is repeated by it – and if you stand still for too long, it’s game over. The secret to surviving in ECHOPLEX is to use the entity’s mimicry to your advantage. For example, walking through a door’s trigger will lock the door in front of you – but as the Echo passes through the same trigger, the door will open … allowing you to pass through.

The non-linear storyline in ECHOPLEX explores the mysterious connection between an engineer working at Clonochem Corporation and an activist protesting the company’s controversial product, Continuum. When the engineer calls a phone number written on a severed arm, he finds himself as one of many iterations caught up in an endless cycle of repeating events…. Do you have what it takes to break free?

Created by indie filmmaker Tyron Janse van Vuuren, ECHOPLEX features a gripping, self-contained storyline. Tyron’s many years of experience as a director played a key role in crafting ECHOPLEX’s story arcs – particularly during the game’s unsettling live action sequences.

“We never dreamed that the ECHOPLEX prototype would be so well-received, and that it would one day become a full-fledged title,” says Tyron Janse van Vuuren, founder of Output Games. “Personally, I can’t wait to hear what players think of the story so far! As a filmmaker, I put a premium on storytelling – and I think players will get a kick out of the cinematic cutscenes in the game, which provide a nice contrast to the more minimalist visuals.”

Originally a browser-based prototype in 2015 (where it gained popularity and a cult-like following), ECHOPLEX entered Steam Greenlight in October of 2016 and was Greenlit in just 20 days.

Key features

  • Solve unusual spatial puzzles anchored by an innovative Echo gameplay mechanic.
  • Experience the story through puzzle-solving and live-action video clips shot by an indie film director.
  • Explore intriguing, minimalist environments.
  • Enjoy an abstract soundscape augmented by a “cyber-horror” score produced by Irish composer Revin Goff.
  • Play under intense time pressure as your Echo draws near…

Pricing & availability
ECHOPLEX is now available on Steam Early Access (Windows/Mac) for $8.99 – 10% off the game’s retail price. The sale will end a week after launch (April 13).

About Output Games
Output Games is a small indie studio based in Durban, South Africa. Founded in 2016 by creative director Tyron Janse van Vuuren, the studio’s goal is to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling in games – particularly through experiments with mixed media. The company’s name refers to both sensory and productive output. Tyron collaborated with developer and art director Henk Scheepers to create ECHOPLEX, the studio’s first game. For more information about Output Games, please visit http://outputgames.com.

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