EchoGame
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The Smoke Room - Build 1.5
🕑 Added 2019-12-03 07:27:56 +0000 UTCWIN: https://www.mediafire.com/file/5msoxzpos1hz56q/1.5-1.0-win.zip/file
MAC: https://www.mediafire.com/file/7l05qq3f639guis/1.5-1.0-mac.zip/file
Linux: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ee8867ah30tig1w/1.5-1.0-linux.tar.bz2/file
Hey guys, sorry about the later-than-expected release. Most of the assets are new, so I had a little difficulty implementing them. Because of this, there may be more errors than usual. If you come across any, please let us know in the comments so that we can fix them before the public release (note that errors in the first build may not yet have been fixed, though we have noted all of the ones that were reported).
This build features writing from a new member of our team, George. He wrote this second half of the common route, and will be taking on Murdoch's route. He wrote the following to introduce the build and to also help you get to know him better:
Hello to the Echo and Adastra Patrons. My name is George. I wrote most of the prose for this Smoke Room update, although the majority of the planning was a combined effort between me, Howly and Reedinfox. I've written stories for a long time (even published more than a few), and this will be my first stab at the VN medium, so I hope that my first attempt is a strong one. The following update has some graphic sex, some violence, and the inclusion of homophobic slurs, so please brace yourself or avoid this update altogether if that will affect you negatively.
I took to Echo because I've always been interested in folk tales, small town horror, and the lives of LGBT people who grow up outside of urban environments. I think that so much of Echo's themes resonate strongly with many people; the frustration from arguments with former childhood friends, misplaced nostalgia in comfortable coping mechanisms, and the creeping dread of losing everything from your past that meant something to you. These themes stoke very real fears that affects lots of people today. Folks are losing their childhood homes, losing their loved ones to unaffordable medical bills, and losing themselves to waves of generalized, crippling anxiety often because of greed, waste, or entirely avoidable and preventative malice: a human malice which can feel bigger than us, older than us, and inescapable, often leading to its personification as an ancient entity in so many different kinds of stories.
I think visual novels, especially dating sims, pair especially well with horror. Something that I noticed about the horror genre is that it often includes romance and fleeting eroticism be it Doctor Frankenstein's loss of his wife and the monster's murderous obsession for a love he could never have, or losing Lucy (and nearly Mina) to Dracula's seduction, power, and subsequent entrapment. This duality of horror and romance may be common because it's so easy to be afraid to lose the things we love, and we have to learn to love first before we can feel the dread and powerlessness that accompanies loss. 1915 was Echo's last chance in time to make it big with the gold rush and the transcontinental railroad, and for a time, things seemed to be going well. But we already know that it didn't.
That bright, shiny, new Echo was lost to time, and so too its inhabitants, by the time the original Echo story takes place. One of the titles of an echo track is "Vanishing Paradise," and it made me think about not just how many locations have been lost to time, but the happy, precious private moments of people who lived before us that were never recorded and never will be. What is most important about these people isn't that they're gone, but that they loved, and lived, despite everything that may have worked against their happiness or their survival.
So here's something bright, shiny, and new.
Comments
nJoy.TJ
will there be an android release ?
Ishkur
Really digging what we've seen of the characters and have been pleasantly surprised by the couple of piano pieces we've heard so far. Bonus points for Cliff already reeking of husbando material.
Remus Wolfram
A promising start so far. I will admit it's a bit of a whiplash effect to go from the modern setting to 1915, but the historian in me loves it and the touches it brings to the characters and story. I can only say the wait will be worth it for the usual quality of one of your games, but still...pins and needles. Also welcome George, I hope to see more of your hand in this.
LLVPandaSevron
In the beginning when Sam moves from the balcony to the hallway and his room the word "balcony" is misspelled. After that it talks about him thinking what he's about to do and how it makes him feel the word "make" is missing a letter. When Cynthia talks about the weasel in town, unless she's stretching the word well, it has one too many L's if she is then nevermind. When he goes outside commenting on the crowds "Streetwalkers" is missing a letter. After we get out and run into Nik (love) he repeats our answer with "out stupid" when it should be "just how stupid they sound". When speaking with Murdoch in the classy lounge he talks about having a chance at his money it should read "If you want a chance at my money..." just missing the word at. After that Sam says William's booming voice brings him back but the next line of text has someone else's name "Eileen" not sure if it was someone else outside but it implies that should have William's name. Looks very good so far, even got my interest with William who has a very cool design...erhem...nothing more LoL. Can't wait for more
LLVPandaSevron
Its very much alright, art and creativity take time, never feel bad if you're trying to do better...by your creation and yourself. Its never bad for your creation and when life rears its head in you just gotta take it head on. Its great how your heads are in the right place so never feel bad about taking time to deal with either, your choices. "As long as you can be satisfied with your choices, as long as you made them yourself and you can be happy with those choices, you're never in the wrong." Also welcome aboard George, can't wait for my download to finish, I may be strong for Nik but I look forward to your work on Murdoch's route. Best of luck for all of you in future updates, I'll add in checks in a reply :)
