Echoes of the Fey Episode 0: The Immolation

Interesting things can come out of genre combinations, especially when the writers are talented enough to make even the most ludicrous ideas work somehow. This is especially true for video games, because the creators are free bring their own contribution to whatever concept they tackle. Hence, you can still have demons and elves even if the action takes place on a spaceship, as long as the story is explained along the way.

Echoes of the Fey Episode 0: The Immolation is a point & click adventure game with visual novel elements in which you play the role of an officer in the Imperial Human Army. As you might have already guessed, the story involves both sci-fi and high fantasy concepts, so while high-tech electronics are quite common, so are all sorts of demons and creatures that possess unique abilities.

The game is actually a prequel, so it might help if you are familiar with the main character from the previous installment, but it’s not required. As such, you play as Sofya Rykov before she became a private investigator, and her job in the story at hand is to guard two dangerous Leshin prisoners. However, a strange explosion shakes the building to the ground, and you must choose between staying with the prisoners or investigate the source of the explosion.

You are free to move around like in a classic point & click game, but unfortunately there are not many objects you can interact with around the environment. There are also not many puzzles either, since the only thing you can really do most of the time is talk to other characters. Thankfully, at least you get to make choices every now and again that affect how the story progresses.

The graphics are very neat for an indie production, especially since the developers have combined 3D levels with classic visual novel scenes. Granted, the rooms look a bit boring, but you are usually engaged in some kind of conversation anyway, so you rarely notice the backgrounds. The music is not bad either, and the controls are always responsive and pleasant.

In the end, Echoes of the Fey Episode 0: The Immolation is more of a treat for the fans of the original game, but even complete newcomers can have a great time with it. Hence, the combination of adventure and visual novel elements is certainly enjoyable.