Echoes of the End Review

Echoes of the End

Platform(s): PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Myrkur Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Genre: Action-Adventure RPG, Puzzle RPG
Reviewer Rating: ★★★☆☆

Get ready for puzzles and platforms in the newly released RPG, Echoes of the End.

Perhaps one of the sweetest surprises of late summer 2025 is the debut game from Myrkur Games, the third-person, action-adventure RPG, Echoes of the End. Set in the mystical work of Aema, you take on the role of Ryn Tsair, a powerful magic-wielder known as a Vestige. While on patrol together, Ryn’s little brother, Cor, is kidnapped and Ryn embarks on the journey to save her brother and uncover the secrets of her lineage and power.

Dysfunctional Family and Elder Companion

Like another of my favorite indie games of this year, South of Midnight, The Tsair family is very, very complicated. Very early on, you learn through Ryn and Cor’s conversations that the Tsair family is a bit dysfunctional. Vestiges are usually abandoned in the wilderness to die because their magic is volitile, but Velestin, Ryn’s father, decided not to abandon her. Valestin was a scholar and trained Ryn to be a ranger, protecting their homeland, Noi Syrouve. He taught Ryn to suppress and control her powers, but she still doesn’t quite trust herself, as you can tell when interacting with her brother.

Ryn and Cor have different mothers. It seems Cor’s mother does not like Ryn at all, probably stemming from Ryn accidentally hurting Cor when they were children. Cor, however, doesn’t blame Ryn and, in fact, looks up to his big sister.

Ryn and Cor traverse their war-torn lands on a routine maintenance check of wards that protect Noi Syrouve. However, they run into the militaristic Dalsmen and their own Vestige, Zara, and the commander of the Reigendal Forces, Aurick. Aurick tasks Zara with killing Ryn while he takes Cor, but Ryn is saved by an old scholar with combat experience who will become her companion, Abram Finlay. And Abram just happens to be an acquaintance of her father.

Though not mind-blowingly original, the story is interesting enough. It’s the storytelling—how the story unfolds that keeps you enthralled and wanting to continue the journey.

Ryn and Cor

Gameplay—Puzzles Over Power

In Echoes of the End, puzzles are the glue of the game and magic are the pieces. You’ll need to solve puzzles to traverse the land. You’ll need to think about how to unlock a bridge or how to open a gate using a combination of magic and critical thinking skills. You’ll have to pay attention to your environment to find things you can pull, push, or unleash using gravity manipulation to help you continue your journey. Platforming is also very big part of the environmental puzzles.

One thing I learned a little late is this: don’t try to use brute force in Echoes of the End combat. Treat combat like a puzzle to solve. Especially boss fights. Combat is a mix of swordplay and magic. When entering combat, first use a crowd control ability and take it from there. You can also use your companion, Abram, to help with combat. And like you, you can upgrade his skills as well as choose new skills in your Talent Tree.

The combat does feel a bit underwhelming, even with the use of magic combos. The events themselves aren’t underwhelming; it’s the combat mechanics that are just meh. Also, this game has known stability issues with possible freezes or skips in combat, even on high-end PCs.

Skill Tree

The Skill Tree is simple enough. There are four branches of the Skill Tree:

• Technique, your sword skills and combos.

• Vestige, your abilities and powers.

• Endurance, defensive capabilities.

• Companion, Abram’s abilities.

Completing some missions or abilities grants one skill point you can spend on a skill or ability. Like most RPGs, some skills, like Adrenaline Surge, are passive and others are physical. The points system feels a bit random as there’s no level up. You gain XP from fighting and discovering treasure chests.

What I Find Frustrating About Echoes of the End

The inability to manually save can be frustrating, especially when auto-saves drop you far from your last location. Enemy variety is limited, leading to repetitive encounters. Also, I like that the treasure chests take cunning to get to. I don’t like that the treasure doesn’t quite seem worth the effort but that’s the loot goblin in me.

What I Love About Echoes of the End

Though the game has quite a few faults, there’s also so much to love. I love that the whole focuses on environmental puzzle solving. Even in the dialogue, talking and in her journal, Ryn says she’d like to be seen as more than just a puzzle.

Inspired by Iceland’s raw and untamed majestic landscapes, Aema’s landscapes and ruins are aesthetically mesmerizing. The land echoes a world whispering with forgotten legends. Journeying through the game’s landscape is so picturesque; it’s hard not to stop to take a screenshot.

An active ward in the distance
Credit: Myrkur Games

Give me Melanin in fantasy games! I was pleasantly surprised to find out the protagonist of Echoes of the End is a Black woman. Myrkur Games did a wonderful job with the hair texture of both Ryn and Cor. It was refreshing to see.

All in all, Echoes of the End is a wonderful debut from this indie team. It doesn’t feel as if it’s competing with or trying to be the next big thing. This game really feels as if it was made with passion. Its technical hiccups and few annoying features aren’t enough to ruin the enjoyment of this pretty dope game. I can’t wait to finish it. And I can’t wait to see what Myrkur Games comes up with next.

For transparency, I received a complimentary code for Echoes of the End from Deep Silver and played this on a laptop with an RTX 3070 with 16 GB RAM.