Echo Night
 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | From Software |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Director(s) | Akinori Kaneko |
| Producer(s) | Toshifumi Nabeshima |
| Designer(s) | Sakumi Watanabe |
| Writer(s) | Toshifumi Nabeshima |
| Composer(s) | Tsukasa Saitoh Kota Hoshino |
| Series | Echo Night |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation Network |
| Release date(s) | JP August 13, 1998 NA July 31, 1999 NA March 17, 2015 (PSN)[1] |
| Genre(s) | First-person adventure Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | 1 CD, download |
Echo Night is a mystery adventure video game developed by From Software for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan on August 13, 1998, and in North American on July 31, 1999. It is the first game in the Echo Night series, following up with the Japan-exclusive Echo Night #2: Nemuri no Shihaisha in 1999, and Echo Night: Beyond in 2004.
Gameplay
Echo Night is played from a first-person perspective, but unlike most other first-person games there is no use of firearms in the game. When confronted by a ghost the player must turn on the lights in the room by means of a light switch. The player is often transported into the past via the passengers or certain objects. Once the player fulfills a task important to a spirit they will vanish and drop an "Astral Piece" which can be used to get a different ending scene.
Plot
The story revolves around Richard Osmond, the game's protagonist, and his journey to find out what happened to the ship Orpheus, who mysteriously disappeared from the sea. The story will uncover too the mystery about the two stones which contains some kind of power.
Story
The game will start with Richard at his apartment receiving a call from the Anchor Police Department regarding his father, Henry Osmond. Richard was invited to go to his father's house. Inside his father's house, Richard will discover his father's diary which will bring him to a train. He will meet at the train a man named Henry Osmond who is actually trying to pursue William Rockwell who according to Henry is being possessed by the Red Stone that is attached to a knife. A duel will happen inside the train but William will use his grand daughter, Crea Rockwell, as a defense from Henry. William will then shoot Henry but thanks to the Blue Stone which Henry possessed, his life will be spared (the bullet hit the Blue Stone from his chest when he was shot). The Blue Stone was split into two which Henry gave the other half to William's grand daughter, Crea. It will revealed there that William is being possessed by the demon of the Red Stone. After that, Richard will be brought back to his father's house and then he will discover inside the secret room a painting of the ship, Orpheus. Richard will be brought to Orpheus and meets the passengers who died when the ship disappeared. Henry saved the souls he met inside the ship by resolving their personal issues. As the game goes on, Richard will discover that the Red Stone which William possessed has the power to change one man's destiny to his desire by killing people using the knife where the Red Stone is attached to. Richard will meet William's son and daughter who are aware about the story of the Red Stone and plan to kill their father in the ship but unfortunately they were killed first by their father. Furthermore, Richard will also meet Crea Rockwell through time travel where he will be able to retrieve the Blue Stone. At the game's climax, Richard will discover that his father was at the ship too and was able to kill William. But as soon as Henry got hold of the stone, he said that he has the desire of the Red Stone all along. Richard was able to destroy the Red Stone using the Blue Stone. After the Red Stone was destroyed, Henry will instruct Richard to go in front of the ship since the ship itself will disappear.
Endings
There are 4 different endings in the game:
- Real ending: Richard reaches nose of the ship and enters the secret passage. After dialogue with blind man Richard doesn't take the red knife and it is destroyed. Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie several game scenes are shown and message from Crea Rockwell is shown in the last scene at the Richard's house.
- Good ending: Richard reaches nose of the ship and doesn't enter the secret passage, Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie Richard is awaken in his father's house. He leaves the house and approaches the policemen in the car. The car will not start so the policemen asks Richard to bring tool from the trunk. When Richard opens up the trunk, he finds the red knife in there.
- Bad ending: Richard reaches nose of the ship and enters the secret passage. After dialogue with blind man Richard takes the red knife. Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie Richard is awaken in his father's house. He kills the policemen, he is possessed now by the red knife.
- Very bad ending: Richard doesn't reach nose of the ship in time. After the ending movie a short article is shown on the screen. It states that Richard Osmond and his father were mysteriously lost in fire accident.
