What comes to mind when you think of a metroidvania Perhaps its strong platforming elements, maps designed for exploration, and frequent backtracking in an interconnected world. The development team behind Somber Echoes has worked hard to bring their own fresh perspective to the genre by blending Metroidvania, a rich storyline, and unique gameplay mechanics to create an exciting new experience – and it launches on Xbox Series X|S today.

Heavily inspired by Ancient Greek Tragedies, Somber Echoes combines larger than life heroes, divine entities with dubious motives, supernatural powers that defy the laws of physics and visceral Greco-Roman era inspired combat using your gladius and spear, all come together in a never seen before blend.

However, one cannot have a Greek Tragedy without hubris, regret and existential dread. Accompanying and driving the action, Rock Pocket Games has put together a mysterious, captivating narrative that includes all these elements.

A Unique Setting

Somber Echoes, heavily inspired by Greek mythology, is set in the unique Greco-Roman sci-fi backdrop of Atromitos – a decrepit, forgotten space vessel.

The game draws players in with the fragments of an epic story that they must piece together as they explore the hulking ship. The more you explore the ship’s dark corners and twisted halls, the more you shed light on what happened. Will your player find themselves with a second chance to discover destiny against all odds, or succumb to the great Atromitos?

Somber Echoes on console features enhanced boss encounters, ZapCharge puzzles, and time-based speedrun challenges—but that’s just the beginning. Each boss you fight is woven into the story of how two sisters found themselves on opposite sides of an ancient and long-forgotten conflict. Each new area you unlock will resurface memories that will shape your perception of what is happening on the Atromitos.

There are several stunning environments that main character Adrestia can traverse and explore, each with its own challenges, ledges and leaps to conquer, as Adrestia uses her Aether lantern to defy gravity and open up paths to progress forward. How much you discover and how many narrative paths you conclude determines how many options you will have at the end of the game, when called to determine the fate of the Atromitos and everyone on board.

In the end, Somber Echoes has no good or bad endings. Who you are, as a player, will determine which ending you find optimal. But remember, Ancient Greek tragedies rarely lead to happy endings. Every victory will be bittersweet and every catastrophe will have its silver lining. Which is which, is up to you to decide.

By staying true to the classic metroidvania characteristics and incorporating more depth and new elements, we believe we’ve created a platforming experience worth playing. With more content planned post-launch, Somber Echoes looks to keep the adventure alive long after the credits roll.

Somber Echoes is available on Xbox Series X|S today.

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