Q&A recap #02 - Diving Into Fluid Combat and Elemental Depths

[p]We’re back with another round of our live Q&A sessions on Discord, where the dev team behind Fading Echo hangs out with the community, answers your burning questions, and shares insights into how the game is shaping up behind the scenes.[/p][p]Our second session took place on September 11, and this time, Charles and Rémi from the design and tech teams took the stage.[/p][p]If you missed it, here’s a recap of some of the most exciting questions and answers from the event.[/p][p]And don’t forget: more Q&A sessions are on the way, so if you want to be part of the next one, make sure to hop into our Discord![/p][p]Let’s get into it 👇[/p][p][/p][h2]👨‍💻 Meet the Design & Tech Minds Behind Fading Echo[/h2]

[p]Charles (Lead Game Designer):[/p][p]Hey everyone! Glad to be here! I'm Charles, Lead Game Designer on Fading Echo. I work with the rest of the design team on all gameplay mechanics and basically anything you'll do in the game![/p][p]Rémi (Technical Director):[/p][p]Hey everyone! Glad to be here with you! I’m Rémi, Technical Director at New Tales. Together with the tech team, we strive to bring game designers’ wildest ideas to life.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]💧 Why Water? Rethinking Elemental Combat[/h2][p]Water is usually seen as defensive or supportive in games. What made you decide to build an aggressive combat system around it?[/p]

[p]We wanted the game to feel fluid, literally and mechanically. The combat pushes players to move constantly, which naturally led us toward an aggressive playstyle.[/p][p]While water is often seen as passive or defensive in other games, we decided to flip that on its head. We’re using properties like movement and state changes (liquid, vapor, etc.) to keep things dynamic.[/p][p]There are still some defensive abilities of course, but even if you're wielding water, you're on the offensive more often than not. And while water is our focus, we’re not limiting ourselves to just that element.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h2]🔁 Everything Reacts—So Should You[/h2][p]The game emphasizes elemental reactions, even the enemies are elemental. Will we have to adjust our playstyles accordingly?[/p]

[p]Exactly. That’s a core part of the experience.[/p][p]The same water spell can behave very differently depending on what element it comes into contact with. For example, using water against a water-based enemy won’t be very effective, so you’ll need to adapt your approach.[/p][p]As the player, you’re constantly pushed to experiment and change tactics. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy here.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🧪 How Deep Do the Elemental Reactions Go?[/h2][p]Are reactions just basic combinations like fire + water = steam, or are there deeper chains involved?[/p]

[p]Great question. We built our system to support a ton of element types and a wide variety of interactions.[/p][p]This lets us create some really cool chained effects and think more than just “fire meets water.” But we’re also careful to maintain clarity: no matter how complex things get under the hood, players should be able to understand what’s happening on-screen.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🎮 Your Playstyle, Your Choice[/h2][p]Is there a “right” playstyle, or can players approach combat in different ways?[/p]

[p]Totally up to you. While you’ll always be dealing with fluids and elemental mechanics, how you use them is up to your playstyle.[/p][p]For example, if you enjoy shapeshifting, you can use water-based transformations to coat enemies and set up reactions. If you’re more strategic, you might lean into positioning and arena manipulation.[/p][p]And yes, the game will feature multiple difficulty modes, whether you want a hardcore challenge or a smoother ride to enjoy the story, the choice is yours.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🦖 Combat Showcase: Chicken-Dinos and Tactical Risk[/h2][p]Do you have any gameplay clips to share?[/p]

[p]We showed off a short combat clip during the session! It features enemies we’ve nicknamed “chicken-inspired dinosaurs” that rush toward you and leave a hazardous fluid trail behind.[/p][p]The cool part? You can choose to spare certain enemies to use them strategically—keeping some alive longer can help you take out others… if you’re willing to take the risk.[/p][p][/p]

[p]Sometimes it’s not even about the elements, just physics.[/p]

[p]Exactly. In some situations, it’s more efficient to just push enemies out of the arena. We want you to take full advantage of the combat environments—not just rely on elemental power.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h2]🌱 Character Progression: Perk Upgrades[/h2][p]Are there upgrade systems for spells and abilities?[/p]

[p]Absolutely! We have a system called Perks, which lets you customize and upgrade your character.[/p][p]You can equip multiple Perks that enhance abilities, tweak your combat style, or unlock new effects. It’s a flexible system designed to support a wide range of builds and preferences.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]That wraps up our second Q&A recap! Huge thanks to Charles and Rémi for sharing their insights, and to our amazing community for the great questions![/p][p]Until then, keep your spells sharp and stay hydrated.[/p][p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][p]✨ Wishlist Fading Echo[/p][p]Steam | Epic Games Store | PlayStation Store | Xbox Store[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Join the Echoverse on Discord[/p][p]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p][p][/p][p]📝 Sign Up for the Alpha Playtest [/p][p]https://fadingecho.firstlook.gg/signup/playtest[/p]