What We Learned from the Fading Echo Playtest

[p]The Fading Echo playtest has officially come to a close, and first of all, thank you to everyone who joined in. Over the past three weeks, your feedback, bug reports, and Discord discussions have been incredibly helpful in shaping the future of the game.[/p][p]This blog is our way of opening the devroom doors and sharing what we learned. We’ve grouped the most consistent feedback into key areas and want to walk you through what stood out and what we’re already looking into.[/p][p][/p][h3]⚔️ Combat: Dash, and Challenge Balance[/h3][p]A big theme in the feedback was how combat feels and we hear you.[/p]

[p]The dash came up a lot. Many players described it as laggy or delayed, and also noted that it carries the character too far, especially in close-quarters fights.[/p]
[p]Several testers shared a lack of sense of power during combat. This was sometimes paired with the feeling that enemies were too tanky, even though the fights themselves weren’t necessarily difficult.[/p]
[p]We also saw that some players felt a bit lost when it came to the game's systemic interactions. With several mechanics or synergies either not being explained clearly, or not surfacing in a way that encouraged experimentation.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]📖 Story Delivery: Pacing the Narrative[/h3][p]Fading Echo’s narrative is dense, and we’re excited about the world we’re building, but we’ve realized we might be throwing players into the deep end a bit too quickly.[/p]

[p]Many players said they needed more time to acclimate to the story and characters.[/p]
[p]There was also feedback that the dialogues delivered too much information at once, and that the on-screen dialogue boxes took up too much space.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]🖥️ HUD Clarity[/h3][p]A few important notes came up regarding how information is presented on-screen:[/p]

[p]Some players found the HUD difficult to read, which led to confusion during gameplay.[/p]
[p]The radio system (likely meant to guide or inform players) also became a barrier for some, either due to its presentation or timing.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]🎮 Camera & Controls[/h3][p]We want players to feel immersed, but not at the cost of comfort or control.[/p]

[p]Several testers said the camera was too close to the character, limiting visibility.[/p]
[p]Additionally, camera sensitivity, especially when using the stick, was too high or inconsistent.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]🧱 Level Navigation: Where Do I Go?[/h3][p]Exploration is a big part of Fading Echo, and while that’s something we’re proud of, it also came with a few pain points:[/p]

[p]Some players mentioned that the main path was hard to identify, leading to unintentional backtracking or confusion about where to go next.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Moving Forward[/h3][p]This playtest gave us exactly what we needed: honest, constructive insight from real players. Your feedback has already kickstarted internal discussions and design sprints to address many of these topics.[/p][p]We’re committed to making Fading Echo the best it can be and we can’t wait to show you what’s next.[/p][p]Thanks again for being part of this journey.[/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]