Fading Echo News

[p][/p][p]As I sit here feeling bad about being a week late on delivering a devblog… I realised, why not share WHY I’m a week late? A bit of an explanation but also maybe a bit of healing for myself :D[/p][p]Currently, the team is working extremely hard to deliver the Alpha version of our game – For us, this means the entire game is playable from beginning to end. We know there will be bugs, balancing issues and probably many other problems, but it means we can get a really good sense of exactly how *Fun* the game is, and where the biggest issues lie.[/p][p]But before going into too much detail about that, I figured it would be good to take a step back and explain a bit more about our game development journey – specifically from the game developer lens.[/p][p]Each week there will be another blog released highlighting the different phases of how we’ve been working to bring Fading Echo to you all. So let’s start at the beginning.[/p][p][/p][h2]Making a Prototype[/h2][p]Back in early 2023, the first Fading Echo prototypes were created. There were two big goals; create something very fun, and create something very visually appealing. In order to do both of these sincerely it was decided to deliver two builds instead of one (to rule them all). This came in the format of: A gameplay prototype, and a visual prototype. Both created in Unreal Engine, the team worked together (but also separately) to deliver something special.[/p][p][/p][p]The idea was that if we could make both a beautiful game, and a fun game, then we had a much better chance of making a beautiful, fun game. Seems simple, right? Well, here is a bit more information on how we handled that.[/p][p]Maybe one day we can do a documentary, or an art book, showing how the game has changes over the years. I’m filled with nostalgia and warmth looking back at these old builds (but that could also be the heating and endless tea).[/p][p]Each milestone we would focus on one component of the game and ensure core issues and questions were addressed, they were all documented. (GP = Gameplay)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The Gameplay Direction[/h2][p]This was the earliest version of One’s water form, a simple blue square that left a trace of blue circles behind the player. We tested different systemic reactions to see what works; we had to find a way for the reaction to be fun in both exploration and combat.[/p][p][/p][p]To save time, we used the inbuilt Unreal character model and basic shapes for enemies while we prototyped to see what would work. The enemies had to be fun on their own, but also connect to systemic reactions.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Visual Direction[/h2][p]From the beginning, we always wanted to create a world that was beautiful but played with player’s expectations. The world should be intriguing but a bit intimidating. Using Unreal Engine, we wanted to challenge ourselves to really push how we rendered our world and made the game look different in both the assets we make but also the way we represent them on the screen.[/p][p][/p][p]The original art prototype was far more realistic than what we have – we relied on mostly assets we could purchase online as opposed to now where we have hand crafted every aspect. We tried to figure out what the scale of One is in relation to the world. Defining a reality where the character is powerful in her own right, but still a small part of this much bigger world.[/p][p]A big challenge we knew we had to solve was how we would represent the different fluids in the game. Water is notoriously difficult to represent both visually and with physics, so we had to know that we had to solve that before embarking on a multi-year project based that is largely focused on the concept of water.[/p][p][/p][p]Once this goal was accomplished, we sit down and review – is the game we are making worth making? It might seem like a simple question but it takes a lot of reflection and putting aside egos to be sure. Is there a market for it? Is it unique against other games? Is there enough that is familiar? Once we feel like we can confidently say YES to all these questions… well, then… we make a game! [/p][p][/p][p]More to come next week 😉[/p][p]The Emeteria Team[/p][p][/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]

[h3]Hey Legends![/h3][p]We know it’s been a couple of weeks since our last update. As you can suspect, we’ve been busy planning the next steps following the end of the Closed Alpha Playtest.[/p][p]While we’re cooking up what’s next, today we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the more subtle but visually powerful, aspects of Fading Echo: the hair of our main character. Getting it to feel right took a mix of artistic vision, technical problem-solving, and a whole lot of iteration.[/p][p]Here’s a quick dive into how we approached it, the challenges we ran into, and how we ultimately got the look and movement we were aiming for.[/p][p][/p][h2]🌪️ Our Goal: Hair That Moves Like a Fluid[/h2][p]From the beginning, we didn’t want the hair to just fall naturally. We wanted it to flow to feel almost alive, constantly reacting to the environment like a fluid in motion.[/p][p]To achieve this, we modeled the hair separately and then reattached it to One, allowing us to fully control how it behaves depending on the surroundings.[/p][p]We applied wind forces to simulate that flowing, floating movement, but with an important twist: the gravity acts in reverse. Instead of falling downward, the hair lifts upward, as if it’s weightless or being pulled by unseen energy.[/p][p]This created the unique, ethereal effect we wanted, hair that seems to dance and rise, perfectly matching Fading Echo’s surreal atmosphere.[/p][p][/p][h2]⚙️ Challenges Along the Way[/h2][p]Of course, trying to control every strand came with its own set of headaches.[/p][p]1. Too Realistic, Too Wild[/p][p]Early on, our simulations were too realistic. The hair responded so sharply to the forces that it started behaving like a rigid tube instead of something soft and fluid. We had to fine-tune the balance between physics realism and artistic control, taming the motion until it felt smooth and natural again.[/p][p]2. Gravity That Doesn’t Behave[/p][p]Getting the “anti-gravity” look without breaking the system meant a lot of testing, tweaking, and, let’s just say, a few amusing bugs along the way.[/p][p]3. Performance Bottlenecks[/p][p]Simulating that many strands of hair in real-time is… heavy. It can cause performance drops, especially when the system tries to calculate full hair physics for every strand.[/p][p]To fix this, we focused on simulating only a portion of the strands in full detail — several hundred of them — and then generated additional strands that mirror the movement of those “parent” strands. This technique keeps the hair looking rich and full while drastically reducing the performance cost.[/p][p]4. GPU Compatibility Issues[/p][p]One of the more unexpected problems came when we tested on AMD GPUs. The hair, which looked fine on our NVIDIA setups, simply didn’t appear at all. That issue forced us to rethink some of our shader and rendering techniques to ensure visual consistency across hardware.[/p][p][/p][h2]✨ The Final Touch[/h2][p]After countless iterations, tweaks, and physics experiments, we finally reached the result we wanted: hair that floats, flows, and feels alive.[/p][p]It reacts to wind, light, and movement — but always with that distinct, otherworldly “anti-gravity” vibe that defines Fading Echo’s atmosphere. The end result isn’t just a visual detail; it’s part of One’s identity, reflecting her presence in the world and reinforcing the surreal atmosphere of Fading Echo.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]🌊 Flow with us[/h2][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]Hey Legends! We're back![/p][p]For this devlog, we’re doing something a little different, stepping out of the surreal world of Fading Echo, and into the very real one where it all comes to life. [/p][p]Between office moves, broken coffee machines (our true final boss), and epic team lunches powered by an unreasonable amount of butter, this devlog is a small love letter to our daily adventures. You’ll meet some of our friendly NPCs, discover how many croissants it takes to fuel creativity, and get a glimpse of what it’s really like behind the screens. [/p][p]So if you’ve ever wondered what a “Fluid Quest System” looks like in real life… this one’s for you.[/p][p][/p][h2]Something Ctrl+N[/h2][p]In a small, dark corner of a fantastical forest of a majestic medieval town… just kidding! Fading Echo has been meticulously crafted to be surreal, enticing and mysterious; all from our comfy, air conditioned offices of Lyon and Paris. We love bringing you updates about the world we’ve created, but for this devblog we are doing something a little different; here is a sneak peek of the world we live in instead![/p][p][/p][h2]Setting up Multiple Checkpoints[/h2][p]They say raising a baby takes a village, and to be honest, so do video games! It’s not just the game designers and programmers, it’s the cooks at the local restaurants who are always excited to hear our updates and insist we take the time to try their latest dessert. It’s the neighbouring offices full of people who take the time to say hello, to wish us a good day and share a pre-caffeine smile. It’s the office managers who will stop and ask us to see the latest changes because they genuinely care about what we do. To everyone in our village... we salute you![/p][p][/p][h2]One Reality, Multiple Office Moves[/h2][p]While One travels through alternate realities, navigating complex enigmas, our journey from the office on the fourth floor to the seventh floor was perhaps a bit simpler. This blog is written from the top floor (let’s be real, it’s the penthouse, right?) of our castle (office) in a small (third biggest) mysterious town (Lyon). Whilst we all enjoy the benefits of hybrid work, there is nothing quite like a bustling office full of developers moving from desk to desk to solve complex problems, such as ‘who broke the build machine today’.[/p][p][/p][h2]Aether[/h2][p][/p][p]The coffee machine \[insert god rays and angels singing here][/p][p][/p][h2]…More Aether[/h2][p]Being a studio based in France, it would be inauthentic to talk about office culture and not talk about one of the most critical parts: FOOD![/p][p]Part of creating an office culture, but even more importantly, a team, always relies on sharing in moments of joy together; and what brings more joy then BUTTER? .. Well, perhaps butter that has been rolled out over and over and folded into a fluffy, crispy, angelic moment of bliss, the perfect, the majestic (drum roll please) croissant! .. Maybe I should take a break and get some food. Just like Maddock being lost to corruption, I indeed am losing myself to the idea of a croissant. BRB![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Okay, I’m back. In case you were concerned about our diet, here is some proof of us eating much healthier things like Cinnamon Rolls, Raclette parties (cheesecheesecheese) and Galettes (Buckwheat pancakes) and of course, beer![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]How the Collapse and Water Way realities combine in a very unique way…[/h2][p]Just like turning the corner and seeing a bunch of critters blocking your way, it wouldn’t be a creative process without some quirks getting in the way. Here are some examples of what it looks like making a game in the real world:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Making a game is a lot like real life, unexpected things happen and you have to learn to pivot and find the silver lining. For example, instead of saying ‘there is no roof in the toilet’ we can say ‘isn’t it nice getting some fresh air and hearing the sounds of birds?’[/p][p][/p][p]A Very Fluid Quest System[/p][p]It’s important to note that not all the fun and games (ha!) take place just in the office. We have some friendly NPCs all around us that help form our habits and traditions, that help us on our quests. For example, the office mission of obtaining a Chouffe bottle opener; a simple mission really:[/p][p]“If you drink enough Chouffe to finish this keg, I will give you the bottle opener”[/p][p]*Mission Activated*[/p][p][/p][p]*Mission Accomplished*[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]At the end of the day, and this blog, we as a team love the world we have digitally created, as well as the physical one we’ve built together. Whether it’s fighting bugs, corruption or plumbing issues... there is no reality better than this one.[/p][p][/p][p]The Emeteria Team[/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]We’re back with another recap of our live Q&A sessions on Discord, where the Fading Echo dev team hangs out with the community, answers your questions, and shares some behind-the-scenes insight into the game’s development.[/p][p]This session featured Lucas and Sylvain, who dove into topics like dimensional travel, exotic player builds, visual world-building, and what to expect from the test.[/p][p]Missed the live event? No worries, we’ve gathered some of the best questions and answers from the session below.[/p][p]And as always, if you want to be part of the next Q&A, make sure to join us on Discord![/p][p]Let’s dive in 👇[/p][p][/p][h2]🏜️ Meet the Worldbuilders Behind Fading Echo[/h2]

[p]Lucas:[/p][p]Hello! I'm Lucas, the Senior Environment Artist on the team. I'm responsible for bringing the world we’re creating to life visually. Lots of rocks and sand sculpting—basically, if it’s in the environment, I’ve probably shaped it![/p][p]Sylvain:[/p][p]Quick intro : I'm Sylvain, I co-direct the project. Day to day, I work with the team to make sure we’re delivering on the vision we set out with from the start.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]💡 What We're Most Excited for You to Discover[/h2][p]What’s the one thing you’re most excited for players to discover in this playtest?[/p]

[p]Honestly? The passion, love, and innovation the team poured into every part of the game.[/p][p]One example: our mana system called Aether, isn’t just a stat. It’s a physical element in the world. When you cast spells, Aether gets left behind, and One (our hero) can recycle it to fuel more abilities.[/p][p]And for me personally, it’s the complexity of our realities. We’ve designed three very different worlds, each with its own lore, rules, and look. You’ll start in the arid, desert-like Shard, then eventually discover places like The Near, our underwater realm, which is the total opposite in mood and color palette.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h2]🌀 Portals, Dual Worlds & Inspirations[/h2][p]Looking at the portal and multi-dimensional system, it reminded me of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Was that an inspiration?[/p]

[p]Haha good eye! That’s definitely one of our references. Our Art Director was especially inspired by how Soul Reaver handled dimension travel.[/p][p]Of course, we’ve added our own twist: when you open a portal, you can briefly see both realities at once, giving you a glimpse of what’s coming. And One also changes visually when she moves between worlds, it’s a small detail, but it helps reinforce the idea that these dimensions are completely different.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h2]🛠️ Designing the Perk System (and Breaking It)[/h2][p]How much fun did you all have creating the Perk system?[/p]

[p]A lot! Our main goal was to make it approachable while still offering deep customization.[/p][p]The Perk system is still evolving—it’s probably the biggest system that's still a bit rough around the edges right now. But it already allows you to customize your spells and abilities every time you return to the Bastion (your home base in the game). It’s a key part of how you build and adapt your playstyle over time.[/p][p]We designed the system around three main “builds” or classes, so players can easily jump into a style they enjoy. BUT, because we love freedom we didn’t restrict you. You can mix and match any Perks across different builds and create your own hybrid strategy.[/p][p]Fun fact: one of our level designers, Corentin, came up with a build that practically broke the game (in a fun way). So yeah, experimenting is highly encouraged![/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h2]🖥️ Will the Game Melt My PC?[/h2][p]What’s the minimum setup we’ll need to run the game without our PCs catching fire?[/p]

[p]The game runs great on any decent NASA computer 😄[/p][p]Jokes aside, it’s still in development, but we’ve seen players get okay framerate on an Nvidia 1070. So anything above that should give you a smooth experience.[/p][p]We’ve also included graphic options in the alpha. It’ll default to high settings, but you can tweak everything to match your setup.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🎯 Difficulty Settings & Finding the Right Balance[/h2][p]Talking about difficulty, will there be different options? And can you switch in-game?[/p]

[p]In the closed alpha, difficulty settings won’t be available just yet. But they’ll definitely be in the final game.[/p][p]For now, the alpha is balanced around what we consider a medium difficulty. After three years of playing our own game, we might have unintentionally become hardcore players, so we’re super interested in your feedback.[/p][p]Let us know how it feels, we’re listening![/p]

[p][/p][h2]🎬 Cutscenes in the Alpha: Behind the Scenes of Storytelling[/h2]

[p]One point I forgot to mention during the Q&A is about the current state of cutscenes—which are still a work-in-progress in this version of the game.[/p][p]Interestingly, this gives you a little peek inside the kitchen, what you’ll see in the closed alpha are animated storyboards, which we use to iterate on timing and framing before moving into full 3D production.[/p][p]For Fading Echo, we’ve tried to innovate in how we tell the story. As you’ve probably noticed, the visual style is inspired by anime and comics, and that extends to the cutscenes themselves.[/p][p]Instead of fully animated sequences, we’re using still characters, a choice that was challenging to pull off, but one we hope will feel fresh and distinctive.[/p][p]We’re including a side-by-side comparison below: one frame from what you’ll see in the alpha (left), and a glimpse at what we’re working toward for the final release (right).[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][h3]🌊 Flow with us[/h3][h3] [/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]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]