Fading Echo News

[p]Cutscenes are tricky, especially for an indie, gameplay-first studio like us.[/p][p]We knew early on that we wanted strong narrative moments in Fading Echo. But we also knew we didn’t want to constantly pull players out of the game. So instead of going for traditional cinematic cutscenes, we chose a different path.[/p][p]Here’s how and why.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]Our Graphic Novel DNA[/h2][p] [/p][p]Visually, Fading Echo lives somewhere between manga, US comics… and European graphic novels.[/p][p]That mix is intentional. These influences shaped us growing up, and we wanted the game to carry a distinctly European comics flag. [/p][p]What we love about European graphic novels is how they handle time and framing. They often rely less on fluid animation and more on strong compositions, carefully chosen angles, and moments where a single image does most of the storytelling.[/p][p] [/p][p]That approach heavily influenced our cutscenes. Rather than fully animated sequences, we use:[/p]

• [p]mostly static scenes[/p]
• [p]camera movement inside the frame[/p]
• [p]lighting, VFX, and sound to suggest motion and intensity[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]It’s not about copying comics panel by panel, but about borrowing their visual language and adapting it to a game, in the same spirit you might find in Batman: Arkham Asylum or certain TV series intros.[/p][p]Motion comics is an entire genre in its own and a strong influence for us as it perfectly captures one of Fading Echo game design pillars around movement and fluidity against rigidity.[/p][p][/p][h2]Constraints as a Creative Tool[/h2][p][/p][p]Cutscenes are expensive. There’s no way around it.[/p][p]For a small team focused on gameplay systems, fully animated cinematics just weren’t realistic. Forcing them would have meant sacrificing other parts of the game, and that wasn’t an option.[/p][p]So we asked ourselves a simple question:[/p][p]"How do we make this feel intentional, not compromised?"[/p][p]This approach allowed us to:[/p]

• [p]keep production costs under control[/p]
• [p]iterate faster[/p]
• [p]stay visually consistent[/p]
• [p]and (hopefully) create something that doesn’t look like the usual indie cutscene[/p]

[p]What started as a limitation slowly turned into a style we genuinely liked and wanted to push further.[/p][p][/p][h2][/h2][h2]Cutscenes as Narrative Anchors[/h2][p][/p][p]We don’t want Fading Echo to stop you every few minutes to explain itself.[/p][p]Movement is core to the game, so cutscenes are used sparingly and with purpose:[/p]

• [p]more present at the beginning to set the stage[/p]
• [p]stronger at the end to support the epic moments[/p]
• [p]and at key milestones, like when you free an island[/p]

[p] They act as narrative anchors, not constant interruptions, moments that punctuate progression rather than breaking momentum.[/p][p][/p][h2]Breaking the Rules With Werlen Meyer[/h2][p][/p][p]A big part of this came from our collaboration with our friends at Werlen Meyer.[/p][p]We chose them not only because they’re incredibly talented, but also because they had never worked on in-game cutscenes before. [/p][p]No habits. [/p][p]No “this is how it’s usually done”.[/p][p][/p][p]Together, we experimented a lot:[/p]

• [p]how far we could push still images[/p]
• [p]how much emotion sound and lighting could carry[/p]
• [p]how camera movement alone could suggest action[/p]

[p]That shared willingness to break things and occasionally get things wrong was key to finding the final style.[/p][p]This cutscene approach isn’t about reinventing storytelling. It’s just us trying to tell our story in a way that fits Fading Echo, our constraints, and our tastes.[/p][p][/p][p]💬Got questions? Wanna see more? Join us on Discord to share your thoughts & feedbacks![/p][p][/p][p]- The Fading Echo 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]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[p]Hey Legends,[/p][p]We just dropped three new languages into Fading Echo![/p][p]Full text + subtitles support for:[/p]

• [p]German[/p]
• [p]French[/p]
• [p]Spanish[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🔧 Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a bug where the camera could get stuck in the Bastion.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]🐛 Known issues[/h2][h3]Language / localization[/h3]

• [p]You currently need to launch the tutorial to change languages.[/p]
• [p]Not all status effects are translated after changing language.[/p]
• [p]Aetherfact panel “Close” button is not translated.[/p]
• [p]This line is still in English:
  “oh fun I hoped this portal would lead to a helgur dimension”[/p]

[h3]Text / UI issues[/h3]

• [p]Text is not centered in multiple tutorial panel descriptions.[/p]
• [p]Several perk descriptions overflow their text boxes when changing language.[/p]
• [p]Heavy intro text is cut in French and German.[/p]
• [p]Vellum’s cutscene text (to the Bastion) is cut in Spanish.[/p]
• [p]“Cannonball” is called “Waterbomb” in the options.[/p]

[p][/p][p]More updates are coming![/p][p]This patch isn’t the “final form.”
We’ve got more updates on the way (bug fixes, polish, and improvements) and we’ll keep shipping them as they’re ready.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for sticking with the demo while we keep sanding the sharp edges. Your support makes the next updates possible.[/p][p][/p][p]💬 Don’t forget to join us on Discord to share your thoughts & feedbacks![/p][p][/p][p]- The Fading Echo 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]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[p]Hey Legends,[/p][p]If you played Fading Echo back in alpha: welcome home. 💧 Same core idea (save the world by aggressively splashing things). New slice of the game. More stuff to melt.[/p][p][/p][p]👉 Play the demo on Steam[/p][p][/p][h2]WELCOME (BACK) TO THE VOLCANO SOURCE 🌋[/h2][p][/p][p]We’re turning up the heat with a demo set in the first Volcano Source.[/p][p]Deep in the heart of an ancient forge, One is chasing the first Ætheric source through the remains of a long-forgotten civilization.[/p][p]You might uncover something about your new powers.[/p][p]You might just have a really good time turning problems into puddles. Both outcomes are valid.[/p][p][/p][h2]REACT. IMPROVISE. SURVIVE. 💧[/h2][p][/p][p]Water, lava, toxic waste, if it flows, it fights.[/p][p]Use surrounding fluids to burn, solidify, and weaken enemies.[/p][p]Chain reactions into elemental combos.[/p][p]Finish it up with stylish hand-to-hand attacks. Creativity isn’t a bonus. It’s the plan.[/p][p][/p][h2]THEY’RE NOT JUST NPCs, THEY’RE FAMILY 👩‍👧‍👦[/h2][p]Meet: [/p]

• [p]Rahne, your mother (yes, really). [/p]
• [p]Vellum, your aetheric spiritual guide (also really).[/p]

[p]Trusted sidekicks for your extremely normal mission to save your homeworld from impending destruction. You know. The usual.[/p][p][/p][h2]WE NEED YOUR BRAIN (FEEDBACK) 🧠[/h2][p][/p][p]If you play, we’d especially love thoughts on: [/p]

• [p]Combat feel + readability of elemental reactions[/p]
• [p]Controls and pacing through the Volcano Source[/p]
• [p]Clarity of puzzles/objectives[/p]
• [p]Performance/bugs (anything weird is gold)[/p]

[p][/p][h2]KNOW ISSUES ⚠️[/h2][p]🎮 Gameplay / Controls[/p]

• [p]Controller recommended. Keyboard and input rebinding are available.[/p]
• [p]Skip prompt stays on screen. If you skip a cutscene, the “skip” prompt may remain visible every time you dash.[/p]
• [p]Possible softlock in the Bastion after skipping cutscenes.
  If you skip a cutscene, you may end up stuck in the Bastion (doors don’t open). Restarting the game may not fix it.
  Workaround: If it happens, the only workaround is to start a new save.
  How to avoid: Don’t skip cutscenes, or rebind “Skip” to a different button than Dash.[/p]

[p]⚙️ Options / Resolution[/p]

• [p]Resolution can become unusable if set too high.
  If you set a resolution higher than your monitor supports, the game will save it and the image may be cut off, making it hard to revert (mouse cursor position may not match what you see).[/p]

[p]💬 Input Display / Naming[/p]

• [p]Wrong button shown for Cannonball on controller. It displays “Q” instead of “LT”.[/p]
• [p]Some actions are misnamed in Options:[/p]
  • [p]“Vault Kick” is shown as “Push Attack”[/p]
  • [p]“Cannonball” is shown as “Water Bomb”[/p]

[p]⚡Crash[/p]

• [p]Crash on quit. Sometimes the game crashes when quitting.[/p]

[p]🩹 Softlock Recovery Tip[/p]

• [p]If you get stuck, quit to desktop, relaunch the game, then press Continue — you should respawn at your last checkpoint.[/p]

[p][/p][p]👉 Play the demo on Steam[/p][p][/p][h2]WISHLIST (OPTIONAL, BUT HUGE)[/h2][p]If you’re feeling generous, a wishlist helps a ton. Feedback helps even more right now.[/p][p]Thank you for being there early. Seriously. Can’t wait to hear what you think.[/p][p] [/p][p]💬 And don’t forget to join us on Discord to share your thoughts & feedbacks![/p][p][/p][p]- The Fading Echo 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]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]

[h2]The One Where The Team Nails Production[/h2][p]Previously on the New Tales devblog...[/p][p]So now that we’ve covered the prototype and pre-production, it’s time to talk Production![/p][p]Okay so now we know what we want to do, so let’s do it? Not necessarily that simple. We need to come up with a comprehensive roadmap that allows us to see how much time it should take to make our game, with the correct order of events. Perhaps not super exciting to most, but shoutout to my fellow excel lovers![/p][p]How much will the game cost?[/p][p]Do we need to hire more people? Will we need to hire external contractors?[/p][p]When do we need them to join?[/p][p]When can we expect the game to ship?[/p][p]What is the best marketing strategy?[/p][p]Once we’ve tried to predict the answers to these questions, we can start *really* making a game. Let’s go![/p][p][/p][h2]Assessing the cost[/h2][p][/p][h2]Hiring Internally and Externally[/h2][p]When building the studio, we knew our best chance of success was to focus on a few key elements and build a great team in-house, and then rely on contractors who can join us for select periods of time.[/p][p]As an example, we couldn’t afford to build both an Environment Art team, as well as a Character Art team. As our game is SO focused on the different realities, we decided it made more sense to go for the first option. That meant we found some incredibly talented artists that could help us take the characters from concept to reality, without adding fulltime headcount.[/p][p]This is just one example, but it also applies to Narrative, Audio (Sounds + Music), VFX and more![/p][p]Once we figured out what support we needed, we also decide when it best makes sense for them to join us. For example, it’s much easier to make the music of the realities once we have some visual references in-game, so we knew we wanted to bring in our composer a little bit later. On the other hand, we needed a writer very early on, to help ensure the game we were building made sense.[/p][p][/p][h2]Ship it![/h2][p][/p][p]At the end of the day, we need to ensure we are staying a-float. I’m not shore I know what to say about this one? We just need to make ship happen. Okay, okay sorry.[/p][p]In order to market the game, we need to know when is a good time to release it. This requires not only looking at how much time we think it will take to make the game, but also what the market looks like at the time. For example, when is GTA VI coming out? Let’s avoid that porthole window![/p][p][/p][h2]Capturing the Market![/h2][p]One does not simply … make great games without marketing. While we refine exactly what the game will be, this is where we figure out who are target demographic is *hint* It might be you .[/p][p]We do many workshops to assess what aspects of the game we think are the most important and which kind of players best match so we can begin to create our social media pages and marketing strategy, to ensure we are able to share our game with the people who will enjoy it most.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Rumour has it that the Producer who wrote this blog originally wrote a 57 page book but it was deemed “too much information”, so don’t hesitate if you have more questions, drop them in the comments, as I’m sure she would be willing to join your “COLOUR CODING IS LYF3” club 🙂[/p][p][/p][p]– The Emeteria Team[/p]

[p]The Maze has opened once again — and this time, it’s delivering an early holiday surprise.[/p][p]That’s right: the Fading Echo Closed Alpha is officially back online starting today, and we couldn’t be happier to invite you in for another round of fluid-bending chaos, exploration, and discoveries.[/p][p]Whether you played during the first playtest or you’ve just joined the community, consider this your December gift from the Echoverse. The world has grown, the systems have evolved, and much more...[/p][p]Let’s unwrap what’s new. 💧🎁[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]What’s New Since the First Playtest?[/h2][p]A lot has changed since you last stepped into the Echoverse. For this December reopening, we’ve packed the Closed Alpha with new content, fresh visuals, smoother combat, and system reworks designed to make the experience more dynamic, readable, and surprising. Here are the biggest highlights:[/p][p][/p][p]🌋 A World That Feels Alive[/p][p]The Volcano is now fully dressed, the Bastion has brand-new visuals inside and out, and the Collapse Dimension has evolved with strange cables, jellyfish, and glitchy anomalies. The world is richer, clearer, and more atmospheric than ever.[/p][p][/p][p]⚔️ Sharper, Faster, Better Combat[/p][p]One’s kit feels snappier — a faster Combat Dash, stronger Cannonball, improved push attack, and smarter, more expressive enemies make every fight more reactive and satisfying.[/p][p][/p][p]🎥 3D Cutscenes & Clearer Storytelling[/p][p]Cinematic moments now play out in 3D, although they are still very much work-in-progress. Some dialogues and subtitles have also been refined to keep the experience cleaner and more immersive.[/p][p][/p][p]🌬️ Systemic Upgrades Everywhere[/p][p]Steam Form has been reworked for more freedom and smoother transitions, elemental absorption speeds are adjusted, and the whole systemic sandbox feels more responsive.[/p][p][/p][p]🔊 Better Sounds, Better Feedback[/p][p]Updated music, clearer audio cues, and new SFX make every action — from landing a crit to buying a perk — feel more alive.[/p][p][/p][p]🧰 Quality-of-Life Boosts[/p][p]Camera sensitivity options, improved KB/M controls, faster performance, perk preview videos, and a cleaner HUD all help the game feel smoother and easier to read.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]⚠️ Known Issues (Important!)[/h2][p]This is still an Alpha build — here are the key things to keep in mind:[/p][p][/p][p]🚪 Portal Crashes[/p][p]Crashes may occur during transitions. Avoid traveling in Water Form through portals where possible.[/p][p][/p][p]🌋 Systemic Reaction Crashes[/p][p]Heavy elemental reactions (lava, waste, water everywhere) can occasionally cause crashes. Restarting usually resolves it.[/p][p][/p][p]💾 Save Loss After Crash[/p][p]Progress may occasionally be lost after a crash. When you reload your save:[/p]

• [p]If One has Blue hair → everything is normal[/p]
• [p]If One has Brown hair → please restart the game (sometimes requires a few tries)[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Ready to Jump Back In?[/h2][p]The Closed Alpha is available right now on Steam.[/p][p]If you joined the first playtest via Steam, simply update the game in your Library and you’re good to go.[/p][p]New explorer? Just register directly on the Steam store page to get instant access to the playtest.[/p][p][/p][p]💬 And don’t forget to join us on Discord to share your thoughts & feedbacks![/p][p][/p][p]- The Fading Echo 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]And follow the adventure:[/p][p]YouTube | TikTok | Instagram[/p]