I tried playing 'Dream Echo,' a roguelike ARPG created by a single 'PoE' enthusiast, which boasts an incredibly free and unrestricted build system.
' Dream Echo' is a top-down roguelike ARPG developed by avid fans of '
The developer, who is developing the game alone, proudly proclaims himself a 'die-hard fan of PoE,' and the ARPG emphasizes build-building to such an extent that I was curious to see just how freely skills and concepts could be combined, so I immediately started playing it.
Steam: Resonance, Dream World
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3226060/_/
The title displayed on Steam is 'Hibiki, Yumekyo ni' (Echo, Dream Realm), but the title screen and developer posts use the title 'Dream Echo'. Click 'Enter the Dream' to start the game.
The game begins with a scene where you wake up in a forest, even though you were supposed to be asleep in your bed. The first screen you see is to choose your control method, and this time I selected 'Keyboard & Mouse Mode,' which uses both the keyboard and mouse. You primarily move with the keyboard and attack with the mouse. It also seems that 'Controller Mode' is available if you have a controller connected.
A horde of slimes will attack, so left-click to fight them with your starting weapon, the sword.
The weapon skill usable with a right-click was a charged attack. Charging it to the maximum before attacking dealt nearly 10 times the damage.
Once you've defeated all the monsters in an area, move to the next area through the portal on the far right. This is how you progress through the areas one after another.
The first playthrough always seems to start with a tutorial, and explanations are given each time you progress through an area. In the next stage, it was explained that pressing the Tab key during gameplay opens the status screen. The translation isn't very intuitive, but you can check the details of basic attacks and skills, as well as damage, in the 'Equipment' tab.
At the end of the tutorial, you can choose one completed build to try out. This time, I decided to try out 'Chaos Rapid Fire.'
The weapons and skills have been completely revamped and are now entirely different from before.
The 'Talents' tab allows you to check the details of talents, which are abilities that are always active. The core of the 'Chaos Barrage' build is probably the talent called 'Chaos Projection.' After reading it, it seems to have the effect of increasing the number of projectiles but firing them in random directions.
When I tried using the skill, a massive amount of bullets filled the screen. It certainly looks like the situation is going to become chaotic.
In battles against weaker enemies, I could defeat all the enemies on the screen in no time just by using my skills from my starting position.
As you progress through the area, a boss will appear at the end. Because my build was strong, I was able to defeat the boss in an instant.
Defeating the boss completes the stage. You can now check the final configuration and score for this adventure.
After closing the clear screen, you arrive in the 'town' and meet your guide, Morpheus. The town is a base where you can strengthen various elements, but since you can't strengthen anything at this point, use the 'Depart!' gate to set off on your adventure.
You can select a stage by inserting a 'ticket' into the slot on the right. You already have a ticket for difficulty level 1, so just insert that.
Additionally, you can select 'Deck' in the upper left corner. Clicking 'Concept Collection' allows you to edit the contents of the deck.
You can set your starting weapon, skills, and talents in your deck. Skills and talents are build elements that reset with each adventure and can be obtained randomly during your adventure. Since the skills and talents you put in your deck are more likely to appear, it makes it easier to aim for and create specific builds. This time, I chose 'Multi-Shot' from the three starting decks provided.
The adventure has begun. We'll decide which of the two portals to proceed through while looking at the rewards for the next stage.
There was an event called 'Break' along the way. The number of times a character can be revived is displayed as a heart icon in the lower left corner of the screen, and the break is an opportunity to increase this number of revives.
On the other hand, if you're confident in your skills, you can strengthen your character by reducing the number of times you can revive during breaks, rather than increasing it. This time, I still had some leeway, so I chose to strengthen my character.
The enhancement is randomly selected, and this time I got the 'Phantom Volley' talent, which increases the number of projectiles but reduces damage. If you want a different talent, you can reroll by using Dreamlands Coins.
It has been added to the talent screen. The red talents are special talents called 'Original Talents,' and you can only have up to 6 of them.
As I progressed through the stages, I acquired the skill 'Increased Morale.' Apparently, using this skill grants me 'Rapid Charge,' which increases my attack speed and movement speed.
I'll switch them out right away on the equipment screen. As a general rule, you can only equip up to two skills. You can keep up to two extra skills in your backpack.
You may also find treasure chests along the way.
The treasure chest drops a large number of items that look like 'equipment'.
In a typical RPG, these items would be called 'equipment,' but in this game, they're called 'memories.' You can't equip them when you pick them up; you can only equip them when you return to town.
We've reached the boss of the first area, the Slime King. Here's what the boss battle looks like.
In the tutorial, we cleared the game in the first area, but this time a gate has appeared that will take us to the second area. The next area seems to be themed around snow-covered mountains.
This is what the boss fight against the 'Stuffed Animal Scorpion' in the snowy mountain area is like. It's definitely stronger than the Slime King.
After defeating the boss, 'Exploration Complete' is displayed, and the adventure ends. All acquired memories can be saved using 'Record All'.
Upon returning to town, a new enhancement feature called 'Equipment Sets' was unlocked. You can now equip items based on memories in the 'Memory Equipment' screen. The real fun of this game lies in editing your equipment while considering which builds it pairs well with.
Additionally, the 'Effects' screen allows you to change the effects of potions used during battle. You can choose to add a simple health recovery effect, or you can go all-in on boosting damage completely without any healing effect.
On the 'Aptitude' screen, you can spend the 'Creativity' you earn in battles to acquire talent points and improve your stats. By strengthening and adjusting the three elements of 'Memory,' 'Effect,' and 'Aptitude,' you can start your next adventure in a stronger state.
I'll try another adventure. This time I'll choose a ticket with the difficulty level 'II' written on it.
Now a screen appears where you can select a bonus. You can increase the number of revivals, increase the randomness of the adventure, or increase the drop rate of items set in your deck.
Thanks to equipping 'Memory' earlier, I already possessed several talents from the start. I've gained an incredible amount of power compared to my previous adventure.
This time, I combined 'Chaos Projection,' which adds random direction to projectiles instead of increasing their projection, with a talent that adds homing capabilities to projectiles. Thanks to my strong memory, I was able to defeat the boss without any trouble.
Upon completing the exploration, you have acquired another new memory. If you bring it back to town and equip it, you can further strengthen your character in future playthroughs.
Thanks to clearing the difficulty level 2 ticket, the 'Memory Workbench' has been unlocked. You can now dismantle memories to obtain creativity or forge memories. Note that the bulk dismantling button will dismantle items immediately without confirmation.
In the forging screen, you can use fragments to modify or add effects to memories.
The memories, which are essentially 'equipment,' carry over to subsequent adventures and have a significant impact on the character's strength, so even though it's a roguelite , you get the feeling of continuously developing your character like in a typical RPG. On the other hand, skills and talents are reset with each adventure, so the enjoyment unique to roguelites—thinking about new combinations from the options you acquire each time—is still firmly present.
When actually playing, I was impressed by how, even though the effects of individual talents are relatively simple, combining effects such as 'instead of increasing the number of projectiles, fire them in random directions' or 'add homing capabilities to projectiles' transformed the gameplay into ways I hadn't initially imagined. When I found a powerful part, I started thinking, 'Wouldn't it be even stronger if I combined it with that other effect?', making the time spent thinking about builds as well as the battles themselves enjoyable.
While the Japanese translation had some parts that were difficult to grasp, and I struggled a bit to understand the descriptions of talents and stats, the fun of combining various effects to create your own unique build was incredibly intense. If you're someone who enjoys thinking about combinations of skills and equipment, like in 'Path of Exile,' and then seeing the moment when your desired build is complete and you can wipe out your enemies, this is a game where you'll likely lose track of time thinking about different builds.
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