There Came an Echo is a game in which you, the field commander of a small squad, use your voice to direct your units around a map to accomplish various objectives. There’s a list of predefined commands, which might include “open fire,” or “Corrin, head to Bravo 3.” Limiting the dictionary to a few hundred entries helps to improve voice recognition, as the system (unlike, say, Siri) doesn’t need to differentiate a large number of words.
Still, those aren’t the only things you’ll be saying: for every existing command and unit, the player can define a custom phrase that acts as an alternate. For instance, instead of “Grace, hold position”, you might choose to say “yo girl, hold up”, or instead of “weapons free”, you might say, “not the gumdrop buttons!” You’ll be able to direct your troops in a style completely your own.
At various points throughout missions, your units will make various observations and come back to you with questions. “Sir, I’ve got a clear shot on an enemy target thirty meters away. Should I take the shot?” “Sir, do you want me to link back up with Grace? She’s under heavy fire.” You’ll need to survey the situation and give an informed “affirmative” or “negative”. It’s a dialogue, not a soliloquy.
Finally, there will be numerous environmental factors that you can affect throughout the game. Previously placed mines can be detonated remotely: “Mines 1, 3, 11, detonate.” Automated defense systems can target specific units: “Turret B, target Enemy Unit 5.” There are myriad possibilities for these types of interactions within gameplay, and these are just scratching the surface.
Credits
- Writer: Jason Wishnov
- Director: Joshua Saiewitz
- Director of Photography: Timothy Riese
- Producer: Jaclyn Friedlander
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