Fading Echo

Genre: 3D Platformer / Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Fading Echo is a 3D Platformer and Action-Platformer released in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. This game puts players in the role of One, a young woman who suddenly gains the ability to change into an element-swapping orb of liquid, and who uses this new ability to restore her fractured world.

The presentation here is good, with the various parallel realities One jumps between imaginatively rendered with some nice 3D. I do have some issues with the way that imagination affects the level design, but I’ll get to that later. This is joined by some good voice acting for One and the characters she encounters on her quest, though I’ll note that the game’s cutscenes have this odd half-moving/half-frozen nature to them that really seems to run counter to One’s vibrant personality.

When it comes to the gameplay, the clever thing Fading Echo does involves the liquid ball One can transform into, which interacts with elements in interesting ways. In its natural state, One’s ball form is made of water, and can stun fire-element enemies and set them up for a three-hit kill. In addition, touching lava as a water ball will turn you to a steam ball, which can jump higher and air-dash to glide over long distances. Meanwhile, rolling over neon green goo will transform you into a green goo ball, which can climb up green waterfalls, and can be used to weaken enemies so that attacks stun them.

Basically, making use of these different elemental states makes for interesting opportunities during combat based on the enemies you fight, and can be used to solve environmental puzzles and enable your traversal through the game’s worlds. Or at least, that’s the idea.

In practice, I found combat to be a messy affair, and it’s difficult to fight strategically in the way the game wants you to because both you and enemies are trailing puddles of the different kinds of elemental materials, and after a few seconds every one of these except water will hurt you too if you’re not in ball form… but combat is generally done in human form. Like I said, messy.

The exploration and puzzle-solving are also an issue here, because Fading Echo is absolutely abysmal at signposting, and numerous times I found myself at a loss as to where I needed to be going next. And when the game’s imaginative worlds make for complex and convoluted level design, this can make it even less clear where you need to be going next.

Overall, I love the idea at the core of Fading Echo, but I feel like both the combat and exploration are really hurt by a lack of polish and clear design. I do think there’s still enough personality and unique design elements here that some players will find this worth trying out, but this isn’t a game I feel I can really recommend when all its major elements frustrate me as often as they delight me.

tl;dr – Fading Echo is a 3D Platformer and Action-Platformer that has players taking the role of a girl who can transform into a liquid ball and combine with elements in ways that interact with the world in various ways. While the premise here is sound, the sloppy combat and terrible signposting make this game frustrating just as often as it is delightful. As a result, I can’t really recommend it.

Grade: C

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