Echo Generation 2 launches next week with a new deckbuilding system

Cococucumber's voxel-based RPG Echo Generation 2 launches on May 27 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass. The sequel abandons the traditional turn-based combat of the 2021 original and moves to a deckbuilding system. The game will be available natively on Xbox consoles, through the Xbox app on PC, on Steam, and via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The first Echo Generation was a quiet success in 2021. It followed a group of kids investigating supernatural events in a Canadian suburb. It combined suburban mystery with a chunky 3D pixel art style. Toronto-based developer Cococucumber has built a reputation for this specific aesthetic through its previous voxel games. The combat in the original relied on timed button presses and comic book abilities. The studio recently polished that first experience with a "Midnight Edition" re-release in 2024.

The sequel throws most of those combat mechanics out. Players now build a party from six distinct characters and fight using a deck of cards. Combat relies on a stance system where you match symbols to break enemy defenses. You stack combos and synergize abilities using a pool of over 150 cards. These range from basic shield buffs to complex summons.

The new interface uses a clean layout. Cards display their action point costs and specific damage types. A "Bullseye" card hints at precision-based attacks. The shift to cards completely changes the pacing of encounters.

Another dimension, another deckbuilder

The scope of the narrative is also expanding. You play as Jack, the father from the original story. A family vacation goes wrong and traps him in an alternate dimension. He has to find a way back home through a universe filled with skeletal bosses and multi-armed cosmic entities.

Jack is not the only focus. The narrative splits across multiple perspectives to follow the rest of the cast. These chapters jump between different genres and locations. You play as a bounty hunting duo in a neon cyberpunk city. Later, you control a psychic kid escaping a scientific facility.

Customizing the crew

The customization menu includes skill trees and badge upgrades to shape each hero's playstyle. The badges act as passive modifiers. You can equip them to boost base stats or add secondary effects to specific card types. You can swap party members to experiment with different team compositions. Finding the right synergy between characters is the only way to survive the larger boss encounters.

The art style retains the voxel look of the first game, but the environments scale up dramatically. The small-town streets are gone. Star-filled arenas and planetary wastelands take their place. Analog synth artist Pusher returns to provide the soundtrack.

Changing genres in the middle of a series is always a gamble. Card mechanics require a completely different balancing approach than standard RPG battles. We will find out if the new combat loop holds up against the cosmic horror when the game unlocks next Wednesday.