There Came an Echo, a game that encourages you to play by using the PS4’s voice controls, is coming May 31 as a PS4 console exclusive.
According to a post on the Playstation Blog, There Came an Echo is a cyberpunk strategy game that has the player using the PlayStation Microphone to issue “militaristic commands” to units of a small tactical squad. Also, Wil Wheaton is starring in the game, so there’s that.
According to the creators,
You’ll use commands like “Corrin and Miranda, move to Bravo Three on my mark,” or “Everyone but Grace, shields up.” But hey, maybe your mom’s name is Grace, and it’s creeping you out or something. To that end, we’ve implemented what we call the “Command Alias” feature, whereby almost every name and command in the game can be replaced by an entirely custom word or phrase. “Power to forward deflectors” can replace “shields up.” The lyrics to “Be Prepared” can replace “Switch to sniper rifle,” for reasons that I’m sure totally make sense.
Apparently, you don’t have to strictly use the voice controls to play the game, but it is strongly encouraged by the creators. There Came an Echo will not have players actually doing anything that most tactical games like this would require, like running or shooting and reloading, but will have players take on the role of the “field commander” and control the battle in that way. They mention in the post that they worked with Sony quite a bit to make some internal tweaks that would allow the complex voice commands work for the game. I’m interested to see how this all works out, even if I’m not exactly psyched about playing a game solely with my voice. It always comes off as a bit gimmicky to me, but who knows? They seem to be putting in the effort to make it work, after all.
There Came an Echo releases on May 31, 2016 for PS4.
