Echo Night is a 1998 adventure video game developed by From Software for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in 1998, and in North Americain 1999. It is the first game in the Echo Night series, following up with the Japan-exclusive ' in 1999, and ' in 2004. The story revolves around Richard Osmond, the game's protagonist, and his journey to find out what happened to the ship Orpheus, which mysteriously disappeared from the sea. The story also uncovers the mystery about two stones that contain some kind of supernatural power.
Gameplay
Echo Night is played from a first-person perspective. When confronted by a ghost the player must turn on the lights in the room by means of a light switch. The player is often transported into the past via the passengers or certain objects. Once the player fulfills a task important to a spirit they will vanish and drop an "Astral Piece" which can be used to get a different ending scene.
Plot
Story
The game starts with Richard at his apartment receiving a call from the Anchor Police Department regarding his father, Henry Osmond. Summoned to his father's house, Richard discovers his father's diary, which leads him to a train. He meets at the train a man named Henry Osmond, who is actually trying to pursue William Rockwell who, according to Henry, is being possessed by the Red Stone that is attached to a knife. A duel happens inside the train, but William uses his granddaughter, Crea Rockwell, as a defense against Henry. William then shot Henry, but thanks to the Blue Stone which Henry possessed, his life is spared. The Blue Stone was split into two, one half of which Henry gave to William's granddaughter, Crea. It is revealed then that William is being possessed by the demon of the Red Stone. After that, Richard is brought back to his father's house where he discovers inside the secret room a painting of the ship, Orpheus. Richard is brought to Orpheus and meets the passengers who died when the ship disappeared. Henry saves the souls he meets inside the ship by resolving their personal issues. As the game goes on, Richard discovers that the Red Stone which William possesses has the power to change one man's destiny to his desire by killing people using the knife the Red Stone is attached to. Richard meets William's son and daughter, who are aware of the story of the Red Stone and plan to kill their father on the ship, but unfortunately they were killed by their father first. Richard also meets Crea Rockwell through time travel, and is be able to retrieve the Blue Stone. At the game's climax, Richard discovers that his father was on the ship too, and was able to kill William. But as soon as Henry gets hold of the stone, he proclaims that he desired the Red Stone all along. Richard is able to destroy the Red Stone using the Blue Stone. After the Red Stone is destroyed, Henry instructs Richard to leave the ship, and the ship itself disappears soon after.
Endings
There are 4 different endings in the game:
Real ending: Richard reaches the nose of the ship and enters the secret passage. After a dialogue with a blind man Richard doesn't take the red knife and it is destroyed. Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie several game scenes and messages from Crea Rockwell are shown in the last scene at Richard's house.
Good ending: Richard reaches the nose of the ship and doesn't enter the secret passage. Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie Richard awakes in his father's house. He leaves the house and approaches the policemen in the car. The car won't start so the policemen ask Richard to get tools from the trunk. When Richard opens up the trunk, he finds the red knife in there.
Bad ending: Richard reaches the nose of the ship and enters the secret passage. After a dialogue with a blind man Richard takes the red knife. Crea saves Richard. After the ending movie Richard awakes in his father's house. He kills the policemen, as he is now possessed by the red knife.
Very bad ending: Richard doesn't reach the nose of the ship in time. After the ending movie a short article is shown on the screen. It states that Richard Osmond and his father were mysteriously lost in an accident.
Reception
The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a 32 out of 40 score.
