Survival games continue to attract countless players, and the ones to come Echoes of Elysium on Steam hoping to join the ranks of his wildly successful contemporaries. If you've ever found yourself drawn to games like Valheim or High upthen this upcoming multiplayer title might be one to keep an eye on.
Like so many promising indie games on Steam, Echoes of Elysium is actually developer Loric Games' debut. Of course, this means it has a good bit to prove, but it also hints at the potential for greater innovation and creativity, as Loric isn't necessarily bound by many of the same conventions, workflows and expectations of its more established counterparts. This seems to be working for the developer so far, because it is Echoes of Elysium: Airship Buildera free airship customization suite that launched in March 2025, has already received positive buzz ahead of the launch of the base game. This Airship builder is obviously only part of the final product, but hopefully Loric will continue to receive a strong reception amidst a sea of similar projects.
Echoes of Elysium looks like a great survival experience
Echoes of Elysium really makes a good first impression. Its cel-shaded graphical style isn't unusual, but through a purposeful mix of creamy lighting, compelling character design, and steampunk/solarpunk visuals, the game manages to feel enticing and unique. Combining fantasy and science-fiction tropes through art direction, Echoes of Elysium appearing appropriately mysterious and mythical. It is similar to franchises that Final Fantasy and Zelda in this way.
It's a good thing the game's world looks as good as it does, because it looks like players will play a significant role in creating it. As previously mentioned, one of the Echoes of ElysiumThe biggest draw is its ship building system, which turns out to be quite complex: ships can be customized piece by piece, allowing for the creation of entirely new rooms, additions, facades and much more. This extends well beyond the realm of linear upgrades, promising full creative control over the shape, size and functionality of your airship in the game.
Perhaps even more important than Echoes of Elysiums ship customization is its ship-focused mechanics. Since these controllable airships essentially fill the role of landlocked shelters in traditional survival games, they serve as bases of operations. You can use your ship to cook and craft with materials you find while exploring the various floating islands of the overworld, but you can also install defensive gear to protect it from ne'er-do wells. Thus, Echoes of Elysiums survival and action RPG system is supported and defined by the ship customization sandbox.
Action-ARPG and Co-Op Mechanics can help Echoes of Elysium rise above its competitors
Loric Games has said that “fun together” is the driving philosophy behind it Echoes of Elysium. Each server is procedurally generated and each player (there can be up to six) creates their own airship. Loric believes that this will lead to the natural formation of team systems and distribution of tasks. Because each player can not only express themselves through their own property in the game, but also play a unique role within the server. For example, one player may create a massive battleship, while another may choose a faster cargo runner. Ideally, this will lead to a good balance between resource gathering, exploration and defense.
Team-based mechanics should also form naturally as a result of different playstyles. Consider a diverse group of six Echoes of Elysium players: two are particularly interested in crossing and combat on foot, two are interested in cooking and crafting, and two are interested in ship customization. Because of Echoes of Elysiums distinct game systems, all of which lean against each other in different ways, each of these theoretical players would contribute to a more balanced, ever-evolving ecosystem of in-game tasks.
The aforementioned example may be representative of a harmonious and well-optimized team, but Echoes of Elysiums co-op RPG potential may go even further than that. This idea of progression through teamwork can undoubtedly lead to even more interesting, unbalanced team builds. For example, maybe a group of six friends could try a sort of pacifist playthrough, focusing more on resource accumulation and durability than combat. Of course, the opposite can also happen: a team can go all-in on ship defense and foot combat and strengthen their position that way.
Of course, we'll have to wait and see how these systems actually shake out in the meantime Echoes of Elysiums early access period, which will hopefully provide the data needed to fine-tune the game's most promising mechanics. Custom-built co-op, customization, and playstyle flexibility seem to be the crown jewels Echoes of Elysiumand is likely what will determine whether it can stand out in an ever-expanding genre space. It's definitely looking pretty interesting so far, so we're hoping it can be the next co-op survival darling.
