Lone Echo resounding now in virtual reality

Written by Jack Allin — July 23, 2017 at 10:59

Space may be the final frontier, but virtual reality is surely the next one, and both are front and center in the newly-released VR adventure Lone Echo.

Set in the year 2126, Lone Echo puts players aboard the Kronos II, a mining facility harvesting helium-3 from the icy Saturn rings. The only human on board is Captain Olivia Rhodes, a "brilliant scientist and a first-generation spacer," but she is far from alone. Joining her is Jack, a "fully self-aware android partner" imbued with an "advanced artificial intelligence with a state-of-the-art synthetic body" as well as a "rudimentary understanding" of human personality traits like "humor, irony, comedic timing, and innuendo." Jack also been designed with "a suite of AI protocols designed to service two extremely ambitious goals. First, to provide a durable, versatile assistant that could handle the challenges faced by long-range explorers. And second, to shepherd the physical and emotional well-being of a human partner on a long-term, space flight mission." Supporting both Liv and Jack is HERA, the primary operating system and "one of the most widely utilized Artificial Intelligence constructs in the solar system."

As a pioneer in the Echo program, Captain Rhodes is "about to make history by handing her operation over to her second-in-command." Of course, "space doesn’t always cooperate" with the best-laid plans, and while investigating a "mysterious spatial anomaly," players must guide Jack in solving an "increasingly threatening mystery as you use futuristic tools, clever problem solving, and interactive dialogue to engage with the world around you." Designed exclusively for VR to capitalize on the Oculus Touch controller and "full 360° gameplay," Lone Echo provides players with a "hands-on approach to exploring space," overcoming environmental obstacles along the way. 

Lone Echo is available now for download from the Oculus store. You can also learn more about the game through its official website.