''Echo of Soul'' is a

massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

developed by Korean game developer Nvius and published in North America and Europe by

Aeria Games Aeria Games, formerly known as Aeria Games and Entertainment, was an online game publisher. The corporate headquarters were located in Berlin, Germany. Aeria Games was a privately-owned organization by Aeria Games & Entertainment Inc, later a ...

Open beta The software release life cycle is the process of developing, testing, and distributing a software product (e.g., an operating system). It typically consists of several stages, such as pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate, before the fi ...

began in South Korea on September 11, 2013, in China on October 31, 2014, and in Western territories on May 28, 2015. ''Echo of Soul'' shut down in South Korea on October 22, 2015. Nearly a year later, publisher Kakao Games relaunched ''Echo of Soul'' in South Korea.

Gameplay

''Echo of Soul'' is a

free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

. Players take control of adventurers, called ''Soulkeepers'', who are tasked by the gods of the world to combat evil. Players have the unique ability to collect souls from the

monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

s they kill, which they can then use to customize their character. The game has a wide array of both

PvE PVE may refer to: * Places ** Beech River Regional Airport, Henderson County, Tennessee, United States ** Palos Verdes Estates, California ** Prairie Vista Elementary School, Granger, Indiana, United States * Science, technology, and medicine ** ...

and

PvP Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents and is usually off ...

modes. For example, PvE includes solo

dungeons A dungeon is a room or Prison cell, cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An o ...

, party dungeons, and raids. PvP content includes 5 vs. 5 and 15 vs. 15 battles, as well as

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

vs. guild combat in both the

open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...

and a separate instanced battlefield. PvP is available at level 10, so players are able to reap the benefits of this feature early on in the game.

Soul system

Souls are collected after defeating opponents in combat and can be collected from both solo challenges or multiplayer activities. As the Soul comes from a corrupted source, it must be purified from one of the Soul Sanctums or with another player for it to be transformed into a beneficial source of power for the quest. Four Soul skills are available: Hope, Innocence, Courage and Peace. Each of them gives the player the ability to trigger a powerful buff during battle. The combat system in ''Echo of Soul'' does not follow the standard "trinity" in MMOs consisting of

tanks A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; t ...

healers Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ar ...

, and DPS classes. Players can choose to tank or DPS; there are no dedicated healers. Healing is a group responsibility and

strategic Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art o ...

party play is critical to success.

Game classes

There are seven classes in the game:

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

Rogue A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...

Sorceress A sorceress is a female practitioner of sorcery (disambiguation), sorcery. Other uses include: Film * Sorceress (1982 film), ''Sorceress'' (1982 film), a fantasy film directed by Jack Hill * Sorceress (1987 film), ''Sorceress'' (1987 film) releas ...

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply special ...

and

Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

. There are also player professions such as Jeweler, Resource Collector and Alchemist.

Jewels and runes

Jewels are used to enhance weapons and armor. There are seven types of Jewels, each relating to a different type of equipment.

Plot

The story begins with a war between the two creators: The Gods and Giants. The Gods win the war, but the corrupted blood of Ymir the Giant King spread and threatened to contaminate the World Tree, the source of all creation. The Gods attempted to purify the world from the malicious spirit, but were unable to. The player must become the 'Soulkeeper' of the Gods and protect the world from harm.

Reception

''Echo of Soul'' has won the "Best MMORPG 2014" award at the Thailand Game Show Festival.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Echo of Soul'' official site
2013 video games Aeria Games games Browser-based game websites Fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing games Inactive massively multiplayer online games Kakao Games games Massively multiplayer online role-playing games Products and services discontinued in 2015 Video games developed in South Korea Windows games Windows-only games