Echo of the Predator: A Tense Sci-Fi Survival Game That Feels Like a Lost 80s Classic
How This Electronic Indie Game Blends Nostalgia, Horror, and Exploration into One Thrilling Experience
The blaring alarm jolts you awake, its shrill tone cutting through the silence of the ship. Your head throbs as you sit up, disoriented, the cold metal floor beneath you sending a shiver through your body. The red emergency lights flash rhythmically, casting long shadows across the narrow corridor. You don’t remember how you got here, but the urgency in the air is unmistakable. Something is very, very wrong.
You rise to your feet, your footsteps echoing as you move cautiously through the ship. The alarm begins to fade, its piercing sound replaced by an eerie quiet. The silence is almost worse—it feels heavy, oppressive, like the ship itself is holding its breath. You turn a corner, then another, until you find yourself standing at the entrance to a dark room. The door is slightly ajar, and from within, you hear it: a low, rhythmic breathing. It’s not human…
Welcome back, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week—and if not, let’s keep pushing forward anyway. Keeping with my personal schedule, this week, we’re taking a look at Echo of the Predator, a fascinating, 1-3 player game by the very talented Patrick Thomas Mitchell. It is in fact an RPG and it can be played Solo by design. It is, however, an electronic game. The game is a curious blend of nostalgia, evoking something out of the 1980s, and a deeper, almost melancholic sense of longing—what some might call Anemoia or Hiraeth. It’s a longing for a place, time, or experience you’ve never personally had. Echo of the Predator feels like it fits into a niche in time that never truly existed, yet it also feels like a stripped-down, raw version of something like Dungeons & Dragons or the Computer Labyrinth Game.
At least, that’s where the sweet spot lies for me. However, you can’t buy a copy of Echo of the Predator just yet. The author has announced it will be available on Etsy starting March 15th. I’ll be sure to make an announcement in a future post when it goes live, along with his upcoming zombie survival game, The Long Hours Till Dawn. From what I understand, this new game is something akin to surviving the night in a house surrounded by zombies. It’s set to launch on Kickstarter next month in March as well.
Currently, Echo of the Predator is expecting an update to fix a few minor bugs. The game can be flashed via the built-in flash drive, making it easy to update and keep things running smoothly.
The game begins with three crew members abruptly awakened by the starship’s AI, named ADAM. ADAM warns them of an unknown alien that has somehow made its way onto the ship. Each crew member must navigate their way to the escape pod while avoiding the alien. Along the way, they can pick up various items—provisions, weapons, information, and key objects—that can drastically improve their chances of survival after reaching the escape pod.
You can also acquire certain benefits, such as a stealth bonus. And if you’re a fan of classic sci-fi horror movies, you’ll appreciate the fun Easter eggs scattered throughout the game. Some are obvious, while others require a bit of exploration to uncover. Speaking of exploration, it’s a key aspect of the game. There are multiple ways to reach and launch the escape pod, along with several possible endings.
ADAM serves as the game’s narrator, announcing when the alien is on the move, describing the objects you find in each room, and providing details about the ship’s layout. He also informs you of the deaths of fellow crew members and any other pertinent details, adding to the tension and immersion.
The crew consists of three characters:
Commander Foxton (Blue LED): The captain of the ship. He’s reliable, capable, and known for his strategic mindset.
Science Officer Max Mitchell (Yellow LED): An engineer with a knack for solving mechanical issues. He’s quiet and keeps to himself but loves puzzles and is a deep thinker.
Doctor Lana Dawn (Green LED): A medical officer who excels in both surgery and space medicine.
Please note that Science Officer Max Mitchell (Yellow LED) is dead in the game being played above, and therefore is not shown. He died by the hands of the alien in the Cockpit, just moments before this photo was taken. RIP good sir. Commander Foxton will be coming around for that backpack of yours in a moment via the ventalation sytem.
The Alien (Red LED) moves in various ways depending on whether it’s chasing a crew member. This can happen if a noise is triggered—for example, if a player trips over something or knocks something down. At that point, the crew member becomes the Alien’s target, and its movement will almost always be directed toward them. However, the crew member can attempt to hide, and if successful, the Alien will lose interest.
Each crew member can sustain two wounds from the Alien before dying. Any items they were carrying are dropped in the room and can be picked up by other players in the form of a backpack. Sometimes, it’s worth risking a trip back to retrieve dropped items, especially if you’re aiming for one of the better—or even perfect—endings.
You can also choose to leave other crew members behind if circumstances require it—or if you just want to see what happens. There appear to be multiple endings when abandoning your crewmates; I’ve personally found two so far.
Exploration and discovery are key aspects of Echo of the Predator. There’s a spoilers envelope included with the game, containing all the secrets of the world. However, I haven’t opened it and don’t plan to—at least not yet. I’m having too much fun exploring and uncovering things on my own.
The gameplay is quite linear, while it's the details that fill in margins with twists and turns. On your turn, you choose a direction to move (or stay put) and then take an action. Actions include searching the room, arming yourself (if you find a weapon), hiding (if there’s a suitable spot), attempting to distract the Alien, performing a “special” action (like repairing something), or simply doing nothing at all. This is done via row of buttons along the bottom of the board. Each button is labeled on the board itself. The top choice being the direction, or weather you want to enter a vent, or stay put. The bottom choices include the various actions such as searching or simply doing nothing at all this turn.
You can also travel via the ship’s ventilation system, which is a great way to move quickly from one side of the ship to the other. However, it’s not without risk—the Alien also travels through the vents and seems to favor them at times, though this might just be a random factor.
What really sets Echo of the Predator apart is its atmosphere. The tension builds as Adam’s calm but urgent voice guides you through the ship, and the Alien’s unpredictable movements keep you on edge. The game does an excellent job of making you feel isolated and vulnerable, much like the crew members you’re trying to save.
I should also mention that there are different difficulty levels and play modes as well. These are accessible at the start of the game, Adam will say "Main Menu" and from there you follow the instructions provided with the game. Timer mode, which goes from Normal, Hard, to HARD HARD mode; the latter two adjust the time you have to make choices before being skipped and with Normal Mode, there is no time limit. A Lights Out mode where the alien only shows itself for a moment before disappearing. And finally a Randomizer mode that moves all the weapons and most of the items around to different, random locations. Note that each of those modes can be mixed, for example you have play in Hard Mode with the Randomizer mode on or off. Or you can run with the defaults and just press the Stay/Nothing button.
There is a lot of replay value in game and it can get quite competitive with the with 3 players, where each one of us is trying to reach the escape pod first. That's not a mode in the game, but house rules mode that I made up. Give it a go on Hard Hard Mode with Lights off.
The game itself was $79-$84(CAD) or about $52-$57(USD) plus shipping, depending on if you got the early bird prices or not. Certainly worth it in either case if you can afford it. I'll keep you posted about the retail version of Echo the Predator and The Long Hours Till Dawn... game in a future post.
And that's it for this week everyone. Next week, I might just the world of Paper Miniatures and Models, which was scheduled for last week, and then this week... It's just not ready. We'll see what happens. See you all next week, please take care of one another, breathe deep and keep pushing forward.
…still want more? How about you check out Write Firster’s latest, a look at Designing A Table-Top RPG: Resolution. An interesting look at an important and sometimes overlooked aspect of tabletop gaming.