EQQO Review (Nintendo Switch)

Review code used, with many thanks to Nakana.io

Eqqo tells the story of a mother, her son… and an egg?

Drawing inspiration from the architecture, traditions and legends of Ethiopia, Eqqo is a unique game unlike anything I’ve ever played before.

Eqqo, our titular character is a blind boy lead by the voice of his mother, the narrator. His is on a journey through lands he can’t see, given the responsibility of caring for a sacred egg which is sought after by mysterious dark forces.

As the player, it’s your job to guide Eqqo over obstacles, help him solve puzzles and avoid traps as he makes his journey.

Eqqo was originally created for VR devices like the Occulus and Google Daydream, but has just been released on the Switch.

Echolocation

You play as Eqqo’s mother, the mysterious guide who we only ever hear through narration. She has many mystical powers and her main role is to tap the ground in front of her son, guiding him through the land. Eqqo follows the sound, running to wherever you tap on the screen.

The story is very narrative-heavy and there are often long cut scenes as Eqqo’s mother explains how the story will unfold. In between moments of narrative you have to help Eqqo solve simple puzzles like how to connect two pieces of a bridge, or how to open a heavy door.

The puzzles aren’t the centrepiece of gameplay in Eqqo. There weren’t any truly challenging puzzles, but the emotional, heartfelt story that drove those puzzles still made the payoff for solving those puzzles feel worthwhile.

This is one of the most story-driven games I’ve ever played, and well deserved given how beautiful and moving the story is. It explores themes of parental love, mythology, sacred rituals and bravery all over the course of a little five hour game. It is one of those stories you will think about again and again, long after the game is over.

A Cinematic Experience

Eqqo is one of those games that has a really steep learning curve.

As it was originally designed for VR devices, the game is rendered in a gorgeous 360-degree world. In fact, the designers have called it a cinematic experience, and I tend to agree.

This immersive world is, however, sometimes the downfall of Eqqo on the Switch. To combat the lack of 3D gameplay, the developers have integrated the gyroscope functionality on the Switch so you can still see the full game.

This means, while playing in handheld mode, any slight shift (readjusting your own angle, or lowering the Switch for better viewing) moves the entire on-screen world. It’s a little bit disorienting sometimes and particularly frustrating when you try to play lying down.

When played with the Joycons, the game is a little too responsive, and you end up spinning out and getting disoriented. I enjoyed playing with a stylus, but if you don’t have one, playing in touch screen mode is definitely the way to go.

The other thing to keep in mind about Eqqo’s controls, is that you need to be patient while you’re just starting out with the game.

There are two main mechanisms you use to control the game – you can tap the ground to make Eqqo run to a particular point, and you can change perspectives by identifying stars in the sky and clicking on them. Occasionally, as Eqqo’s mother, you can also interact with elements of the world, such as tugging on a tree to make it fall, and it can be confusing to identify when those moments arise.

When you tap the ground, the game requires precision to advance gameplay. Sometimes I would see the way forward and would tap somewhere for Eqqo to go, but unless he was in the exact right spot, the cut scene wouldn’t trigger and the game wouldn’t move on. It’s a mechanic that can sometimes be quite frustrating, but after a few hours of gameplay you begin to get the hang of it.

When I first started playing, I spent a lot of time making Eqqo run back and forth as I tried to figure out how to make him climb a structure, or cross a bridge, but with patience eventually you learn the subtle ways the game is trying to guide your path.

Look at all the colours!

This game is seriously beautiful. The 360 degree world, the starry skies, the green lands, everything about this game is a visual delight. The game draws it’s inspiration from Ethiopian myth, and it’s filled with bright splashes of colour.

Don’t expect to be in Eqqo’s world for long though – the gameplay lasts somewhere between four and five hours, depending on how long it takes you to get a hang of the controls. It feels like the perfect length for a game so reliant on its emotional narrative, and it’s the perfect game to play on a lazy weekend.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack and the audio for this game in general is great. As Eqqo’s story is told entirely through the narrator, his mother’s voice and while the game is subtitled, it’s well worth putting headphones in for this one, because the voice acting is beautiful. The mothers’s voice is pitch perfect – at times playful, affectionate or anxious, but a constant, calming presence throughout the game.

The soundtrack is original and was played by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Soft, moving and atmospheric, it is the perfect soundtrack for such a narrative driven game.

It’s also translated into an impressive number of languages too. You can listen to voice acting in English or French, and captioning is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

Conclusion

Eqqo is a gorgeous, impactful game. The overall gameplay is marred by some pretty frustrating controls, and I’d recommend if you have the option of playing it on a VR device, doing that instead.

Despite this, the gorgeous immersive world and the emotionally charged story of a mother’s love makes Eqqo a game well worth picking up. You’ll find yourself thinking of Eqqo and his long arduous journey for a long time after the credits roll.

Final Verdict: I like it a lot!

Echolocation

A Cinematic Experience

Look at all the colours!

Soundtrack

Conclusion

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