Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern

aka: Au Coeur de Lascaux, Das Geheimnis der vergessenen Höhle, El Secreto de la Caverna Perdida, Lascaux Project, Secret of the Lost Cavern, Secret of the Lost Cavern: Tajemnica Zaginionej Jaskini, Secrets of the Lost Cavern HD
Moby ID: 18269
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

Secret of the Lost Cavern is another edutainment Myst-clone adventure in the tradition of old Cryo titles. This game attempts to take us to the Prehistoric Age.

The storyline revolves around the famed Lascaux Caverns of France, where our direct ancestors, the Cro Magnon humans, have left a significant legacy of wall paintings. The hero, Arok, is a young hunter/gatherer who is more interested in painting, however. He soon discovers that he can influence the world around him by painting on the cavern walls, as he searches for a mysterious mentor.

Gameplay is based around the classic transition of the player from node to node by simply clicking on screen wherever an arrow appears. There is no free movement but the player can move the camera by 360 degrees around him in each node. The riddles comprise of picking up items and either using them in the proper hotspot or combining them with other items. The element of the wall paintings adds some new elements to this well-known gameplay mechanism.

The educational element of the game is thankfully more pronounced than it was in the last Egypt installment and it is better interwoven in the gameplay. When new important information appears in the game's encyclopedia, the player in notified by a shell icon. The educational information is actually both interesting and it offers helpful hints about the game's riddles.

Spellings

  • Тайна Забытой Пещеры - Russian spelling
  • 回声:失落巨洞之谜 - Chinese spelling (simplified)

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Screenshots

Credits (Windows version)

60 People (58 developers, 2 thanks) · View all

Managing Director
Technical Director
Programming Team
Designs
Storyboards
Quality Assurance
Original Story
Game Design
Documentary Database
Artistic Direction
Project Management
Additional Graphics
Management
3D Modeling and Animations
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 74% (based on 34 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.2 out of 5 (based on 20 ratings with 1 reviews)

A very different story, original puzzles .. but

The Good
The word "prehistoric" invokes visions of stooped, orc-like humanoids, heavy clubs over their shoulders, garbed in nothing more than an animal skin loin cloth, grunting "Ugh!" as they stomp over the land hunting the dinosaurs.

The time "before recorded history" comprises centuries upon centuries in man's time line. Echo zones in on the mid Paleolithic "Old Stone Age" when man learned to fashion tools from stone, wood, animal bones and skins. The game gives you a brief glimpse into what life was like during that time period through the eyes of, from all appearances, a teenage boy named (appropriately) Arok.

According to what I've read about this particular age, a sort of shamanic religion emerged during this period. Myth and legend formed beliefs, mostly to explain things that they could not understand. Ancient cave drawings and carvings have been interpreted by historians as representative of their belief in "magical animal spirits." Arok's untapped talent for cave painting is what you will explore during this game and becomes the basis of the story.

Gameplay consists of pointing-and-clicking with the use of simple cursors. Gathered items are stored in an inventory "pack" which is brought up by pointing to the bottom of the screen. Items must be combined outside of the inventory, however, by placing the items on another surface ... a large flat stone, for instance. Saving and loading games is a cinch and there seems to be no limit to the number you can save.

Overall, the graphics are very good. Landscapes, forests and the interiors of the caves and caverns are drawn very realistically and detailed. Babble brooks, flying birds and grazing animals give you a sense of actually being there. While I don't agree with the way the artists depicted most of the characters, their movements, facial expressions, and clothing seem appropriate for the time period.

Since archaeologists have determined that people were gatherers and scavengers, it stands to reason that most of the "puzzles" during Echo relate to the fashioning of tools for your young character out of items found laying about. Staunch linearity raises its ugly head when I think about the puzzles. Only by having the right item or conversation is progress possible. I must say, however, that a good number of the puzzles are different than anything I've encountered in other games.

As an "edutainment" title, Echo might teach us something, if the player desires to learn it. What the in-game documentary database does do is help you figure out the possible uses of the inventory items you have found. That, in turn, may help with some of the puzzle-solving.

The Bad
I got bored with gathering stones, sticks and the like. But .. what else is there to do in a caveman's life? Oh yes .. hunting, fishing & gathering herbs. Ho-Hum.

There are too few characters for my taste and the game is a bit short. There's no challenge in conversations either. Click on all of the "canned" responses to progress the story. hrmph.

Some of the puzzles seemed to be inserted just to lengthen game play (like the arrangement of some stones in a certain order and the shooting of a pack of wolves). The linearity of the puzzles (as I mentioned above) was a drawback also, in my opinion.

In the US version, the speaking voices of the characters is too modern. They enunciate too well .. they use proper sentences and phrases. Because of this, I almost forgot they were cave men (and women).

I kept hoping that Arok would stumble upon a dinosaur! (I don't know if they were even around then .. but the appearance of one would have added tons of interest to my gaming experience.)

The Bottom Line
Unlike some of the games released lately, there are absolutely no action segments in the game. Everything is in the storytelling, such as it is. Echo does provide a few days of entertainment and a bit of incite into a very early portion of man's development.

While it won't go down in history as one of the "the greats", Echo is certainly a decent addition to the adventure genre. Children, say .. ages about 10-14, might find this title more enjoyable than I did .. but they'll need help with most of the puzzles.

Windows · by Jeanne (75956) · 2009

Discussion

Subject By Date
Compatibility with Windows 8 Belboz (6512) Jun 3, 2014

Trivia

Development

According to an early interview, various companies collaborated during the making of Echo.

Totem Studio was in charge of game design and art direction, MZone for the graphical production and Kheops Studio coordinated and integrated the project.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Silverblade.

iPhone added by Wilfried de Kerchove de Denterghem. Windows Mobile added by Kabushi. Macintosh added by Zeppin. iPad added by Macs Black.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, JRK, lobo rojo, Aubustou, formercontrib, Zeppin, Klaster_1, Patrick Bregger.

Game added July 1, 2005. Last modified January 25, 2024.