I. High Concept

Echo Breach is a 2 player co-op  game were you are tasked at restoring a compromised and failing spaceship in order to survive evokes a sense of urgency. With a timer counting down your ineviatde doom, you and your crewmate must work together to solve puzzles and escape the ship. But be careful, it seems you are not the only one on the ship anymore...

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II. Genre

Echo Breach was designed to allow players to discover the events of the story as the game progresses. When creating our game, we focused on hard on the horror aspects that comes from the fear of the unknown and, as such, allowing the player to discover the events of the game in a manner that allows their imagination to take control of the narrative. Narrative elements were shown through the level design rather than boxes of dialogue or cutscenes. This enhanced the players’ immersion by directly putting them in the roles of our protagonists, in addition to strengthening the overall fear by allowing the players to come to their interpretations of what happened. 

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III. Aesthetics

Echo Breach centers on immersing players in a sci-fi horror experience, combining visual, auditory, and interactive elements to evoke tension and fear. The game focuses on sci-fi horror through a decaying spaceship setting, featuring dim lighting, claustrophobic corridors, rusted panels, and flickering lights inspired by Dead Space. Realistic idel animations, like nervous fidgeting or scanning, enhance immersion, while layered ambient sounds and silence amplify tension and isolation. A minimalist, dark UI ensures seamless integration, letting the environment and atmosphere drive a chilling and cohesive horror experience.

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IV. Gameplay

Mechanics

Echo Breach centers on two survivors who must rely on each other’s unique skills to survive. Players navigate a dark, eerie ship, solving puzzles that highlight each character’s expertise: the “brains” repairs systems and reprograms terminals in tight spaces, while the “brawn” bridges gaps and handles heavy repairs. This dependency fosters teamwork and immersion, amplifying the tension and fear of the game’s world, especially when the characters are separated.

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• ​The “brains” player has a flashlight. This intends to give the player the ability to see more of their environment and reveal hidden secrets within the level.  This flashlight slowly drains the battery from continual use, so the player must be careful. The flashlight recharges when not in use, so the player must use their charge meaningfully to allow the flashlight to recoup power.​​

• The “brawn” is the only one of the two that has the physical prowess to push jump large gaps and the tools to repair damaged plating and build bridges. They have the ability to break cryopods open, with potential for being able to destroy more stuff in the future. 

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Control

The controls for Echo Breach ensure smooth gameplay for keyboard and gamepad users. Players move with WASD or the left analog stick, sprint with Shift or a stick press, and benefit from fluid animations and smooth look rotation. The camera dynamically centers between players with an isometric view and a bounding box to keep them on screen. Players can toggle between shared and split-screen views, and a ToggleFloating() function supports potential zero-gravity mechanics. These features enhance cooperative play and accessibility.

 

Onboarding

In Echo Breach, while in the character selection screen, there is information regarding each character and what their capabilities are. Also, when the gameplay scene starts, an intro cinematic sequence plays where each point of interest throughout the level is highlighted, subconsciously showing the player where they should be going. The player’s goal will be made clear to them as the cinematic shows the locked exit to the level, and there will be an exit sign posted on top of the door in case the player forgets. The lose condition will be made clear to the player as a timer is shown on screens throughout the level for how much time is left, as well as a window which diegetically shows the planet getting closer and closer to the ship. 

 

Goal Of Game
The goal of Echo Breach is to create a tense, cooperative experience where two players rely on each other’s unique skills to solve puzzles and survive aboard a failing spaceship. By emphasizing teamwork, urgency, and immersion within a dark sci-fi horror setting, the game challenges players to work together to escape imminent danger while uncovering the eerie mysteries of the ship.