Echoes of Elysium

Echoes of Elysium is an Early Access open-world survival game centered around building and piloting a customizable flying airship, scavenging resources from floating islands, and engaging in combat. The concept and core gameplay mechanics receive praise for their originality and potential, especially the shipbuilding and exploration elements. However, the current state of the game is marred by numerous issues including clunky controls, lack of basic settings such as mouse sensitivity and key remapping, and janky animations. Many players report frustration with weapon durability, resource scarcity, and the absence of tutorials or clear guidance, making the early experience confusing and punishing.

Technical problems such as crashes, bugs, and performance hiccups are common, with some players experiencing progression blockers and game-breaking enemy encounters. Despite these flaws, the developers are active and responsive, with frequent updates planned to address the core gameplay loop and polish. Overall, the game holds promise but is currently rough and recommended mainly for Early Access enthusiasts willing to tolerate its imperfections.

Highlights

Players particularly praise the innovative airship building system and the freedom to explore a beautiful floating island world reminiscent of titles like Raft and Voidtrain. The cooperative multiplayer supports up to six players, enhancing the experience. The game’s art style and atmosphere receive positive remarks, as does the engaging core loop of scavenging, crafting, and upgrading the ship. Many enjoy the challenge and potential depth the game hints at, appreciating the developers' active communication and ongoing improvements.

Fans of survival and vehicle-building games find the concept refreshing and are optimistic about future content and refinements.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on poor controls and lack of customization options, including no character creation, no controller support, and missing mouse sensitivity or keybinding settings. The combat system is described as clunky and frustrating, with weapon durability issues and unbalanced enemy encounters. Resource gathering is hindered by awkward mechanics like forced forward movement while mining, and many resources are clipped into the environment or scarce.

Players also report technical problems such as frequent crashes, performance issues, and progression soft-locks. The UI is considered unintuitive and intrusive, with no tutorials or guidance leading to confusion. Many feel the game is not yet enjoyable for casual players and recommend waiting for further polish.