Developed and published by Moonlight Kids, Echo Weaver is an upcoming platformer with a metroidbrania twist. Metroidbrania? Yes, it’s like a metroidvania, but the keys to success are not found in upgrades or with items, but inside your mind and mastery of the game. Echo Weaver’s demo released on Steam this past week as a part of the Time Masters Festival.

Players step into the role of the last Weaver. Your world is stuck in a time loop, and actively collapsing. All you can do is find out what you can, while there’s time left. Thankfully, time is all you have. It is your currency, your health, your greatest weapon and your fiercest enemy. Sacrificing and extending your loop will help you progress.

Key Features

The demo comprises of roughly a half hour of captivating gameplay and gorgeous music and visual design. If what’s available now is the very beginning of the game – as I assume it is – it absolutely hooks players from second one. It opens with a brief exchange of dialogue, then we are dropped directly into the first loop. I worried that the loop would become frustrating, or repetitive, but not at all. On screen text alerts you to the loop number you’re on, and then you are off, with everything at your disposal. However, it isn’t overwhelming. Echo Weaver’s designers were not slacking, as the level design easily leads you where you need to go: no objective markers or mini maps required.

TIME IS YOUR CURRENCY: The loop itself is a consumable resource: grab pickups to extend it, then draw from it to unlock gates, heal, trade, and more.
SECRETS ARE YOUR GEAR : No upgrades, no unlocks, just secrets. In the “metroidbrainia”, you can already do everything, you just don’t know how yet.
RICH, QUIRKY CHARACTERS: Unravel a deep narrative driven by a motivated, memorable cast.  Explore the nature of relationships bound by a loop.
MYSTERY & DISCOVERY: Explore a living, handcrafted world bound to the tick of the loop. In Provenance, secrets hide around every corner.

Echo Weaver is available on PC and Mac on Steam. It’s release date is currently unknown.