Silent Echoes

Silent Echoes is an exploration adventure game following Yui Tanaka, a young woman determined to uncover the truth behind her brother Kaito’s mysterious disappearance three years ago. While the police and her parents believe he ran away, Yui senses a darker force at play. Accompanied by her loyal white cat, Neko, Yui returns to her quiet coastal hometown in Japan, where reality and folklore intertwine, revealing hidden dimensions and unsettling secrets.

The game’s atmosphere is rich with fall colors, fog, and rain, creating a sense of eerie melancholy as players explore the town. The player can freely switch between Yui and Neko, choosing the character that best fits the current challenge. Yui excels at piecing together clues and solving puzzles, while Neko’s agility and instincts allow him to reach places Yui cannot, like investigating clues hidden in high places or narrow spaces. Together, they navigate a world filled with surreal moments and echoes of the past, uncovering Kaito’s fate and the town’s dark history as they move closer to the truth.

The art style of Silent Echoes uses a watercolor effect that enhances the game’s rainy, atmospheric setting. This choice of aquarelle visuals symbolizes the blurred lines between realities, with soft, flowing colors and gentle brushstrokes that create an impressionistic, dreamlike quality throughout the game.

Players advance the story by interacting with characters and objects that reveal key clues and evidence, gradually piecing together the mystery.

Players are encouraged to explore the scenes, where glowing highlights indicate interactive objects and pathways. As they approach, these highlights transform into icons that prompt specific interactions.

As Yui approaches an old newspaper the interaction prompt asks the player to press A to read it.

The text materializes letter by letter, slowly unfolding and then dissolving at the top of the screen, representing a mixture of immersive subtitles and her train of thought.

One of the main features of Silent Echoes is the ability to switch between characters, allowing players to choose the most suitable one for each situation. In this scene, the player has switched to Neko, as indicated by the selected character symbol in the upper left corner. While Yui couldn’t climb into the tree to investigate the mysterious paper, Neko’s agility allows him to reach it, uncovering clues that would otherwise remain out of reach.

The game features an interactive dialogue screen that allows players to choose from multiple response options during conversations. These choices can shape interactions with other characters, providing players with control over Yui’s responses and adding depth to the unfolding mystery....

In addition to the interactive dialogue screen, Silent Echoes also includes a passive dialogue screen where players can follow along with conversations without making choices. This lets the story flow naturally, immersing players in the narrative while absorbing important details and clues from other characters.

The pause screen is straightforward and user-friendly, offering essential options such as Resume, Reload, and Exit. This simple design keeps the focus on gameplay, allowing players to easily navigate back into the immersive experience.

Yui’s inventory in Silent Echoes includes a phone, a diary, and a tourist guide/map, each serving specific functions. The phone is used for game settings and storing messages that advance the story, while the diary and map help Yui keep track of her journey and navigate the world. The selected item is highlighted by an slowly moving orange watercolor outline, adding a subtle, artistic cue that complements the game’s overall aesthetic.

The diary serves as a personal record, where Yui keeps track of what’s happened so far and stores items she’s collected throughout her journey. It helps players piece together clues and revisit important details.

The tourist guide also doubles as a regional map, allowing Yui to navigate different areas of the town. The map includes a fast travel option, making exploration easier and more efficient as players move between key locations.

3D Render

To create marketing renders shown here for the project I combined a 3D model of a Nintendo Switch with generative AI backgrounds using Blender.

Personas

These personas capture the diverse interests and motivations that the game appeals to, creating a rich, engaging experience tailored to a wide audience.