A wonderful farewell to the PSX era of FromSoftware, Echo Night 2 takes the framework of the original while learning and applying sensible lessons. The story is tighter, more focused to the single location the game takes place in. The character relationships are more built out, the motivations more understandable. The structure is more intricate and layered, the game-design more ambitious. The first game gets points for originality though, as Echo Night 2 is very much an iterative sequel.
That requirements for the secret ending are easily missable is frustrating (I missed one at the first opportunity), but I quite like that. There's an unsettling quality to the final shot of the regular ending, but it's not until you get information reserved for the path to the secret ending that you understand why, which is just good, classic From Software storytelling.
Also the Blood Moon from Bloodborne is here. Just another one of those crazy moments that draws a stronger artistic throughline throughout From's catalogue than you'd ever have expected.
That requirements for the secret ending are easily missable is frustrating (I missed one at the first opportunity), but I quite like that. There's an unsettling quality to the final shot of the regular ending, but it's not until you get information reserved for the path to the secret ending that you understand why, which is just good, classic From Software storytelling.
Also the Blood Moon from Bloodborne is here. Just another one of those crazy moments that draws a stronger artistic throughline throughout From's catalogue than you'd ever have expected.