Ash Echoes: Gameplay, Story, Gacha and more
Ash Echoes is an interdimensional real-time combat RPG that brings together anime-style visuals with tactical deployment mechanics, offering a unique blend of strategy and action. Developed by Aurogon Shanghai and published by Neocraft Studios with support from Tencent, the game officially launched on November 13, 2024, for PC and mobile platforms.
Gameplay Mechanics
At its core, Ash Echoes features a real-time combat system where players deploy up to four characters called Echomancers onto a grid-based battlefield while managing a backup team of four. The game introduces seven major character classes including Defenders, Strikers, Rangers, and Tacticians, each with distinct combat roles. Positioning and timing are crucial, as players can pause the action at any moment to issue tactical commands.
The game’s standout feature is its elemental reaction system encompassing seven elements: Fire, Water, Lightning, Ice, Wind, Physical, and Corrosion. Players create elemental zones on the battlefield by combining different elements, triggering powerful reactions such as Paralysis when Water reacts with Lightning. Environmental conditions like weather effects further enhance strategic depth by influencing elemental interactions.
Game Modes
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Echoing Nexus | Roguelike mode featuring progressively difficult encounters that yield Engravings to enhance stats |
| Field Operations | Single-battle missions including Supply Assurance and Free Trade for resource farming |
| Joint Training | Monthly event designed to challenge players with intense boss battles |
| Tea Time | Social mode where players decorate hangout spots and interact with characters |
Story and Setting
The narrative unfolds in a sci-fi universe following the catastrophic Skyrift Incident, an event that caused multiple realities to crash into each other. This disaster exposed the world of Senlo to a mysterious substance called X Energy, which possesses both transformative power and destructive potential.
Players assume the role of Director of S.E.E.D. (Scientific Electronics Experiment and Development), a research institute investigating the Skyrift Passage and X Energy. The protagonist experiences major imposter syndrome, having stepped into an alternate reality where they hold this powerful position. The mission involves recruiting Coordinators from various worlds to rescue multiple realities from a mysterious threat.
Gacha System
Ash Echoes employs a gacha mechanic called the Spirit Dive system with the following pull rates:
| Rarity | Base Rate |
|---|---|
| 6-Star | 1.2% |
| 5-Star | 7.0% |
| 4-Star | 91.8% |
The game features a generous pity system where players have a standard 1.2% chance for 6-star Echomancers. After 60 pulls, this rate increases by 6% with each consecutive pull. Players are guaranteed a 6-star Echomancer at 77 pulls, making the hard pity more favorable than many competitors. Targeted Resonance banners include a 50/50 mechanic similar to other popular gacha games.
The summoning currency system requires 77 Resonance Clues for a guaranteed 6-star pull, and the game has been proven generous at launch with players receiving substantial free pulls during release events.
