Experience the primitive world through the eyes of Arok, a young boy who aspires to become more than just a hunter/gatherer like the people of his clan. Inspired by the paintings of Klem, the “Michelangelo” of his time, Arok is propelled on a journey in search of his mentor which leads him to the heart of a mysterious cavern.

Venture into a world of exploration and intrigue as you solve primordial puzzles and use your wits to survive the vast wilderness. Interact with many fascinating characters from this archaic time, as they lead you to the Klem and one of mankind’s forgotten wonders.

Features:

• Puzzles: innovative inventory system allows you to combine and create new tools and items necessary to solve an array of thought provoking puzzles
• Exploration: photo-realistic environments of pristine landscapes and rugged wilderness
• Survival: hunt, fish, and fend off predators that threaten your quest
• Create Masterful Works of Art: they will come to life and their stories will help you along your journey
• In-game Encyclopaedia: filled with historically accurate data on the Palaeolithic period

GCM:

Thank you for your time! Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind Echo.

Benoît Hozjan:

[BH]: I'm Benoît Hozjan, Managing Director and co-founder of Kheops Studio. The team behind ECHO is a partnership between three companies; Kheops Studio, MZone Studio and Totem Studio who were interested in creating and self-financing their own game. Totem came to Kheops with the original idea and we decided to do it ourselves without using a publisher, we only needed a distributor. Totem was in charge of game design and art direction, MZone for the graphical production and Kheops coordinated and integrated the project.

GCM:

Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of the story in Echo and the motivation behind the main character, Arok?

Benoît Hozjan:

[MT]: Arok lives in a clan located on a high windswept plateau. Life is hard and monotonous, especially at the end of winter. Predators are rather rare but the food also obliging men to go far from their camp to hunt. It is during one of these hunts that Arok remembers a traveler he had encountered a few years earlier. He instilled in Arok the passion for adventure. Inspired by his fabulous accounts and by the frescos that the foreigner had left on the walls of their caves, he decides to go looking for him. These cave paintings and their significance lead our hero to trace one of the most advanced and famous painters of his time; from troglodyte shelters at the edge of the Dordogne and Vézère to the caves of Lascaux.

GCM:

Prehistoric adventure games are few and far between. The last one I can recall was Cryo’s 1995 Lost Eden. Were there any specific reasons you wanted to do a game set in this era?

Benoît Hozjan:

[BH]: We knew that prehistory was an interesting background, on which it was easy to federate, and TV documentaries are popular and so it was an opportunity to play and learn at the same time. [MT]: When you travel in the South West of France, in Dordogne, you are in the main reserve of the prehistoric and parietal site in the world, the Lascaux‘s cave. Facing the painting, you are immediately fascinated by the high level of techniques, organization and thinking of this Paleolithic society. The graphical potential of all theses painting and the willingness to animate and give life to the frescoes, was also a real and great challenge for the team.

GCM:	Arok is “inspired by the paintings of Klem”. What resources did the design team use to inspire them for creating the visuals in Echo?
Benoît Hozjan:	[MT]: Most of the paintings of the game are reproductions or adaptations from prehistoric works. The Great Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux is faithful to the original and we also researched others paintings. To imagine the scenery, we drew inspiration from real places and then we modify according to the experts’ indications.

GCM:	What steps are being taken to keep the gameplay in Echo fresh and not just another “point-n-click adventure game”?
Benoît Hozjan:	[MT]: It is a new subject for an adventure game. We describe a very special period of the prehistory: The birth of art. The use of paintings, and the possibility for the player to animate the frescoes, and to become one of the painters of the famous Lascaux’s cave, is one of the most original features.

GCM:	Can you give us one or two examples of some puzzles we might find in Echo and how they are going to tie into the prehistoric theme?
Benoît Hozjan:	[MT]: The riddles are inspired by the daily life of the Paleolithic men. The player, for example, will learn how to carve flint. He will also make tools and weapon of this time; like harpoons and spear throwers. He will also have to solve strategic games by animating and modifying the painting on the frescoes.

GCM:

Can you explain a bit about the innovative inventory system and how it works?

Benoît Hozjan:

[DC_MKT]: Items you pick-up along the way can act as both hints and or tools to solve a puzzle, or several puzzles. For instance, the stone that Arok carries, given to him by Klem, acts as both a guide in a labyrinth as well as a color guide to help him solve a different puzzle. The items that remain in the inventory are there for a reason. They aren’t placed there to trick the player into deciding which item, among several, is the right one required to solve a puzzle. [MT]: To illustrate the life style and the social organization of prehistoric people, we decided to combine items in the game and not in the inventory. In all places the player will find big flat stones, on which he will be able to create and handle tools, items and materials.

GCM:

Echo features an historically accurate, in-game encyclopedia. How much research went into this, and do you see Echo being used as an educational tool, perhaps even as a classroom supplement?

Benoît Hozjan:

[BH]: For a historic game, like The Egyptian Prophecy, or a prehistoric game like ECHO, this is a necessity to be accurate with what experts know. So we have decided to work with an advisor, Thierry Felix, for the validation. This game is a good opportunity to learn things from the past. This is not a boring technical document; the player will choose how to see the game between a simple adventure game and an amazing way to know how our ancestors were. [MT]: Writing the documentary database and the screenplay required a lot of research at the prehistoric sites and through the works of archeologists, before we could submit our work to the expert who worked with us. This game can be used as an educational tool, the game play gives keys to understand our ancestor‘s life, and everyone is free to go further into our history, by consulting the documentary base.

GCM:

From what we’ve seen so far the visuals are quite stunning. What can you tell us about the musical score and the composer? How will sound complement the experience of Echo?

Benoît Hozjan:

[BH]: The composer and the expert were in relation to talk about instruments and then we have a very evoking melody with woodwinds, bird calls, drums, lithopone, and shells. [MT]: The music and sounds are very important in Echo. We wanted to describe a very rich and wild nature for the outside, and something more mysterious and disturbing inside the caverns. During the game, the player will use music and prehistoric musical instrument to solve some riddles.

GCM:	Echo promises a captivating story. About how long do you expect the adventure to last for the average gamer?
Benoît Hozjan:	[BH]: It should be around 10-12 hours of gameplay.

GCM:	If you had to pick one defining element of Echo that sets it apart from any other adventure, what would it be?
Benoît Hozjan:	[MT]: The main feature of Echo, is the possibility for the player to paint and animate frescoes, in order to change the reality and go further into the magic of their meaning.

GCM:	Thank you again for your time. Do you have any final words for our readers regarding Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern?
Benoît Hozjan:	[BH] Download the free demo and enjoy the experience. [MT]: Become a great painter shaman and make dance the spirits of the walls.

The following people contributed to this article:
[BH]: Benoît Hozjan, Managing Director and co-founder of Kheops Studio
[MT]: Marianne Tostivint, Game designer of Totem studio
[DC_MKT]: DreamCatcher Marketing dept.

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