A fast open-world shooter from the makers of Severed Steel
Echo Point Nova drops you on a mysterious planet after a crash landing. You are an explorer with serious combat skills, and the planet is run by a mercenary force mining ancient technology to build weapons. You can push the main quest and take down their operation, or just wander the map and see what turns up. The world is seamless, so the distant vistas you spot are places you can actually reach. Movement is the core of it: a grapple hook, a hoverboard, and unlockable powers keep you moving at speed across the terrain. Expect a mix of arena-style shooting, exploration, and big set-piece fights, including towering colossi that show up in the main quest or during free roaming.
Playing it as a group
Co-op supports up to four players, and you can jump straight into it without sitting through mandatory tutorials. Everyone plays on the same save whether you are in solo or co-op, so progress carries over when your friends join. Within a single session each player can set their own difficulty, which is handy when one friend wants a rougher time than the rest. Co-op runs through Steam Friends invites, so you will need to bring your own group rather than relying on random matchmaking. Enemies vary in how they fight: pyromancers throw area attacks, sappers set up turrets, and helicopters rain rockets, so there is enough variety to keep a squad coordinating on the move.
What to know before starting
The default settings and recommended difficulty are described as pretty hard core, so expect a challenge out of the gate. There are plenty of options to tune things to your group's liking if the defaults feel wrong. The world hides weapons, character upgrades, and cosmetics to find at your own pace. Agility orbs improve your mobility, and weapon attachments unlock by getting kills, so aggressive play pays off. The developers plan a steady flow of new content, quality-of-life fixes, and gameplay tweaks after launch, following the post-launch support their previous game Severed Steel received.