THE GRINDSTONE TRIBUNAL:

Karochi and Dobar are back this round, along with Dreskar as per the usual. Dobar had a lot to say. The rest… not so much. I guess it’s time I play the contrarian again!

Setch Dreskar:
This will be a short response from myself. I can’t stand this game, but I can’t hate this game either because it is just so boring and so generic that I can’t even be mad, I just get tired whenever I play it. It honestly feels like too much effort to even log in to the game. Nothing stands out to make it unique or memorable especially when compared to others within the genre.
Recommended?: NO.

Karochi:
You! Yeah, you! You’re a person, right? You have tastes? Good, then stay away from Echo of Soul. There are games that are more fit for whatever your tastes are. Play those. Everything in Echo of Soul is comparatively shit. The PvE’s subpar, if you want that; play a better WoW-clone. The PvP’s just a shitty version of a MOBA. Everything else is a hobbled together mess.
Recommended?: NO.

Dobar:
If I had to describe this game in one word, it would be generic.  This is probably the most cookie-cutter MMORPG I have ever seen.  I have played worse MMOs this year, like Allods Online and Drift City, so this is not a terrible game, from a technical aspect.  The graphics only acted odd once, the leveling experience was tolerable and there was nothing that I saw while leveling that made me mad, I was just in auto-pilot most of the time.  The good thing is I could watch a bunch of Youtube videos or Twitch streams while playing this game, since I did not really need to pay attention.
I did end up getting to max level on my rogue and the leveling process was very painless, even though they throw so many quests at you.  The game was so easy, that all I had to do to kill anything was press the 1-8 key, and maybe Q or E if they pop, and anything in the open would world be dead.  Even party and co-op mobs were easy to solo, especially if you were 2-3 levels above the mob. Everything also costs 1 silver, whether it is crafting materials or healing items.  The 1-59 experince was the least stressful and least engaging experience I have ever seen.  And once you hit 60, all you have are just a handful of dungeons to grind on, some pvp arenas, a gindy daily hub, and a single boss raid.
A generic MMO with nothing to do, I was okay with everything until I hit 60 and saw the community for what it was.  Unless you have a pre-made party with you, you will have to use the smart matching tool, which is just another name for a looking for group tool.  The problem comes when you are kicked out of the party the second you enter the dungeon, constantly.  It turns out that the party leader and only the party leader has complete control of the party, including being able to kick people without a vote.
To conclude, Echo of Soul a very generic MMO with a boring fighting style, with generic setting and boring content.  Once you have played through the first 10-15 levels, you have played through the entire game.  If this was 2007 or 2009, this might not be a bad game to play, but now, there are so many MMOs that are better, whether they are free-to-play, buy-to-play or subscription, the market is flooded with MMOs that would be more satisfying to play.  The only reason I would play this would be if you already have friends playing this game.
Recommended?: NO.

ChaosD1:
Hey, do I have to be that guy? I don’t want to be that guy, but I think I’m going to have to be that guy.
I like this game. Not enough for it to take my attention away from dozens of far better, more imaginative titles, but I still like it. It’s that brainless kind of gameplay. It keeps me paying enough attention to want to focus on what I’m doing, but still requires so little thought that I can play a video, listen to a podcast… Hell, watch the hilariously well timed SGDQ marathon all while advancing through the game with very little effort. I like the “dollar store” early game economy approach. I like the ways I can find situational rotations that work well for my class, rather than the Ragnarok 2 and Allods Online approach of “Press same three buttons until something dies.” I actually DID like the PvP, and as much as Grindstone might not want to admit it, I think they liked when we went in premade, because regardless of how often we were stunlocked and instagibbed, we still managed to WIN the matches we went into. It was definitely interesting.
Why do I like this admittedly generic thing as opposed to games I derided for similar generic tropes? It’s because Echo of Soul isn’t pretending to be revolutionary.
Is the game great? No.
Is the game good? It’s good enough.
Is the game good enough to earn “the most anticipated MMO of the year” award granted by “MMOShite”. FUCK no.
Are you looking for something simple for newbies, or general fans of the genre? You won’t go wrong here.
Recommended?: YES.