Somewhere between our world and Hell.

Echo Bazaar is an odd game. First of all, it has a bit of an identity crisis, because inside the game it calls itself Fallen London. It bills itself as a “steampunk mystery”, but there is little steampunk, and a whole lot of mystery. Yet, despite all this, it is a very good game.

You have four main stats: Watchful (intelligence and observation skills), Dangerous (how good you are in a fight), Persuasive (how easily you can convince others to do what you want), and Stealthy (just like it sounds). By a few weeks in you will also have a dozen lesser traits, such as Hedonist, Free from Surface Ties, or Intimate of the Devils. The odd things about these stats is that you don’t have discreet levels as many games do. As you complete tasks, certain abilities will go up and fill part of the bar for that stat, contact, quirk, or whatever else you get from that task. Tasks are also divided into two categories: Opportunities and Storylets. Every 7 minutes, you get an Opportunity card (you can only have 6 waiting at a time). By clicking on that card (or the stack of cards) you flip over the first one and can play the task in it. Later on, you move to different living quarters that let you hold multiple cards face up at a time so that you can have more cards than just the 6 in your deck.

One of the great things about this game is the variety of characters, storylines, and characteristics that you can play through. I’ve been playing for weeks and am no where near getting bored.

There are two problems I have with this game. the first is that you only get 70 actions (for free) each day. I get my refresh around noon and am out of actions by 9 or so each night. The other problem isn’t for me, but for others. This is a very confusing game and the only gets more odd the further you get into it. For those who don’t like mindbenders, this game gets horrid after a little while.

Overall, I would give this game: (4  1/2 stars)

Link NOTE: You will need either a Facebook or Twitter account to play.

If you already play and/or are looking for more player friends, send me a request! https://twitter.com/ApolloFireweave