Bullet Echo isn’t exactly a new game. The game was initially offered by the folks over at ZeptoLab, the guys who are possibly best known for the Cut the Rope series of mobile games. Now though, that team has partnered with Krafton to offer a localised version of the game called Bullet Echo India. The new game features a bunch of new additions such as skins and a couple of tweaks to the gameplay. I played the game for a few hours and here are my first impressions.
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Controls and features: Simple and straightforward
The gameplay of Bullet Echo India is what makes it so unique. The game is a twin-stick PvP shooter that is presented from a top-down angle. The left joystick controls the player’s movements, while the right joystick rotates the character around. There is no specific button to shoot as the game will automatically attack enemies. I would have preferred having a dedicated shoot button, to be honest, but from a top-down perspective, the controls make sense. Aside from this, there are also contextual buttons that pop up based on situations.
The controls are simple enough, but the gameplay is quite nuanced. Players can only see in a cone in front of them, the rest of the map is covered in a ‘fog of war’. Aside from the sightlines, there is also a smaller, red cone that denotes your weapon’s range and spread. Besides this, is a larger circle that surrounds your player. This circle changes in size depending on the speed at which the player is moving. This is the sound that the player is making and can be used by enemies to triangulate where the player might be. This added a depth to gameplay that I was not expecting. It added a level of tension and decision-making with every step I took.
The maps are littered with various obstacles that block sightlines, requiring players to sneak around them to find enemies. They can also be used to set up ambushes if they can hear a person coming. Maps can also feature things like trains or grass that can be used strategically by players.
Gameplay: Quite fun
Bullet Echo India offers five different game modes — Battle Royale, King of the Hill, Squad vs Squad, Sabotage, and Mimicry. In the short time I had with the game, I only played the Battle Royale mode, and it was fun. Most of the time anyway. Let me elaborate.
Battle Royale offers match rules that should be familiar to most people. Multiple teams battle it out on a shrinking map to be the last team standing. Matches are incredibly short for the genre and the average match will barely last over 2 minutes.
Like most Battle Royale matches, players will need to scramble to pick up items like ammo, armour, health and more. It should be noted that players do not get to pick up weapons. Rather, each character/hero has their own unique weapon that they carry into battle. There are about 27 new Heroes in the game and players can unlock them through in-game currency, randomised chests, or by levelling up. Having multiple heroes to choose from makes things interesting, but the fact the weapons are then locked behind these Heroes isn’t that great in my opinion. This means that players will have to grind out new Heroes or pay money to acquire them. Aside from Heroes, players can also unlock drones that can not only help attack enemies but can also revive the player.
Speaking of paying money, the game follows a freemium model wherein the game itself is free to download, but players can choose to spend money to buy in-game currency via microtransactions. Thankfully, I didn’t come across any video ads during my playthrough. However, I did come across many pop-ups urging me to purchase something. While not as bothersome as video advertisements, it still proves mildly irritating.
Final thoughts
Bullet Echo India is definitely fun. The matches are short and have a bit of strategy mixed in, making them tense and interesting. The concept is interesting and different enough from most other games currently on the App Store or the Play Store to make it unique and interesting. However, the game does seem a little heavy on the grind and the near-constant prompts to buy something can get annoying at times. Overall, not’s not too bad and definitely worth a try.
