Cococumber's Echo Generation is a stunning voxel art RPG lite that will sweep you off your nostalgic feet, if you were alive during the late 80s and throughout the 90s. It wears its setting influence(s) on its sleeve, and then some. But can all the cool-kid nods to the best pop-culture carry it all the way through?

Well, that's the question we set ourselves out to answers. Here's a snippet from our investigative findings:

Tell me if you’ve heard or seen this one before: A couple of kids live with their mum in a small town. For five years their dad has been gone, but mum (mom) still sets a place for him at the table, and the family car he used to fix sits unused in the driveway. The kids have no idea what happened to their old man, and mum won’t say a thing about it outside of getting upset. He worked for the local science mob, FST, but beyond that anything else about him is a mystery. They have friends, and they’re all working on making an alien-themed movie out in the cornfields just outside of town. They all also have a treehouse clubhouse.

One of their neighbours is a tinkering dad who happens to be smarter than anyone at FST, despite the fact he sciences inside of his garage. Meanwhile, the local school principal, also a neighbour, is an odd man dressed in a drab suit with thick glasses. He’s incredibly reclusive. His house, which the kids are able to sneak into, is fastidiously clean and sports a creepy doll collection. He has a locked basement.

Outside on the neighbourhood lightpoles and strewn about the place are Missing Child posters for one of the local boys who hasn’t been seen in quite some time. And finally, amidst the town’s thick air of not everything being right, or normal, the local repair shop, Billy’s Garage, appears to be the scene of a crime only our young heroes discover, and can then investigate.

Click here for our full Echo Generation review.

Though it's for a limited time only as part of The Game Awards Festival, in the lead up to the awards proper, which AusGamers is part of once again this year as a member of the judging panel.

Echo Generation for those not in the know is a gorgeous RPG-lite with turn-based combat similar to the Paper Mario series, set in the 90s.

We've actually played some of the PC demo (nab the Series S and X demo here) and can tell you with an 90s-era hype-mic, it's awesome. We'll have impressions up soon, but for now, here's the official mixtape:

Echo Generation, the nostalgic voxel-based adventure RPG from Cococucumber following a gang of kids investigating supernatural occurrences to save their small town, will arrive on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Steam for PC in 2021.

The summer of 1993 is nearly at an end. A sleepy Canadian town suddenly becomes home to strange accidents and mutated creatures, but the grown-ups won’t do anything about it! Of course, it’s up to the kids to take action. Collect comic books and snacks, hunt for quirky quest items and uncover spooky clues to root out evil and fight back against forces unknown.

Echo Generation’s limited-time demo sends a dynamic brother-sister duo, each with their own powers and baddie-stomping abilities, out into the world. On the first steps of their journey, sure to bring nostalgia to any child of the ‘80s and ‘90s, face off against trash pandas, giant rats and manic mechanical monsters in turn-based combat.

These kids are tough, but not invincible—take advantage of quick-time events and mini games to defend, snag a critical hit or nail a sweet combo. Kick, punch, and bust some moves with skills learnt from comics, and unlock cool powers by doing what kids do best: exploring! Conquer quests in a vibrant, voxel-based world, trekking through town to grooving electropop and pumping synthwave tunes.

The charmingly familiar world of Echo Generation comes to life on Xbox Series X|S with a gorgeous 4K presentation on Series X and 60 FPS on both current-gen consoles. Whether playing on Xbox One consoles or the latest and greatest, adventurous spirits will find a haunting-yet-hopeful journey colored with childlike imagination.

“We hope to give fans a taste of the nostalgic and slightly kooky world of Echo Generation, where high-spirited kids take off on adventures around their neighbourhood,” said Martin Gauvreau, Game Director at Cococucumber. “Moments of mystery and haunting atmosphere contrasted with an absolutely banging soundtrack and active turn-based battles will keep you on your toes.”

If you need more convincing beyond "free demo", check out the game's trailer embedded below.