British indie developer Upstream Arcade officially announced on March 3rd (local time) in Bath, England that its cyberpunk-style speedrunning game ‘Echobreaker’ will be released on PC (Steam) in 2026.
With the tagline “ Speed is power, but also the greatest danger, ” this is a competitive speedrunning game centered around fast execution, repetitive play, and constant route optimization.
2097, becoming a pilot for the Experimental Combat League
The game is set in the future of 2097. Players take on the role of pilot of the Armored Combat Rig, an experimental armored combat device powered by the unstable Temporal Echo Drive, and participate in the test rig of the giant corporation TDS Industries .
The goal is simple: complete the live-fire test course as quickly as possible. Each level is designed for extreme speed and high difficulty. Defeating enemies scattered throughout the course grants powerful speed boosts, but you can also shorten your time by taking more dangerous routes.
The core system, “Echo State,” slows down time, allowing for difficult landings and maneuvers. Combine this with the time distortion power-up and double jump, and every course becomes a puzzle to be solved at high speed.
Compete for global records… Speedrun-specific system
Echo Breaker is designed around competitive speedrunning. Players will test their limits by competing against personal and world records on 15 handcrafted tracks. Players can also compete against past records through the Ghost Run system. Another unique feature is the ability to earn various badges based on performance, allowing players to showcase their skills to other players.
The core of the game is finding the optimal route and achieving maximum speed. Players must utilize their ability to manipulate time to craft the perfect playline, competing with players from around the world on global leaderboards. The high-speed action unfolding within a neon-lit cyberpunk world further enhances the game’s atmosphere.
Each track features hidden shortcuts that require discovery and mastery, stimulating players’ desire to explore. Furthermore, an instant restart feature is provided to accommodate repetitive challenges, allowing players to continually improve their records.
BAFTA-winning development team from Lionhead
Upstream Arcade is an indie game developer based in Godalming, Surrey, UK. Founded by former developers from Microsoft’s legendary developer Lionhead Studios , the studio includes BAFTA-winning developers who worked on Fable and Black & White 2 .
* BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)
Their first work was the action game “Deadbeat Heroes,” developed by a two-person team. The team subsequently expanded, releasing the Western roguelike shooter “West of Dead” in 2020, and in 2023, “Hellboy: Web of Wyrd,” based on the Dark Horse Comics IP.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, in particular, garnered significant attention for its art direction, which brought original creator Mike Mignola’s signature bold lines, strong shading, and unique color style to life in 3D graphics. The new Echobreaker marks the studio’s fourth return to a completely original IP following these IP-based projects.
Hellboy’s artistic sensibility evolves into cyberpunk.
Since the game’s announcement, the community has been filled with anticipation from fans of the previous games. In particular, given Hellboy’s impressive art style, there’s a lot of interest in how Echobreaker will incorporate its distinctive stylistic sensibility into the cyberpunk world.
The combination of neon cyberpunk aesthetics and time-manipulating action has also caught the attention of fans of stylish speedrunning games like Ghostrunner and Neon White.
The “Just one more run” mechanic, which encourages rapid replayability, and the global leaderboard competition are also designed with the speedrunning community in mind. Expectations are also high for how this game will improve upon the gameplay, which left some regrets in Hellboy.
From Deadbeat Heroes to West of the Dead to Hellboy, Upstream Arcade has steadily increased the team size and quality of each title, and the speedrunning community is eagerly anticipating its return with Echo Breaker.
Fifteen tracks, a global leaderboard, and endless restarts. How many gamers will resist the temptation of “just one more time” will be revealed the moment Echo Breaker lands on Steam. You can add it to your Steam Wishlist right now.
Steam Store Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4383700/Echobreaker/
