Echoes
As touched on in the introductory page, almost every major object in the hub world has a pink gem attached that transports the player to a linked subworld. The player activates these gems by merely making contact with the connected object. Similar to a work we read earlier in the semester (“Heart Suit” by Robert Coover), the player can experience as much or as little of the work as he or she wishes. The player can only uncover the whole story by entering each subworld and listening, viewing, and exploring what each one has to offer, but the player can stop at any point and still experience a complete story.
The world is simultaneously empty and full. The items scattered around the hub world are many, and yet there is no sign of the people who the items are related to. As the player explores, voices swirl around him or her, but again, the people they belong to are noticeably absent. This relates to the titular concept of the game- everyone who attended the party is now gone. All that remains is their memories, which are what the protagonist now has to face.