Although the original release schedule was pushed back due to COVID-19, Eve Echoes is finally here on iOS and Android devices. Now you don’t need to remain locked to your computer to get the feeling of hurtling through the great void of space in a distressingly fragile tin can. You can get that feeling wherever you are since we all take our phones with us everywhere!
Eve Echoes has a lot in common with Eve except for the developer. It's made by CCP Games Shanghai, which is affiliated with the main developer in Iceland but is operated via NetEase, the Chinese publisher that also handles Eve Online in China. And although Eve Echoes is certainly made for an international market with localization in English, Russian, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, you can tell based on the promo items that this game is intended to do well in the Chinese mainland.
And since Eve Echoes already has 4 million pre-registered players, we can likely assume that this game has enjoyed some success already thanks to the Chinese market.
Players of the PC version of Eve will find a lot in common with Eve Echoes. Controls, UIs, tech trees, and menus are all basically taken from the main game but simplified for the smaller screen. You can mine, explore, engage with pirates or other players in a friendly game of "catch the photon torpedo," and trade goods for money and services in an open and player-driven market.
There are 8000+ solar systems to explore in Eve Echoes' persistent world, which runs in parallel with the regular PC version of Eve Online.
New players can enjoy some free loot, including "The Returned" Macro Particle Stabilizer, Weapon Operation Skill Chips, a Can-Yue Prototype and the Xian-Yue Prototype (which are both ships), an Outstanding Pilot Medal (which seems a little presumptuous), and the Medium Jetstream Decomposer.
There are few features missing from the regular version of Eve, however. You can't claim sovereignty in Null-sec space, so even though you can form alliances and corporations you won't be able to stake a claim to your own parcel of space. You also need to pay in order to access the top-tier of ships such as battlecruisers and battleships, while the largest vessel types like Titans and supercarriers have yet to be added to Eve Echoes.
Eve Echoes is free to play with payment options to upgrade your skills faster, access those big ships, get faster resource production, access to better contracts, and access to less restrictive market conditions. Download now on Google Play or the App Store.
Source: CCP Games