Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment – Developer: Sony Japan Studio
Echochrome is a prime example of an absolutely brilliant idea hurt by somewhat mediocre execution.
In the world of Echochrome, the simple idea for complex puzzles is that perspective becomes reality. With an art style that would make the simpler side of MC Escher proud (it is a lot of black lines forming angles on a totally white background), the player is tasked with leading a character to shadow people.
The player can only stop and speed up the character, and guiding the marionette-esque being to the goals is carried out primarily by rotating the camera. If two separate pieces are made to appear connected by the angle of the camera, then for all intents and purposes those pieces are connected and the character can cross the platforms. The game gets more intricate with holes in the platforms that drop down to whatever appears to be underneath with tilts of the camera, and jumps that work the opposite way.
It is a great idea, in theory, and for the most part it works. It may be initially hard to get one’s head around the concepts employed, but once the gamer accepts the rules set forth, Echochrome should prove a great time. The controls can be a bit finicky, however, where certain drops that should work do not, and jumps never feel quite right. The snap-on feature also fails to snap as it should on many occasions, causing more situations that should work to become a hassle.
The subtle differences between making it happen and falling into the unknown abyss make the game feel as if development was rushed. Still, for what can quickly become an annoying fault, the game’s visionary puzzles are well worth the occasional frustration. The game supplies a wealth of developer-created puzzles (56 of varying difficulty) and a mode in which to make puzzles and share them via the Playstation Network, though the user-made puzzles lean toward the ridiculous side in many cases.
Echochrome is an incredibly imaginative puzzler, but for the casual experience and flaws $10 may seem much. Gamers would be doing themselves a disservice passing this one up, but waiting for a PSN sale would not be a bad idea.
Echochrome
Echochrome review
by: William Jones
Posted on Jun 23, 2008 - 2:54 am | Comments (0)
Echochrome (PSN) [E]
Rating: Maybe Later
Price: $9.99
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment – Developer: Sony Japan Studio
Echochrome is a prime example of an absolutely brilliant idea hurt by somewhat mediocre execution.
In the world of Echochrome, the simple idea for complex puzzles is that perspective becomes reality. With an art style that would make the simpler side of MC Escher proud (it is a lot of black lines forming angles on a totally white background), the player is tasked with leading a character to shadow people.
The player can only stop and speed up the character, and guiding the marionette-esque being to the goals is carried out primarily by rotating the camera. If two separate pieces are made to appear connected by the angle of the camera, then for all intents and purposes those pieces are connected and the character can cross the platforms. The game gets more intricate with holes in the platforms that drop down to whatever appears to be underneath with tilts of the camera, and jumps that work the opposite way.
It is a great idea, in theory, and for the most part it works. It may be initially hard to get one’s head around the concepts employed, but once the gamer accepts the rules set forth, Echochrome should prove a great time. The controls can be a bit finicky, however, where certain drops that should work do not, and jumps never feel quite right. The snap-on feature also fails to snap as it should on many occasions, causing more situations that should work to become a hassle.
The subtle differences between making it happen and falling into the unknown abyss make the game feel as if development was rushed. Still, for what can quickly become an annoying fault, the game’s visionary puzzles are well worth the occasional frustration. The game supplies a wealth of developer-created puzzles (56 of varying difficulty) and a mode in which to make puzzles and share them via the Playstation Network, though the user-made puzzles lean toward the ridiculous side in many cases.
Echochrome is an incredibly imaginative puzzler, but for the casual experience and flaws $10 may seem much. Gamers would be doing themselves a disservice passing this one up, but waiting for a PSN sale would not be a bad idea.