Echochrome = Must Have Game!
This is my new fav game right now, and that’s just from playing the demo.
The simply beauty of the game makes me weep, the gentle tutorial swept me off my feet and I was hooked. I’m not really a puzzle game person but this one is so relaxing and yet challenging.
The point of the game is to move your character across the playing field to connect with its echo (a black version of the character). The playing field itself is a simple line drawing that can be rotated in various ways. For instance, the character may be headed for a gap in the pathway, but with a slight rotation you can cover the gap with another part of the map and the character will walk across because you’ve changed the perspective and it can no longer detect a gap. Amazing! I know it sounds simple and it is, but it can get tricky and there are also obstacles like holes and jump pads. Drop down a hole and you will end up directly below so you line up the map to reflect where you want your character to fall. Same with the jump pad only you go up instead of down. Fascinating!
The game uses the Object Locative Environment Coordinate System created by Jun Fujiki. The pathways/maps are all based on Oscar Reutersvärd’s “impossible constructions” which are mind tingling to look at on their own anyway. Once you add all that perspective manipulation, well, you can see why my brain is very happy at the moment.
The music is a violin melody that is very soothing and also motivating. It’s like your brain is gently swimming though maths…If that makes any sense. The loop is fairly short, only a few minutes long, but I can’t really tell, it’s all so seamless in my ears. The music makes me ache inside.
Check out the trailer and play this game as soon as you can!
The game is PS3 and PSP exclusive and I’m getting the full PSP version as soon as it’s out. Pretty much gonna be my PSP game for the foreseeable future I think…