echochrome was recently released for download via the PlayStation Network for the PS3 and PSP systems. Each version comes with 56 levels unique to its platform. It is a puzzle game in which you must guide a mannequin through an M.C. Escher-esque environment to collect four shadows strewn throughout the stage. Taking a cue from games like Lemmings or Eets!, you don’t control the mannequin itself in echochrome. Rather, your only influence on the environment is through manipulation of the camera, which alters the level according to five rules of perspective:
Perspective Traveling: When two separate pathways appear to be touching, they are.
Perspective Landing: If one pathway appears to be above another, it is.
Perspective Existence: When the gap between two pathways is blocked from view and pathways appear to be connected, they are.
Perspective Absence: When a hole is blocked from view, it does not exist.
Perspective Jump: When the mannequin jumps, it will land on whatever appears beneath it.
At times, echochrome is challenging to the point of frustration. The mannequin never stops moving unless you pause the action, but this “thinking” feature does not stop the clock. You have three minutes to complete each level, making quick thinking integral to success. The camera angle doesn’t turn as quickly as you’d like on some occasions, making timing for jumps or falls difficult. Still, the short time requirements and feeling of satisfaction for completing each level make echochrome ideal for quick, pick up and play sessions.
Once you complete the included levels, echochrome’s longevity comes from the ability for users to create their own levels. Although both versions give you excellent tools to create levels from scratch or modify existing stages, only the PS3 version lets you upload your creations to share with friends and developers who may choose to include your levels in the next free update. You can share your PSP levels with friends via a local Ad Hoc network, but at $9.99 for each version, the PS3 options are clearly superior.
Posted by brianfishman 
