Game review: Echoshift - Sony PSP

Two years ago a game called Echochrome was released for Sony’s PSP.

The game was notable for two reasons.

Firstly it featured a distinctive stark black and white art style.

Second, it used the dimension of space as its chief puzzle-solving tool.

The aim was to guide mannequin characters through 3D platform levels, with players using optical illusions to their advantage. By rotating the stages and shifting the perspective around players were able to create paths, jumps and safe falls for guiding their characters to the end.

Sony has now released the follow-up game.

Echoshift employs an equally quirky yet elegant design (with some colour this time) and sets a similar objective of guiding a walking mannequin through a series of challenging mazes.

This time there are two big differences.

For one thing Echoshift takes place in 2D.

Also, it uses the dimension of time instead of space as its primary component for getting through the puzzles.

The aim is to move your mannequin from the start to the exit on each level. But there’s a catch – it’s impossible to finish a stage at the first attempt. Either your character will get stuck unlocking one of the obstacles or time will run out.

This is where the clever bit comes in as Echoshift lets you be in up to nine places at the same time.

As soon as the short time limit runs out the game rewinds back to the beginning of the level and your first walker, now known as an echo, will automatically retrace its exact steps, flicking the same switches and activating the same platforms as when it was under your control.

You are now given a second mannequin to move around, and you have three main choices for what to do with him.

You can use this second character to simply speed through the obstacles being cleared by your echo so your advance further through the level than your first attempt.

Or you can take your second mannequin off to a different part of the stage to unlock new parts of it, clearing more of a path for an as-yet non-existent third mannequin to follow.

Alternatively, you may need to get your second walker working with your past self as some obstacles such as pressure switches require co-ordination to get past them.

When the allotted time again elapses the game bounces back to the start of the level once more, and you now have two echoes wandering the platforms with a third mannequin at your disposal.

The idea is to use your previous actions to create a future where your character can eventually pass through the level. The concept is called self co-op. As time repeats over and over you must synchronise your echoes and take advantage of these ghosts’ actions to gradually navigate a path to the goal. The consequences of what you’ve done before have a direct impact on what’s yet to come.

You can use up to nine echoes to complete each level. The fewer echoes you use the more stars you’ll be awarded. Gaining stars unlocks new batches of levels.

There are 56 stages in the game, gradually introducing 30-plus different puzzle elements including retractable floors, walls, dummy switches, falling objects and enemy creatures.

Twists on the standard format for completing the levels come from two additional game modes. In key mode you must collect a key from somewhere in the level to open the exit door. In illusion mode you are allowed to freeze time for three seconds per echo.

If you want them more stages can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store.

Moving the mannequins around the levels is very straightforward. Except for occasional fiddly and frustrating moments, usually when trying to go up or down stairs, the controls work well.

Visuals throughout the game are stylish and striking. Unlike the mono Echochrome, there is plenty of colour splashed around but this new game retains the classiness of its predecessor.

The laid-back music and the sight of ghostly mannequins moving around create a calming atmosphere, in sharp contrast to the tough cognitive workout provided by the puzzles.

The presentation manages to combine a sense of self-importance and eccentricity. Some people may consider the use of the word ‘etc’ to represent options on the main menu to be a little pretentious, but I like this offbeat approach.

Make no mistake, Echoshift is hard work to play. Not because it’s bad but because it’s so mentally demanding. It’s like acrobatics for the brain.

Success requires good timing, quick thinking and staying composed under pressure.

The usual way of thinking for getting through platform levels as fast as possible doesn’t apply here. Instead the solutions demand forward planning as you try to work out a route through each stage using multiple interlinked attempts. Complex decisions must be taken speedily – with the short time limits per echo, usually about half a minute, allowing very little margin for error.

You need to be able to work out how one echo will work with the previous ones, or help those still to come.

As tough as developer Artoon has made Echoshift, it’s also a very rewarding game when you complete each stage. It’s a much more intellectually challenging than most games, and very satisfying to play as a result.

Echoshift is a sophisticated, smartly designed game which I would urge puzzle fans to invest some time in.

Verdict: 8 out of 10 – It might not suit everyone’s tastes but Echoshift is one of the most taxing and more memorable gaming tests you will find on the PSP.

To get a feel for the gameplay I've described, watch the official trailer for Echoshift: