echochrome ii review

Formats: PS3
Format Reviewed: PS3
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Japan Studio
Made2Game echochrome ii review score: 6 out of 10

There was something special about the original Echochrome, it taxed your brain powers without being anything to do with how fast you can count or add up. The main premise was to move a wireframe man from one end of the map to the other, all while shifting the environment around to create paths for the man to walk along. This, most of the time, created a M.C. Escher painting, but that is what created the powerful draw to the game. The game really challenged the way you play; there were plenty of times that I sat after playing the game still trying to work out the correct path.

Echochrome ii doesn’t have such a powerful draw to it. The concept is similar but a lot has changed and not necessarily for the better. As I said the concept is the same as the first game, you still need to move your wireframe man across the screen from a swinging seat to a goal elsewhere on the map and for the most part it is still fun. The map, while having the same layout as the original, doesn’t act in the same way at all.

Each level consists of a set of 3D platforms but, as this title is now a Move game, the Move controller acts as a torch that you need to shine at the screen to create shadows on the walls and this is where your wireman walks. This sounds much more complex than it actually is, the torch light creates the shadows which you then have to move around to create paths to reach the goal. Depending on where you point the light the platforms cast a different set of shadows on the wall behind. Of course, even this is a little too simple for the series so there are objects that are designed to impede and help you on your way. You have holes in some parts of the shadows that need to be used or avoided or small balls that act as trampolines to bounce you over or onto walls.

Unfortunately, this new take actually gives the option to break the game on some levels. As you are shifting the world around your little wireman, you can knock him off and with some levels you can actually knock him into the goal. Not a massive thing but it does cheapen the game experience.

The main problem I have with the game is that (even without the cheating option) most puzzles take very little quizzing to solve. Whereas Echochrome had me thinking for days on how to complete a level, Echochrome ii has multiple ways to complete each puzzle and they range from the obvious to the tricky. But most of the time you will just go for the obvious hoping that the next level will offer a more challenging experience, only to be disappointed.

Echochrome ii does offer some great content though that will keep you going for much longer than you would have with the original. You can edit or create your own levels and upload them to the net for others to play; in addition you can also download other player’s levels.

Also after each of the games main levels you have the option to upload the attempt to YouTube if you think it as a very successful one or something funny happened in it. In addition to these options, we have two other modes. This includes moving the wire-man around each level again collecting static silhouettes from each section.

The other mode has you recolouring the world, to do this you need to move your man around and each block that you step on in shadow version the real version is coloured in. These add something more to the package but they don’t have the engagement level that you would want to really make you stay with replaying all the levels again.

It may seem that I’m being overly harsh on the title and perhaps I am, but after loving the original I wanted more of the same from the sequel. The changes are something much more in line with a new franchise based on the Echochrome idea but don’t seem to sit well with the series. It’s a shame really as the Move works well and it would have been really interesting to use the controller to move the environment around.

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