Visually intriguing but a truly and utter headscratcher.
It doesn't look like much from simple screenshots, it looks like a few lines with some manikin bloke trundeling about on it, and yeah, that is what it in fact is. But still, it manages to keep some sort of intrigue in its visual presentation, it simple but once you get moving with the game, utterly mind boggling!
The opening levels are even tricky for the well educated types, trying to wrap your head around the perspective concepts is in fact one hell of a mind job but, in my experience, this wanting to know what the fecking hell is going on is a part of what makes this game so enjoyable to play. The basic idea is to guide this manikin around a minimalistic level and collect all the "echoes" which bearing in mind the 5 laws of perspective - I'd go into detail about that but I really can't be bothered to be honest as it is fairly complex.
It's a lot like flOw in many ways, its relaxing and just there to experience, I normally hate games like that, but Echochrome does have a very minimalistic substance to it and it hooks you like some dumb fish on a line.
There's definately lots to do, with around 75 levels to destroy your inner brain functions with, and you can double that up with the duo mode where you have to get all the same colour manikins meeting, which is excessively difficult. Each step up in difficulty and the very last ones resulting in a countdown timer which is scary and a bit uneccessary.
As addictive as this game is, it does have its nuicances. The posh talking lady who guides you through the tutorials is very bland and sleep inducing, she must be the most boring woman on the planet! The backing track, as relaxing as it is, is a bit dull aswell. As much as I appreciate all forms of music, violin solos have never quite hit the same chord as me, a funkier more up beat track or even custom soundtracks would have been a bit more to my taste.
There are many a comparison to it's PS3 bigger brother, which does have the slight edge. PSp Echochrome suffers from annoying PSP nub sydrome and lines can never be quite lined up as accurately as the PSN title over on PS3 which also has a sharper, cleaner look, unlike the slightly pixelly PSP version.
Overall, Echochrome is very addictive, peel away it's boring Sudoku-lover exterior and there is a very enjoyable game beneath it, it may not directly appeal to us teenagers, as the impression I get from it is PSP is trying to do a bit of a DS and get the older generation onto the bandwagon. I am 17 though and I did thoroughly enjoy it, and as far as I know, I'm not 65 or play Sudoku.