While not a particularly outstanding game, fans of combo-heavy action games should enjoy Alter Echo.
Gameplay:
(Good): As Nevin, you gain 3 very distinct, upgradable forms (gun form, sword form and stealth form) that can be switched on the fly, adding a lot of depth and strategy to combat.
(Good): The game provides you with a wealth of options for taking down your enemies in combat and incorperates a lot of different mechanics (powerful timing-based super attacks, invisibility, dodge rolling, etc.)
(Good): Combat is fast and visceral and the game pits you against a good variety of enemies.
(So-so): The game is broken down into bite-sized chapters, which is good in that it's very easy to just pick up and play for a few minutes, but also makes the game feel somewhat disconnected.
Graphics:
(So-so): The environments have an interesting style, but are somewhat bland. They also look more or less the same throughout most of the game with little change in scenery.
(Bad): Some motions look like they're missing a few frames of animation.
(Bad): Character models aren't particularly attractive.
Sound:
(So-so): Background music is servicable. The voice acting isn't particularly bad, but doesn't stand out at all. Sound effects are decent.
Value:
(So-so): The story has some interesting parts, but remains trivial throughout most of the game.
(Bad): The game is fairly short (easily under 10 hours) and there's no real incentive to replay it. (No unlockables or different difficulty settings)
Last Words:
Alter Echo has its fair share of problems. Its story won't wow you, and its graphics probably won't impress you, but above all, Alter Echo is a FUN game and fans of the genre should play it.