Echoes is something of a mix between a puzzle and an action title. It requires thought and planning, but at the same time, greatly benefits from a keen eye and reflex. Essentially, you play a young girl wearing a wide brimmed hat, whose main objective is to go out and collect crystals through out several differently shaped levels, while being played from a top-down perspective. The catch is that each time a crystal is collected, an ‘echo’ of the girl is created, which then wonders around the screen somewhat aimlessly. The problem with the echoes is that they will cause damage and prevent you from collecting all the crystals.
One of two upstart PSP Minis developed by Halfbrick, Echoes only costs $5 AUD and clocks in at under 30 megs. Conceivably, you could probably download the game while having your morning coffee at Gloria Jeans or a late night snack at Maccas. Even though the premise is remarkably straight forward, it driven by some creative stage designs and several mode variations. You won’t have a lot of modes at your disposal, but these can be unlocked fairly quickly and easily. Echoes is the sort of game where the fun lies in improving your scores and times, while earning medails. You also get the feeling that you’ll be in for a treat with the innovative interface in the menu.
King of the portable castle.
As mentioned, part of the game’s appeal lies in the creativity of the stage design. There is not only a good variety of stage shapes, from religious emblems to alphabetical characters to inanimate objects, but there is a good variety of in terms of how you play the level. For example, one level has you very quickly collecting crystals as they appear one after the other, while another has you strategically working your way through narrow corridors while avoiding the Echoes, which are similar to the Pac-Man ghosts. Things can get really hectic, particularly as the screen fills with Echoes in the later stages.
While the patterns of crystals pretty much remain the same through most levels, what changes is the appearance of the Echoes and what you have at your disposal. While strategy and reflex are involved, there is a healthy dose of luck as well. Given that most levels don’t last long, this isn’t too much of a hindrance when you lose and actually encourages you to get back in and improve your efforts. Occasionally, some levels will provide you with power ups and health ‘packs’, which include time freezes, an Echo-cutter and item that clears the screen of Echoes. The only issue with these is that they seem stage and mode specific. It would have been nice to see them as random drops.
There are four different play modes: Arcade, Survival, Jackpot and Clockwork. Arcade is the main mode that you’ll play through, where you have to collect all the crystals in the time limit. Survival gives you ten seconds, where you gain seconds for crystal collects and lose seconds on from Echo hits. Jackpot has you battling the clock and score, as each crystal collect multiplies in points and a hit restarts it. This mode and Arcade are two of the more endearing modes. Clockwork has you collecting crystals but the Echoes appear statically. It is the least endearing of the modes because it creates too many nasty and impossible scenarios, so you’re relying too much on luck. While blasting through these won't take long, the lasting appeal lies in collecting medals while improving your scores.
Who is going to clean that up?
Aesthetically, you really shouldn’t expect too much from a game that is less than 30 megs in size, but Echoes manages to do pretty well. Each of the levels looks like they’ve been drawn by hand, creating something of a canvas feel. Sure, it doesn’t really push the PSP, but fact is, it runs well and has a neat and unique style to boot. While the sound effects are limited and soundtrack rather sparse, what is here gets the job done. In particular, the tunes are more exciting than your usual puzzle game, which might feel out of place but is fun to listen to.
With Echoes, it makes you wonder why something like this wasn’t done on the PSP before. It’s ideal for portability and inexpensive, while Halfbrick has proved that they have what it takes on a micro level, in terms of gameplay design, pick-up-and-play appeal, addictiveness and value for money. If you are looking for proper and puzzling portability, then Echoes should be among your answers.
Worth buying? Yes
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Our PSP Mini ratings system
We give every game a 'buy' rating of 'Yes', 'Maybe', or 'No'.
Yes means this is a very high quality game, and we have no problem recommending it to anyone as long as they like the genre.
Maybe means we think the game is good, but not necessarily for everyone. If you know the game or like the sound of the description, go for it
No means that we don't recommend the title at all.
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