echoshift – PSP Review

Reviewed by Sam Atkins on March 18, 2010

echoshift - PSP Review  | read this item

An unexpected joy, echochrome was one of the most interesting PlayStation Network titles of 2008. A perspective based puzzler, you guided your mannequin like figure across various stages, each of which forcing you to alter the camera so that impassable objects or gaps were covered by others. Its unique style was the thing that garnered interest in the game though, and with this in mind, a spiritual sequel has now arrived on PSP. echoshift takes the quirky style from Chrome and has you manipulating time rather than navigating treacherous areas. In a post Braid era, is there room for another time based puzzler?

Obvious things first, this is a follow up to echochrome, and the white wash colour palette seen there is found here too. That said, switch based puzzles do add some colour to the ‘Echo’ world, even with the same mannequin character as your playable character. The tranquil classical soundtrack is present and correct too, which adds a sense of sophistication to the experience. You feel clever when playing echoshift, a thinking man’s puzzler with a thinking man’s soundtrack. Visual flair seems to be the strong point of the ‘Echo’ series, and with no letup in the quality here, echoshift is a delight to admire.

While the visual style got people interested in echochrome though, it was the mind bending puzzles that kept them playing, the same being the case here. Rather than the varied set of mechanics in Braid, you don’t actually control time, instead retracing your steps as various Echoes of yourself. You have a set time limit in which to complete each level but it’s impossible to beat any on your first try. If you reach the end of the time limit, you will start another ‘Shift’ where you can perform different actions to your echoes, in order to progress further in the stage. It’s very similar in design to the Clank sections of Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, though with a lot more elements to deal with than simply activating switches.

Fending enemies as Clank was a breeze, but sadly mannequin man has it a lot worse, he has no way of fending off the moving blocks that chase you in certain stages, and so you must plan ahead to distract these with old echoes so you can pass through unharmed. With this in mind, it’s obvious that it requires a certain level of intelligence to play echoshift, stages where 4 or 5 echoes need to be set-up activating 6 switches each with precision timing. Messing up on an early shift and not realising until the 4th time through can become frustrating, and avoiding troubles like this is necessary if you want the full credit for completing a stage.

Stars are awarded depending on how many shifts you need, these stars unlocking new levels on the surprisingly clinical level select screen (which the game sends you back to every time you complete a stage; there’s no next stage option). The main gameplay of echoshift may not match other interpretations of the same concept, but it’s serviceable to keep you playing for a few minutes longer than intended at least.

It’s easy to dismiss echoshift as a weak version of a some near perfect products, the amazing Braid and aforementioned Clank sections of Crack in Time both excel by featuring innovations and variation that echoshift does not. That said, echoshift does deliver a polished experience, with plenty of levels to have you scratching your head for weeks. The art style and overall production of the game reeks of class, even if the mechanics aren’t as responsive and enjoyable as they were in echochrome. Finished Braid and echochrome? echoshift may be worth your time, and your money.

Tags: Artoon, Echochrome, echoshift, PSP Review, Puzzle, sony, Time