echochrome
(SCEA; Sony PS3 and PSP; Everyone)
Imagine if Tetris had been designed by visual trickster M.C. Escher, and you'll get a good idea of what echochrome is all about. The goal of this quirky puzzle game (a $9.99 download from the PlayStation Store) is to guide a mannequin-like figure to assorted locations by tilting and turning each level to create unbroken pathways. The only way to do this is to intentionally create optical illusions — thus, if a foreground object is moved to obscure an obstacle in the background, the obstacle essentially disappears. It may sound complex, but the gameplay is remarkably intuitive.
That's not to say the puzzles are easy; in fact, many of the levels are fiendishly difficult. Part of the challenge lies in mastering the control scheme, which can be frustratingly disorienting and more than a little finicky for fine adjustments. (The PS3 and PSP versions are identical, though the console's twin-stick arrangement makes the game slightly easier to control.) Still, the overall experience is compelling and mind-bendingly original, no small feat considering the absence of story or characters, not to mention its (refreshingly) minimalist graphics. It's the kind of clever illusion of which even Escher would have been proud. B+ — Albert Kim
