echochrome is a very unique puzzle game that was revealed back in July of 2007 by SCEI, SCE, and JapanStudio at E3, and was released on May 1st for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network as a downloadable, and the PlayStation Portable, also able to be downloaded from PSN.

echochrome is a very unique puzzle game, taking on the simplistic look of the monochromatic tones. The basic premise of the game is to take your mannequin character that you play as, and capture your echoes that are scattered in the maze of paths, holes and jumps that litter the playing field. Controlling your character is as simple as tilting the analog stick. By moving the analog stick, you move the maze in whichever direction that you push it. This is definately mandatory, because you’ll need to move the maze so that you are able to connect paths together to make the maze one unit, to cover holes so that you don’t fall through, to cover empty spaces so that you are able to traverse an impossible opening, or to jump to a platform that is positioned above you.

While this game may not look like anything special, with the colors being very monotone and simple, it offers a lot of space when it comes to creation of maps. There are a couple of different modes you can enter on how you want to play the game. In freeform, it randomly chooses mazes for you to have to solve. In atelier, you can choose from stages ranging from a to g, and 1 to 8 within that. Or you can enter the canvas mode, in which you can create your own maze for you to play, or for you to send to your friends to play.

The music is very easy listening, and very calming. The simple piano music invites you to settle down with the game and relax, while giving you enough of a challenge to keep you interested. With the free addition of new downloadable maps that other users can create at any time, you can continuously be playing a new maze every time that you play if enough people make them.

All-in-all, this game doesn’t offer a huge variety in what you are supposed to do, and you are limited to the laws of the world, and the laws of direction and rotation. But for $9.99 on the PlayStation Network, this game seems like it’s worth the small investment in the long run.

Score: 9 out of 10