Echoes is a Mini which is different from many others on the service, in that it isn't a copy of an old game, shoehorned to work with the Minis service. It is totally its own game, and it's a very unique game too.
Echoes is hard to explain. The concept is that you play as, what appears to be, a sombrero, and you have to run around collecting crystals from around a level. Which sounds easy. Until you find out that when you collect a crystal, the "echo" of your movement remains (hence the name), and if you hit your echo, you lose a life. It's nowhere near as simple as it sounds, believe me. In the way of controls, the game couldn't be simpler, requiring only either the analogue stick or the directional buttons to move, and the X button if you wish to slow down. The simple controls are a very good thing, as in some of the later stages where you have echoes literally everywhere, the last thing you want to be thinking about is where you fingers are and what button you are supposed to be pressing.
However, despite the trickiness of the game, it is incredible fun, and it is one of the single most addictive downloadable games i have ever played, not just from the Minis service, but from the whole of PSN.
In terms of how the game looks, it is not impressive, but this doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. The art style is very simple, with you playing as a hat, the crystals appearing as blue circles, and the echoes appearing as more blue circles. It couldn't be simpler in the graphics department. However, when a game is this brilliantly addicting, the looks of the game don't really matter. They aren't enough to detract from how great the game is, and that is all that needs to be said.
There is also a surprising amount of variety throughout the game. Though from the premise it sounds like it will get rather boring very fast, the developers have managed to make each level fresh and fun. Levels contain power ups like "Time freeze"and "crystal magnets" to help your progress through the game, and the new and interesting level designs help to keep you on your toes throughout the game's impressive number of levels. The game still even feels fresh enough to keep playing to try and beat your best time, and obtain the games "medals".
Something that i don't often mention in these Mini reviews is the game soundtracks (well, apart from when they are stupidly annoying), but in Echoes, it does really need mentioning, as it is almost as good as the gameplay. It's a very simple track, with the same thing repeating itself over and over again for the most part, but it is also very catchy and suits the style of the game very well. Props to the developers for creating a soundtrack which matches so brilliantly with the game.
Overall then this is definitely a Mini you should be buying. It's one of the most simple, but most addictive games on the Playstation Network.
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| Echoes |
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