Echochrome

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echochrome
Echochrome art.png
Promotional artwork
Developer(s) Will
Japan Studio
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s) Tatsuya Suzuki
Producer(s) Masami Yamamoto
Designer(s) Satoru Immamura
Kashin Hodotsuka
Ken-ichirou Hatada
Tomokazu Ohki
Programmer(s) Takashi Noshiro
Takanori Kikuchi
Kenichiro Obara
Hironori Tsuruya
Composer(s) Hideki Sakamoto
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3
ReleasePlayStation Portable
PlayStation 3
Genre(s) Puzzle
Mode(s) Single-player

Echochrome [a] (stylized as echochrome) is a 2008 puzzle video game developed by Will and Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). A PlayStation 3 was released the same year in North America and Europe. The gameplay involves a mannequin figure traversing a rotatable world where physics and reality depend on perspective. The world is occupied by Oscar Reutersvärd's impossible constructions. This concept is inspired by M. C. Escher's artwork, such as "Relativity". [2] The game is based on the Object Locative Environment Coordinate System developed by Jun Fujiki—an engine that determines what is occurring based on the camera's perspective.

Contents

Echochrome received a spin-off in 2009 titled Echoshift and a sequel, Echochrome II for the PlayStation 3 utilizing the PlayStation Move in December 2010. [6]

Gameplay

Echochrome requires the player to control a moving character—which resembles an articulated wooden artist's mannequin—to visit, in any order, particular locations on the surfaces of collections of three-dimensional shapes. The objectives are marked by shadows ("echoes") of the moving character. When the last marked position has been visited, one last echo appears, which the player must reach to finish the level: scoring is simply a matter of timing completion of each level (or a course containing several levels).

However, the character cannot be directly controlled by the player: it moves autonomously, following a path along the surface of each shape in a manner that keeps the path's boundary on the character's left (that is, in order of preference, turning left, proceeding straight ahead, turning right, or turning back on itself).

The unique aspect of the game is that the path can be altered merely by rotating the shapes and viewing them from a different perspective: for instance, if a gap or obstacle is obscured, the character will behave as if the path continues behind the object which currently, obscures the gap or obstacle from view. Similarly, if discontinuous shapes or parts of the same shape appear, from the chosen camera angle, to form a continuous path, the character will traverse from one to the other.

Although the character cannot step off the surface of a shape, there are certain points where it may hop off or fall. It then falls downwards to whatever appears to be below it, or off the bottom of the screen to be rematerialized at a previous position. This behavior forms one of the most compelling aspects of the game because the player must deliberately interpret the three-dimensional world as if it were two-dimensional to determine where the character will land.

Development and release

The game was developed primarily by Will, a company located in Saitama. [7] It was produced under Sony's Game Yaroze program, which had previously launched Devil Dice and the Doko Demo Issyo series. [8] The game was first announced at E3 2007. [9] It was released in Japan on March 19, 2008, [1] on UMD and for download on the PlayStation Store, with a demo released on the Japanese PlayStation Network on March 6, 2008. The North American release of Echochrome is only available on the PlayStation Network. [10] A demo was released in North America on April 24, 2008. It was followed by the full version on May 1, 2008. [11] Updates that rotate the set of user-created levels occur periodically. [11] [12]

The game was released as a UMD in Europe on July 4, 2008, with a PlayStation Network version following on July 10. There was an Echochrome inspired arcade mini-game in the Bowling Alley/Game Space of PlayStation Home.

The PlayStation 3 version of the game was released in Japan, North America, and Europe, through the PlayStation Network. All regions feature the basic gameplay with 56 levels. A later update added 1000 user-created levels. PlayStation 3 Trophies were made available for the console version in North America via a patch on December 11, 2008, which features 10 trophies. It includes two gold trophies, one silver trophy, and seven bronze trophies. Europe and Japan have now received the trophy patch.

The PlayStation Portable versions feature different levels from the PlayStation 3 version, with some regions having additional gameplay modes or levels:

Audio

The music of Echochrome was composed by Hideki Sakamoto at the Tokyo-based sound design company Noisycroak. Most songs on the game score consist of a string quartet, including two violins, a viola, and a cello. However, three tracks include operatic vocals by singer Rumiko Kitazono. These are the opening themes to the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, plus an additional theme that is unique to the soundtrack album. [13]

Team Entertainment published the original soundtrack to Echochrome [b] on May 21, 2008. The performers included Hitoshi Konno (1st violin), Nagisa Kiriyama (2nd violin), Kazuo Watanabe (viola), and Ayano Kasahara (cello). [14] The composer had originally considered naming the game's tracks after philosophical terminology to match the title's abstract qualities, but later decided to use prime numbers so as not to color the songs with subjective interpretations. [15]

Reception

Echochrome received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. [17] [16] The game's minimalistic presentation, originality, and level design were cited as its strongest aspects. In 2008, IGN awarded the game for Best Innovative Design, [29] and nominated it for Best Artistic Design, [30] Best New IP, [31] Best Puzzle. [32] GameSpot nominated the game for Best Original Game Mechanic in their Best of 2008. [33]

See also

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 無限回廊, Hepburn: Mugen Kairō, Infinite Corridor
  2. ↑ 無限回廊 オリジナルサウンドトラック, Mugen Kairō Orijinaru Saundotorakku

Citation

  1. 1 2 "無限回廊". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Echochrome arrives tomorrow!". PlayStation Blog . April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Echochrome PSP". Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand . Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Echochrome PSP". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Echochrome PS3". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe . Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Game Profile: Echochrome II PlayStation 3". IGN . Archived from the original on October 13, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  7. ↑ "会社情報 - 会社沿革 | 株式会社 ウィル". 株式会社 ウィル | アミューズメント/家庭用ゲームソフト・教育用のコンピューターソフトウェア制作 (in Japanese). Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Sheffield, Brandon (October 26, 2005). "Sony Japan Announces Game Yarouze Design Competition". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Stern, Zack (July 11, 2007). "Sony announces Echochrome". Joystiq . Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Could You Use Some Echochrome in Your Diet? Level Up Examines Where This Clever Puzzle Meets Platform Title Might Fit in Your Gaming Menu". Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
  11. 1 2 Yoon, Andrew (May 8, 2008). "This Weeks Echochrome user levels". Weblogs Inc. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Bonus Echocrome Levels Up For A Limited Time Only". Kotaku . Gawker Media. May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  13. ↑ Jeriaska (May 31, 2008). "Sound Current: Echochrome". Siliconera. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  14. ↑ "錯覚をモチーフにしたPZG『無限回廊』のサントラが5月21日発売". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. April 2, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  15. ↑ Jeriaska (June 11, 2008). "Sound of Echochrome: Hideki Sakamoto Interview". Siliconera. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  16. 1 2 "echochrome for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "echochrome for PSP Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Musrtapa, Gus (May 12, 2008). "Echochrome Review". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  19. ↑ Holzhauer, Grant (May 8, 2008). "Echochrome Review (PS3)". GameDaily . Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  20. ↑ Holzhauer, Grant (May 8, 2008). "Echochrome Review (PSP)". GameDaily . Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  21. ↑ Terrones, Terry (May 2, 2008). "Review: Echochrome". GamePro . Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  22. ↑ Fishman, Brian (May 8, 2008). "Echochrome Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  23. ↑ Fishman, Brian (May 22, 2008). "Echochrome Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  24. ↑ David, Mike (May 12, 2008). "Echochrome Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  25. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (May 16, 2008). "Echochrome Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  26. ↑ Haynes, Jeff (May 2, 2008). "echochrome Review: Change your perception and make your own reality". IGN . Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  27. ↑ Mitchell, Luke (July 4, 2008). "Echochrome Review: Change your perspective". PALGN. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  28. ↑ Erickson, Tracy (May 21, 2008). "echochrome: A must-buy-buy-buy..." Pocket Gamer . Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Best of 2008: PSP Most Innovative Design". IGN . Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Best of 2008: PSP Best Artistic Design". IGN . Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Best of 2008: PSP Best New IP". IGN . Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Best of 2008: PSP Best Puzzle". IGN . Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  33. ↑ Best of 2008 Special Achievements. GameSpot . 17:40 29:58. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
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