Games as art. Art as games. It gets spoken about a lot, but it's rare that the link is so obvious as in Echochrome. One look at the mind-bending images of the game confirm that. They also present a rather baffling-looking game.

So, this is how it works, clever clogs: you've got a little mannequin character that never stops walking unless you press the appropriate control to freeze the action and work out a solution to the stage. All this walking doesn't get it very far by default, because ... more >>

Games as art. Art as games. It gets spoken about a lot, but it's rare that the link is so obvious as in Echochrome. One look at the mind-bending images of the game confirm that. They also present a rather baffling-looking game.

So, this is how it works, clever clogs: you've got a little mannequin character that never stops walking unless you press the appropriate control to freeze the action and work out a solution to the stage. All this walking doesn't get it very far by default, because it's treading a path along the surfaces of impossible structures. That's where you come in - you need to change your perspective of the structure. Lining up spots that prompt your mannequin to either vault or drop with an appropriate platform will see it moving along and enable you to complete your objective of picking up little shadow guys.

The control system couldn't be simpler, but the level design is deliberately convoluted and all the better for it. We were stuck on the third level for half an hour. No shame in that, though, because Echochrome is more difficult than a cryptic Times crossword. One look at the Echochrome screenshots will tell you that it owes a huge debt to M.C. Escher and his mad geometry, but it's not just something to leave running on your screen when it's not being used... Echochrome is more than art: it's a game. Ha! << less