It's easy to look back on a big year and only think about the blockbusters that come out from September to December, especially when you're in the thick of a Game of the Year meeting. But it's actually smaller games like Echochrome that have stood out for me in 2008. Some of my colleagues have griped about the drought of handheld blockbusters this year, and indeed, it'd be hard to live up to 2007. But exactly zero of said colleagues downloaded Echochrome from the PlayStation Store. I'm glad I didn't overlook it too, since there wasn't another PSP game I enjoyed as much this year.

The idea is simple. You control a stick figure who's locked into platforms that resemble M.C. Escher's wildest dreams. Your objective: Walk the little guy from one end of the structure to another. The means to do so aren't always clear. Echochrome plays with your perception quite a bit; during the course of gameplay "what you see is what you get" comes to literal fruition. If you rotate a 3D structure such that two seemingly disparate parts overlap for just a split second, you can probably get your character to cross between them. Echochrome teaches you the laws of its land very early and easily. I see some similarities between it and Braid, even if they seem to be on different ends of the gaming spectrum.

I think that a big part of its charm, like Braid's, comes from its unique presentation and the brain-twisting nature of its puzzles. They're not as hair-pullingly difficult as Braid's, but the scope and number are downright daunting. Both games, through puzzles that force you to completely re-approach their levels and your tactics, offer a real challenge. Their beauty isn't in their respective visual styles, it's in the means by which they take conventions that gamers have taken for granted and warp them. They're occasionally frustrating and punishing (Braid with its lack of roadmaps and Echochrome with its time constraints), but the sense of reward at the end of each stage is undeniably satisfying.


In constrast, Echochrome doesn't boast the stellar narrative or gorgeous watercolor motifs of Johnathan Blow's game, but its monochromatic homage to M.C. Escher is profoundly unique in its own right. Its soothing classical score and simple sound effects are a great psychological offset for some of the utterly maddening puzzles on offer. Also, unlike Braid, Echochrome allows you to create levels (and Sony has released a pack of great downloadable levels), so there's plenty to play.

Normally, I wouldn't use this space to discuss how a game is sold, or why it should matter, but in the case of Echochrome I feel that it's worth discussing. I believe that the PSP needs more games of this quality to hook gamers next year, and the distribution model used here should be used to roll out digital games on the PSP in 2009. It's a game that's wonderfully suited to portable play, and it's a small enough download that a UMD would seem like a waste of plastic.

Sony's put a lot of time into ensuring that PSP owners can finally download games through their handheld rather than an intermediate device (such as a PC or a PS3), and Echochrome is a sterling example of how to do it right. It's a game that's perfectly suited for the platform, and it's relatively easy to obtain. It's thanks to clever games like this one that the PSP could survive through 2009.

I can't emphatically recommend this one enough. There's beauty in its austere, minimal presentation, and there's great challenge in its numerous stages. Plus, you can open another browser window and start downloading it now. Echochrome monopolized more of my time than any other handheld game this year. Hopefully, you'll let it monopolize yours.



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