Echoes

Reviewed by: DeathDude

Positive Points: Plenty of action
Listen to your own music
Fun challenge

Negative Points: 

Genre: Arcade

Size: 11 194 KB

Requirements: Windows, DirectX 9.0b or higher to run.

Questionable Content: None

Editor rating: 4.6

Homepage: http://www.binaryzoo.com/games/echoes/index.htm

Download location: http://www.binaryzoo.com/games/echoes/index.htm

There is nothing like simply sitting down to play a game and rather than playing a drawn out and perhaps complicated game, you just want to blast whatever gets in your way. Simple action may not be the most compelling genre of games out there, but at times after playing one of these types of games, after say a long day, can really elevate stress, and just allow you to escape away through all the blasting excitement. Well with the excellent looking and quite awesome all around game that is Echoes, you get that blasting action you are expecting, with the asteroids inspired gameplay, but also there is a bit of geometry wars, inside the game as well. All around from the action on screen, to the music, which you can even, add your own tracks as you are playing, to the different challenges that are available, make this a nice and fast sit down game to kill some time with.

 If you have ever played the classic game Asteroids, then you will be ready for Echoes, which is essentially the same premise. Blast the neon looking asteroids with your ship and try to stay alive as long as you can. You can set in the options menu, whether you wish to have your ship firing at all times or whether you wish to control it yourself. You can also change the different key configurations to move your ship around, from using the keyboard to using the mouse, which I personally prefer using myself. As you are blasting the asteroids, you also have the opportunity to collect different powerups that will aid you in taking more hits, to giving you more firepower. Your ship is also able to take a certain number of hits from the asteroids that you may come into contact with, but do not overdo it otherwise its game over for you.
What makes the game a bit different from asteroids besides the powerups and extra additions is the colour scheme and graphics of the game. It looks really nice in action, as you are blasting the asteroids away and the bigger asteroids that you destroy, will create even bigger explosions and effects. That is right the different effects in the game add to all the craziness going on screen. From the blurring that will happen, to the debris that is left behind from the destroyed asteroids, there is always a lot of action going on screen and it looks great.

There never does seem to be a shortage of action, even as you are advancing through the stages. As for a moment of rest, you can forget about that too. Your ship always has to be moving, otherwise the asteroids will get you and in the later stages, there are additional objects that you will have to be careful with, once you see them in action, you know you will be in for a rough time. Challenge your way through the three difficulty modes, as each one presents its own challenges to face as you are blasting away at whatever is in your ships way.

Echoes also presents different challenges you can accomplish in the different difficulty levels. They are mostly fun challenges that will challenge your gaming skills, from not getting any powerups until level seven to other challenges that you can try out. In addition, depending on how well you do in the game, will also give you the opportunity to unlock an extra game mode, to try your luck with seeing how well you do.

Another nifty feature with Echoes is the ability to add your own Mp3 tracks to the game, in case you do not like the default music that plays. I did not mind the original musical track in the game, I personally think it fits with all the craziness and action you are facing in the game, especially in the later stages, but if you want to play the game with your own music feel free. You also can import your own play lists into the game, see the readme file for more details. 

Overall, Echoes was a fun experience to try out and really did enjoy trying to beat some of the challenges in the game, as well as simply blasting away all the asteroids and seeing all the neat graphical effects being displayed. If you are looking for a nice time killer, Echoes fits the bill and does a nice job in the process.