Sony Japan Studio: 28 Best Games They Helped Create
14. Echochrome
Co-Developed: Game Yarouze
How's this for a game pitch? A puzzle game where you help a humanoid mannequin navigate through topsy-turvy environments (inspired by both Oscar Reutersvärd and M.C. Escher's designs), and presented in stark black-and-white coupled with an obtuse soundtrack.
Yep, at this point, it felt like Japan Studio didn't really like money...
In the present day market though, where a gigantic influx of experimental indies drop on Steam or Switch each month, Echochrome is less unwieldy. In fact, it can be appreciated as the challenging, sharply clever, almost hypnotic ordeal it is.
Most impressive is that the Escher influence is not just shallow sheen, the gamer must manipulate the labyrinthal terrain by manipulating it like a Rubik's cube, in a series of 92 thoroughly involving head-scratching levels.
Certainly, the game did not so much disappear as never arrive (not helped by the low sales of PSP and PS3), but Sony still ponied up for a sequel (with PS Move support), and a spin-off, Echoshift.