Echelon

Echelon is a video game in the action genre developed by Access Software, Inc. and published by Access Software, Inc. originally released in 1988. It is currently playable on DOS, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64.

The foreboding DOS game of Echelon, released in 1988, was an ambitious, ahead-of-its-time game that has since been acclaimed by old-school gamers the world over. It introduced a novel game dynamic, melding the realism of 3D visuals with an arcade-style game play. Players of Echelon take the role of the intrepid air-ace, indulging in their combat fantasies. With their unique fighter jet, they must weave around obstacles, enemy fighter planes, and all sorts of other dangers in a quest for score-maximization.

The atmosphere of Echelon was its other hallmark – drawing the player into the action with an array of striking sound effects and visuals. Far from the crude low-resolution palettes of earlier DOS games, the bulk of graphics in this title was beautifully rendered 3D polygons. These were supplemented with realistic backrounds, giving an immersive feeling to an otherwise chaotic game. From the forested terrain of the first level to the deep sea of the third, the world of Echelon was brought to life in vivid detail.

The heart of the game was always the intensive, if somewhat sluggish responsiveness of the jet. To advance, one must master the power and limitations of the jet, such as its unexpected tendency to flip upside-down. The responsiveness of Echelon was a two-edged sword – one needs to understand the physics of the game to excel in it, but it could nonetheless catch one off guard.

As challenging as it was, Echelon still managed to strike a perfect balance between ease and difficulty, making it easy enough to obtain a feel for the game, but hard enough to beat. Additionally, the gentle learning curve encouraged experimentation, with players acquiring natural grasp of its motion in no time at all.

Echelon's long-lasting appeal is self-evident - it will remain a favorite among gamers for many years to come. With its novel, intuitive design and its highly captivating atmosphere, it is set to remain a vintage classic of the 80s.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.