Well this is weird. Dark Echo ($1.99) is one of those games that really make the App Store special. If you’ve been around for a while, you know the type- Totally experimental gameplay in a package that’d be super hard to sell on other platforms, but the impulse buy-friendly nature of the App Store combined with pricing of a couple bucks often makes all this work out. Or, so it would seem. If this is the first you’ve heard of the game, definitely check out our five star review. Here’s an excerpt:

Dark Echo is a minimalist, stage-based horror game with a focus on audio. It’s not without thematic precedent, from things like Warp’s quirky SEGA Saturn classic Enemy Zero to the Papa Sangre series on iOS. Unlike those games, it’s not entirely reliant on sound. You can technically play just by the visual cues your echoes give off, but the horror doesn’t quite work if you’re playing without the audio. It’s how the game delivers most of its ambiance, with the visual elements serving more of a practical purpose. You can see your feet, which shows you where you are and which way you’re pointed. Your echoes will show you empty areas with white lines, dangerous thing with red lines, switches with yellow lines, and water with blue lines. As you walk along the stage, your footsteps will leave a trail behind you. Aside from your footprints, however, you can only see these things if something makes noise. You don’t want to make noise without thinking carefully about your next move. …Read More

So it’s free today, but I’m going to float this idea out: Don’t download it while it’s free. Give it a couple days and wait for it to return to a paid game to support the developer. There’s no advertisements or IAP in the game, so with this promo they’re seriously getting nothing in return. I’d say download Super Surf Bros (Free) instead to support the developer, but that’s free too. If you love iOS gaming, these ultra-unique projects are the kind you really need to support. It’s quite literally voting with your wallet and saying “I want more of this," which might in some tiny way microscopically shift the scale away from Clash of Clans reskins. Maybe.

Either way, it’s never a great sign when a well-recieved premium game randomly goes free. It’s usually a pretty clear indication that the game didn’t do well and the developers are trying to inject some new interest in the project. …Which really just sort of sucks all around especially considering these are the kind of games that make iOS special.