In The Shadows

[b]Plot[/b] The game leaves you to search for the meaning of the story yourself. You don’t have to venture through every door but if you do then you’ll know what this game means to the developer. It’s a really beautiful little story that you don’t have to delve into but will encounter a much more meaningful experience if you do. [b]Character[/b] There’s not much to the boy we control beyond how he obviously is perceiving the world around him. Given we control him he appears to be without fear, easily dodging the shadow creatures without a care but at the same time we know these games are figments of his imagination and that he really is a scared little boy living through a confusing experience. [b]Environment, Art & Design[/b] The music is surprisingly beautiful for such a short game, it’s got a Fez-like, retro feel to it’s sound with synthesizers and jump noises. The pixel based backgrounds are simple yet make you want to just stop and look at them, especially the sun and moon levels. [b]Mechanics[/b] Very simple stuff for the boy which was enjoyable, lending itself to focusing on the logic puzzle rather than your abilities. The range of shadow creatures was good too and mixing their abilities throughout the levels felt natural and challenging. [b]Tidbits[/b] I was mildly enjoying the game before I started looking at how to enter the blocked off rooms and it was then that I really came to appreciate it. The puzzles on their own were good, the meaning and story added so much more to the experience. It became the sort of game that you want to thank the developer for sharing. [b]Negatives (cause I’m picky)[/b] The game had a few bugs towards the end. I think I got hardlocked in one level and couldn’t progress so ended up dragging boxes in piles across the platform to reach my goal XD The penultimate level too I’m positive I cheated but I also couldn’t find a working solution. It didn’t deter my enjoyment and to some extent excited some unexpected problem solving but it didn’t quite reach a perfect finished product. Also, a bug with boxes and light source interaction where the box would clip through the floor when it entered a light source (particularly in the gravity levels) and then would destroy itself as a fix. The destruction was quite helpful to reset it but it would be better if it didn’t happen at all. [b]Conclusion[/b] A lovely, fairly short game with thought provoking mechanics and a sentiment that will stick with me. It's not perfect but I'm glad to have played it.