Shady Part of Me (Narrative Platformer)
NOTE: This game is a narrative experience, and the gameplay reflects that. There is NO precision platforming nor impossible-to-figure-out puzzles along the way.
Options include volume controls for Master, Music, SFX and Voices; Brightness, Resolution (for me the default was 1536 x 864), Controller or Keyboard (re-mappable), and choice of Language.
Story and Gameplay:
The store page expresses the gist of the game and story well, but in my own words, this is about a girl struggling to face life and pain, darkness and light, yin and yang.
We journey as two parts of the whole... Part of us depends on the light, traveling through the shadows upon flat surfaces, whilst the other part is afraid of the light, and moves about in 2.5D world... It's not quite 3D, but it still *feels* 3-dimensional.
Each character is controlled separately, and you can switch back and forth at will. You will have to cooperate with your shadow in order to progress, the goal being to get you both to the marked checkpoint. These are pretty close together, and you may be blocked off from the last segment once you both hit the save point.
Why is this important? Because there are
collectible origami birds, and finding them can add just the slightest bit more to the tale.
You can see how many you've collected in the top right corner of the screen, but more helpful is the '
Revisit' section of the Menu, which will show you how many you've collected (and missed) per chapter. You can, I assume, replay a chapter at any time and not lose your progress.
There are no HINTS available, but in general, you won't need them. The puzzles tend to be on the easy-to-figure-out side, as the driving force behind this game is learning the story. Gathering the birds can be a little trickier, but it's obvious that the devs WANT you to complete the game, and rage-quitting doesn't exactly make one want to keep playing non-stop. XD
Although not super-challenging, the mechanics do evolve and become more complex as you progress, making things even more interesting, and blending beautifully with where we are in the story.
A lot of things come to mind as I think about the game. Whimsy. Fear. Sorrow. Beauty. Strength. The devs managed to convey these feelings in a manner that is both fluid and poignant, enhancing their tale in a variety of ways. There are elements of the known: A sprinkle of the shadow-play from
Contrast, visible word play and environmental unlocks like in
Epistory - Typing Chronicles, 2.5D gameplay reminiscent of
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood... and yet as a whole
Shady Part of Me is nothing like other games I've played.
Verdict:
Shady Part of Me is a little slow to start off, but quickly becomes hard to pull yourself away from. I found myself completely engaged, and absolutely recommend the game to anyone who enjoys a good narrative. Quick reflexes are not required!
