SCHiM – the shadow and its man. Review

PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

Played on the Nintendo Switch

SCHiM is minimalist in a good way, both visually (in the game objects have only their outlines drawn) and dramaturgically. Through simple sketches we are introduced to a cute little creature that lives in the shadow of the most ordinary person. A person who grew up, studied, received a diploma, looked for himself, got a job, burned out, got a depressive disorder and plunged into the jungle of an existential crisis. During this difficult period of life, a person loses his constant shadow companion and goes wherever his eyes lead him. And now we have to catch up with our person in order to reunite, make sure that everything is okay with him, and maybe help him find the strength to cope with the overwhelming melancholy.

The stage of a happy, carefree childhood flies by quickly… just like in life

⇡#From shadow to shadow

In pursuit of our man, we have to go a long way through parks, recreation areas, a packaging plant, roads, shops and even burning houses. In each location there are sources of shadow – our main and only way to move around the world. And this is also the main game cycle: we jump from shadow to shadow – pillars, mailboxes, buildings; or we jump into the dark silhouettes of cars on the asphalt and rush with the wind. And although the gameplay itself at first seems quite simple and unpretentious, this impression is deceptive.

At first, everything really looks simple, and moving around is reminiscent of a simple but fun platformer. But the further you go, the more difficult it is to travel through the shadows and the more serious planning will be required. The main difficulty, as a rule, is that the radius of our jump from the shadows is limited, and after entering the light we have about a second and one shortened jump to get back into the shadows (or start from the last checkpoint). And here you have to rely either on reflexes or ingenuity.

Simple but stylish

Sometimes you need to seize the moment and, for example, jump on the shadow of passers-by or passing cyclists, or create a shadow yourself or organize conditions for further advancement. After all, you can interact with some objects: say, raise a crane boom to slide along an enlarged shadow; manipulate a traffic light to catch a ride in the right direction, or use a beach umbrella as a catapult to fly to a distant shadow.

And in some places SCHiM even poses a serious challenge to the gray matter – for example, you still need to guess about interaction with a certain object, and sometimes you first need to find this very object. You can be stuck for ten minutes in search of the right interaction, only to later understand that the right route was laid in a different place. Elements such as the random generation of objects that create, for example, moving shadows, which can either suddenly take us to the wrong place or not appear at all for some time, forcing us to think that we are doing something wrong, also complicate the passage. A rather inappropriate experience that only deprives that very sense of flow.

Some interactions with objects do not affect anything – but how funny it is to honk your horn in a traffic jam and cause a wave of indignant horns in response

It also didn’t work out very elegantly with the duration of some levels. Let’s say, the location of the packaging shop is quite complex and also overly drawn out. And the feeling of “when are you done” is definitely not what a game like this should evoke. Fortunately, there are not many such stages and, in general, SCHiM does not have time to become critically boring. However, alas, she also fails to get into her soul.

⇡#Shadow against depression

Despite the fairly strong beginning of the story, which touches on a topic that is relevant to many, the game quickly loses its plot impetus and turns into a somewhat awkward statement about… And this is the problem – what is it about? The theme of depression seems to be just a script springboard for the story of a creature from the shadows chasing its man, and not a full-fledged matter that the authors would really like to talk to the players about.

The supermarket stage is probably one of the most exhausting

And if the beginning were simpler and more carefree, there would be no problem. But SCHiM makes an application for a serious story, but it turns out to be unable to prepare the corresponding development and climax – only a contour (to match the visual style) designation of the problem. The ending generally feels terribly far-fetched and offers a very strange answer to the aspirations of the game’s hero. Yes, the game is actually not about a person, but about a creature that is trying to catch up with the one with whom they have been inseparable all their lives, but this raises even more questions about the integrity of the work. Perhaps SCHiM would be much more comfortable without a plot at all – it’s better than nothing at all than being so chaotic.

***

Despite the lack of cohesion and at times excessive complexity due to not always clear game design decisions, SCHiM, for lack of alternatives, will be an excellent option to while away a gloomy rainy evening. But, much to our disappointment, nothing more.

Advantages:

• Cute visual style;
• Simple and enjoyable gameplay;
• The game raises serious topics…

Disadvantages:

• …But, alas, cannot fully reveal them;
• Several unreasonably complex and drawn-out stages.

Graphic arts

The minimalistic outline style, where each level has its own interesting color scheme, is definitely pleasing to the eye. Although it’s difficult to call it something outstanding.

Sound

Audio design and music, alas, do not tug at the heartstrings – they only accompany us on our journey with fairly standard sound solutions.

Single player game

A simple adventure for a few hours, in some places a little more complex than it should be – both in plot and in game decisions.

Estimated time of completion

SCHiM takes approximately four to five hours to complete.

Collective game

Not foreseen.

General impression

A nice picture and several interesting game solutions, on the one hand, weak drama and flaws in the level design, on the other. But if you like unusual projects or you have nothing to play, then SCHiM may well interest you.

Rating: 7.0 / 10

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