Paul RobertsMarch 03, 2021Maxi Geek Review, Shady Part of Me, Focus Interactive, Switch, PC, Xbox One, PS4Comment

Shady Part of Me - Review

Paul RobertsMarch 03, 2021Maxi Geek Review, Shady Part of Me, Focus Interactive, Switch, PC, Xbox One, PS4Comment

I’m a sucker for atmospheric side scrollers. While Limbo was a great start, Inside is such a great follow up. Shady Part of Me was suddenly released after a Nintendo Direct, a new side scrolling adventure with an interesting style. Time to bring this game out of the shadows and see if it should have a light shined on it. Or should it have been left in the shadows?

Shady Part of Me takes place across two different planes. One has 3D movement without the ability to jump, but can push around objects to change the shadows. The other plane is the 2D shadow, responsible for the platforming, jumping over spikes and other deadly bits of scenery. The girl is deathly afraid of the light. Unable to have direct light on her, her shadow is also killed by spikes or crushing. If either the girl or her shadow get stuck or killed there is a handy rewind mechanic to undo any mistakes. The girl and shadow will need to work together to navigate the world, the girl moving boxes around and changing the lighting to change the shadow side. Moving a box can make a new platform for the shadow, or move her safely across some deadly spikes. The shadow can pull levers to also impact on the girls world. It’s easy to switch between the girl and the shadow with the press of a button.

Only lasting a few hours, Shady Part of Me takes you through a few different environments. Some are more surreal than others in this dreamlike mishmash world, as you move through more grounded areas mixed in with the fantastical. The way that the world changes in some sequences made me wish it leant a little more further into the fantasy elements, when the more real world environments felt drab.

Throughout the adventure the girl and her shadow operate independently and chat with each other as you progress. Each area requires both of them to get to a checkpoint of sorts before the next section reveals itself, usually with some more dialogue. While the game is trying to say something, it’s never clear on it. There is a thread about trust and depression, but it feels like the story just constantly circles these themes without being overt. There’s definitely relatable conversations or text that shows up over the few hours the game takes to beat, it’s a shame that it is untethered to a plot.

The environment changes the further you go, from mysterious padded rooms, play rooms, a Library and Desert. The games’ visual style feels like a watercolour painting, filling in as you open up each new section. The shadow side is more straightforward, a world displayed in silhouette as the girl moves items around to change the shadows. The muted colours present work for the style of this game. It's always clear what areas are safe for the girl, and the atmosphere feels like it would be ruined a little if it was full of vibrant colour.

Hannah Murray voices both the girl and her shadow. She isn’t the only voice present, but she is the one you’ll hear most. While her voice for shadow works well, having to try and sound like a kid never feels like a good fit. There is a lot of talking through this adventure too, it’s a shame then to have Hannah making vague conversations instead of telling a story.

The music that plays throughout was nice, some moments I wouldn’t mind going back and hearing again. The music accompanies these (occasionally) dream-like environments with some relaxing lo-fi tunes. After playing the game it helped me get into Lo-fi Hip Hop.

Shady Part of Me is a decent little side scrolling adventure, feeling like it could’ve been something even better. Switching between the 3D world and the 2D shadows is a mechanic that has some neat sequences throughout the few hours with the girl and her shadow. Unfortunately the puzzles never change much, often just working out a different way to move a box around to change shadows.

When new platforming elements are added in it’s too late, and you’re still doing the same box moving and switch pulling. I liked the watercolour painting style of the visuals as well as the environments when they got more creative with them. As I’ve been writing this review I’ve been listening to the music from the game, which is most certainly a highlight. Throughout the game it’s easy to appreciate what French developer Douze Dixièmes was doing, if this is their first game then I look forward to seeing what they get up to next.