Shady Part of Me
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Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Shady Part of Me
Like the characters in the game, Shady Part of Me is elegant, but troubled. At its core, the game is a well-designed puzzle game about a girl who has to cooperate with herself to overcome her mental health condition. Between this and the moody, melancholy aesthetic, the game hits home in all the right ways, which is why it's such a shame that the ending just doesn't stick the landing.
In a beautiful mix between 2D e 3D, a little girl and her shadow show us the fragility of the human mind, between fears and anxiety. Along many psychological sessions, the two characters try to cooperate to solve a large number of puzzles based on light, shadows and gravity. A little gem.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While it may not be a very long game, Shady Part of Me is well worth the time playing through for both the interesting gameplay and aesthetic that surrounds what is a pretty somber story.
Despite its cryptic storytelling and repetitive gameplay, Shady Part of Me is a game that deserves to be played and experienced especially by puzzler fans.
Shady Part Of Me is a stunning indie platformer puzzler that is a treat for both the mind and the eyes. There are some gorgeously original puzzles, although there is perhaps an over reliance on the same type of "box shadow" puzzles throughout. That isn't to say there is any feeling of repetitiveness, and the mechanics are reliably satisfying that you'll always be up for the next puzzle. Shady Part Of Me demonstrates a lot of thoughtfulness and heart. Indeed this title is an excellent debut for the French developers.
Shady Part of Me is a decent puzzle platformer, which offers some inventive challenges and an overall polished presentation. That said, almost everything about the game, including its story, aesthetic, and core mechanics, are lifted wholesale from more memorable indie games like Braid, Limbo, Little Nightmares, and Contrast. Like a shadow cast upon your bedroom wall, Shady Part of Me may be fleetingly interesting, but it won't leave a lasting impression.
A Shady Part of Me is short and could be completed in an evening or two, so it’s much easier to digest what’s on offer before the simplicity of it wears you out. Overall, I would love to have seen more complexity in my time with it, or simply deeper twists on an already crowded genre. If not mechanically then emotionally. LIMBO and INSIDE were standouts not only because of the mechanics but the world-building and tension as well. Likewise, Braid was an homage that never squandered on difficulty. I hope that what comes next from this studio is a bit more daring than what came before it, as A Shady Part of Me inspires confidence.
Excellent gameplay, unique ideas, and a strong presentation make for an easily recommendable narrative puzzle platformer.
