Tandem: A Tale of Shadows Reviews
The weak attempt at narration or storytelling on the basis of its animation may be off-putting, but toss its lacking narration (and hard-to-hear audio) to the side and what you're left with is a puzzle game with a charming-enough gimmick that's just as much about substance as it is style.
With a unique take on perspective, light and darkness, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a fun puzzler to be enjoyed by gamers of all ages.
Throughout my playthrough I was surprised by the manner in which I had to position Emma, or move objects around, precisely to cast just the right shadow for Fenton. In keeping with the theme of a story based around a missing magician, the compact, finely-detailed stages unfold like a series of sleight-of-hand tricks that ably draw your focus in one direction so that you are particularly struck when you stumble on a solution that was more or less hiding in plain sight. If the measure of a good puzzle game is how many “oh wow, this is crazy” moments are packed in it, then Tandem is up there with the best of them. I’d recommend “Tandem: A Tale of Shadows” to anyone who enjoys having their perceptions toyed with.
Tandem's world of shadows is an intriguing place with clever obstacles that are fair although not very challenging. Emma and Fenton make a great pair as they navigate the chiaroscuro dimensions even if you know little about either. It's just a shame that the Tale of Shadows' narrative is underdeveloped and even non-existent in places-so much more could have been done. Those wanting a simple puzzle platformer will enjoy their time. Those wanting a story need to look elsewhere.
With an inspired art direction and a neat soundtrack, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows has seduced us despite a game concept already crossed recently in Shady Part of Me, which we can not avoid thinking about.
Review in French | Read full review
Overall, Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a fine game. There are some flaws for sure, but nothing that ruins your overall experience, and what’s there is solid. I’d recommend this game for people who are interested in the light/dark puzzle mechanics, but if you are thinking of getting into it for the aesthetics or the story, I’d give it a pass.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a short game, but each stage is well-crafted, with the puzzles being just difficult enough to make the player feel smart for solving them, while never being so obtuse that they become frustrating. The creepy world of toys and monsters in the Kane Manor is a lot of fun to explore, and learning how to change the shape of shadows to the player's need stays intriguing until the end.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a fun and clever puzzle game, but the story falls quite a bit flat with a pretty dark ending. The puzzles themselves are enjoyable with needing to switch between Emma's and Fenton's perspectives a nice mechanic. The story though is just there and while puzzle games don't need stories to be enjoyable, if you're going to have one at least flesh things out a bit. If you don't mind a story that covers just the bare essentials needed to have a story, Tandem's puzzles are pretty enjoyable and I'd recommend checking the game out at some point.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a cute, clever puzzle game with a distinct style and engaging challenges, which could benefit from a more fully realised narrative.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a surprisingly unique twist on the puzzle genre, making incredible use of light and shadow. The dual character perspective is clever, and helps to create increasingly complex puzzles, which thankfully avoid crossing the line from challenging to frustrating. The short length may upset players hoping for a longer adventure, but helps keep the game flowing smoothly and prevents its core gameplay from becoming stale. Add in a beautifully crafted world and unique boss fights, and Tandem begins to stand out from other puzzler games currently on the market.
Tandem: A Tale of Two Shadows does a good enough job at executing its well thought out premise. But, it isn't the revolution in puzzle games it purports to be.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows from Monochrome is a cleverly designed game that puzzle-loving gamers will enjoy. The range of difficulty helps to sell this, as does the level design and characters you confront in the game. If you don't like puzzle games, then this probably won't bring you into the genre.
If you’re looking for a narrative-driven game, you might want to give Tandem a miss, but if you were after a unique and fresh puzzle platformer that won’t force you into a fit of frustration, then Tandem: A tale of Shadows is perfect for you.
Tandem – A Tale Of Shadows is a lavishly-presented adventure with genuinely innovative gameplay
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is a pleasure to play through, leaving the burning desire to learn what's next and a storm of emotions and feelings as the game's storyline reaches its conclusion.
As long as you go into Tandem: A Tale of Shadows not expecting a riveting tale or a high level of polish, chances are you’ll have an enjoyable time with it. As puzzles games go, it doesn’t feel entirely original – Shady Part of Me offered a somewhat similar experience earlier in the year – but there’s enough here to keep those who like to put their thinking caps on entertained for a fair while.
Tandem is a thoroughly lovely game, then, and one that fans of creative puzzle adventures should absolutely have on their “to-play” list.
While Tandem: A Tale of Shadows does feel like it runs out of a bit of steam by the end, overall this is still a fairly entertaining little puzzle adventure. There are plenty of places for improvement, and both the story and the gameplay really could have used a bit more refinement if this was to become something truly special. But even if it is a little rough around the edges, the biggest impression the game is going to leave behind is just how clever its puzzles are. It is the core gameplay that saves the game, even if the stuff around it might not be all that impressive. Even when the game starts to drag and become a bit more predictable, the puzzle platforming is fun enough to warrant seeing everything through until the end.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows is good where it counts: the gameplay. It may not be a difficult game, but the puzzles are a fine challenge for the average player, while the relatively short playtime means that the title doesn't feel like a chore. Don't expect too much from the rest of the package, whether that's aesthetics, narrative, or a reason to replay it once the credits roll. Overall, it's good enough to check out if you're itching for a puzzle-platformer.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows offers up some nice puzzle-platformer gameplay that should please any fan of the genre. It makes good use of its two characters different perspectives to offer up some challenging and thoughtful puzzles and does so while you traverse through some really cool looking environments. The story doesn’t have much to say though and you’ll likely finish it in a short amount of time. If you’re in the mood for a new puzzle-platformer that has you working with light and shadows this one is worth your time.