Contrast Reviews
Despite these setbacks, Contrast crafts an amazing world and continuously invents clever new ways for you to interact with it. The story is fantastic, bolstered by strong voice performances and a jazzy soundtrack that nails the mood. Few games can consistently grab your attention and wow you with each passing moment like Contrast can.
The platforming segments are often very creative, just not as smooth or fluid as I would have liked. Thankfully these elements, while gamifying the experience, are not the highlights of this show. The very human interactions starring a variety of flawed people through the eyes of an innocent girl who is slowly having her views of the world stripped away and altered are what make Contrast stand out. As a game Contrast works, but has a few flaws. As a creative narrative, Contrast succeeds on almost every front.
Overall, the game is still highly recommended, either for people that love unique platformers or well told stories.
Contrast is a game full of heart, beauty, and at least a few excellent puzzles.
Lovely story and atmosphere marred by bad pacing and some broken puzzles
Contrast is an intriguing and enjoyable title with a host of good gameplay ideas, fantastic visuals, beautiful music and an interesting and heartfelt story that succeeds in spite of its occasional technical problems and short length.
You've always got to look out for the attractive ones. Contrast is a bit of a hot mess -- kind of like the bumbling Johnny Fenris in its core. Rife with bugs and prone towards glitching in the worst possible ways, Compulsion Games' pretty little title can and will outrage. If you're willing to overlook the brokenness of its platforming, Contrast is dazzling in almost every other capacity.
Contrast is best when the story and the puzzles complement each other, like the platforming sections of the Lighthouse later in the game. Though short, Contrast can be replayed to get all the collectibles and is worth a look for the way the story and gameplay integrate, even if at times it's a little rough around the edges.
Frustrating glitches and a lack of polish dim the brightness of 'Contrast,' an otherwise brilliant indie title for the PlayStation 4.
While the story is good fun, and the mechanical conceits awesome, Contrast's puzzles just aren't as hard as they need to be
Contrast works as a bite size game, and Compulsion Games were clever enough to realise that. It's a neat little puzzle platformer with a very interesting premise. It doesn't amaze, but it does satisfy. If you've got a couple of hours to spare and looking for something a little taxing but won't strain your brain tissue too much.
Despite some frustrating complications towards the end, Contrast has been one of the best titles I've played of the PS4's launch lineup. The noir jazz age setting is fantastic and the game's use of shadows and silhouettes for both platforming gameplay and telling the story of a struggling family is unlike anything else I've played. I only wish it lasted that little bit longer.
Contrast is aptly named. Its disappointing instability contrasts sharply with its wonderful ambiance and concept, and you're left feeling somewhat unsatisfied. The adventure is moderately fulfilling, the story is worth hearing, and the atmosphere is captivating, but in the back of your mind, you know what it could've been.
Contrast isn't without its faults, but it still provides a memorable gaming experience.
There really isn't a whole lot to Contrast throughout its roughly three hour tale. It's a perfect game to pick up on PlayStation Plus for free, but if you're a non-subscriber or you're musing on another platform, I'd wait for a sale. It does a nice job of weaving a sweet little tale of a young girl and her struggle to maintain her innocence in a (literal and figurative) dark and dreary world, but it's nothing special, and nothing you haven't really seen before.
Contrast is, again, many things: in more than one way, it's vibrant and dark. It's beautiful and surreal. It's heartwarming and compelling. But at the same time, it often feels like it could use just a little more polish, a little more expansion.
There were also a few minor gameplay glitches in which I would get kicked out of shadow mode for what appeared to be no reason or stuck to objects in the world. I would find myself setting down boxes and then unable to move afterwards or stuck on invisible objects in the environment. This didn't happen throughout the whole game, but it occurred enough that it warranted mention. For the most part the shadow mode works pretty well. It is a fun and unique twist to your standard fare puzzle-platformer, but really only adds underutilized potential when the curtains prematurely fall.
The artistic style and theme of Contrast helps push it out there and sets it apart from other games of a similar budget. Technical issues do get in the way of the fun and sometimes hurt the puzzle solving process, but not to a degree that completely spoils the game. There is a lot here to work with, but it wasn't fully utilized. I think there is a lot of potential in the future for a second game which could definitely work out to be an impressive title.
As its name suggests, Contrast is a game of light and dark: a puzzle platformer with two well-realised female leads that occasionally buckles under the weight of its own mechanics. It's beautiful in parts, but also a little broken; I admire it for the first and can almost forgive it the second.
Contrast has a lot of heart, but its protagonist and environments lack some soul. It's not the best puzzle platformer you'll ever play, but it's far from the worst.