“Me and my shadow, strolling down the avenue. Me and my shadow, not a soul to tell our troubles to“, sang the popular song from 1927.
But little did they know shadows can be troublesome, especially when separated from their soul owner. SCHiM is a game about shadows and how they play an important part in a person’s life. It’s also a game about inventive puzzle-solving, platforming in a world in which you’re trying to avoid the light.
SCHiM is a heartwarming, truly original game…
In this world, you play the schim; the shadow of a person, the soul that lives with them all their life. The schim is a little creature with eyes, capable of jumping from shadow to shadow, affecting the person’s life and direction but also that of those around them. In this game, we see the story of a child playing in a world. We follow as they grow older, to a teenager and then to finding love, going to uni, and then trying to find a job. It’s when that job is lost and life falls apart, when the impossible is done – he loses his schim.Â
The tale that plays out is all about the schim trying to find his soulmate once more, taking them on a journey through many different environments and situations. This story has no words, but is beautifully told through its visuals and a brilliantly edited opening segment.
The gameplay is straightforward. You control your schim, allowing it to move around freely. When it needs to get to the next shadow, it will simply jump to the next, and then onto the next one. Shadows are formed by buildings, boxes, and even people. In fact, in SCHiM, there are hundreds of objects which can create possible shadows. And this means that soon you’re jumping into moving shadows of cars, bikes, or in a warehouse, navigating a conveyor belt of boxes. If you fail to get into a shadow in two jumps then you are pushed back to the last checkpoint, left to start again. It’s a very clever system and completely addictive.
You can keep track of the direction required by pressing LT. You can also change the camera angle to ensure you get a clear view of where you are and where you can go. If I had one criticism of the game, it is that it can get tricky later on, and on a personal level I’d have liked to have seen a few more clues as to what to do next. It’s because the direction of travel is a bit confusing at times.
But get to grips with things and you’ll discover secrets, and will have the chance to operate certain items, like doorways, traffic lights or machines to help you. Alternatively, in SCHiM you can just have fun, honking the horns of cars or knocking things over. It’s a gem of a game.
The visuals are simply beautiful. SCHiM reminds of an instruction manual for a Meccano set back in the day. It has some pencil line drawing quality, with an amazing level of charm, humour, and pathos. The levels you explore range from the industrial to the suburban and the little schim you control is cute, as are the others you encounter on the way. The menus and UI are simple, brilliantly designed and, as a whole, the game is a piece of art. The soundtrack is good and works well with the action too.Â
SCHiM is an inventive, highly creative puzzle platformer. There’s a genius idea that comes to the fore, and going from shadow to shadow is highly entertaining. But the developers have also managed to create a world and a story that many will want to spend much time in.
In a perfect world, there could be some more hints and pointers, but SCHiM is a game that will ensure you’ll never want to lose track of your shadow.
