White Shadows

So, some of White Shadows' individual parts are flawed, but I did really enjoy my time with it. If you don't really mind the game's simple puzzles and you're willing to ignore the exposition dump at the end, I'd recommend it. White Shadows offers two hours of creative, chilling designs, joyous musical set pieces and enough screen-shottable sights to fill your hard drive.

White Shadows tackles heavy themes with some wonderful storytelling. The gameplay itself is competent, and there is enough variety level to level to make the experience fresh throughout. Through stark visuals and a well placed soundtrack it presents its tale artfully, but unfortunately runs its course in only a few hours. It's hard to squeeze a great deal of game from the experience, but what is there is splendid.

Certain games strive to do more than simply entertain. Some look to tell an emotional story, while others may try to communicate a politically charged message. Whether implicit or explicit, societal themes are becoming more prominent in video games. White Shadows has straightforward subject matter that permeates throughout but will it be able to strike a balance between gameplay and narrative?

White Shadows might have a short run time and be fairly by the numbers as a platformer, but it packs a lot in for you to experience. If you enjoy your dystopian fiction then you will find a game that sets up a world which raises questions, though the the Animal Farm influence is clear to see. White Shadows hits on a lot of dark themes, but does so in such a way that is not overwhelming.

Familiar but still containing enough of its own identity to stand out among similar titles, White Shadows is a compelling, albeit brief experience. It could have done more with its gameplay and commentary, but the game is mostly a success.

White Shadows is a breathtaking, story-driven, puzzle-platformer in the vein of Limbo.

White Shadows is $20 US at the time of launch, and if its style and themes speak to you it’s worth a purchase. The platforming is mediocre, the performance is terrible, but there is heart here. If you know someone in their teens and you hope to show them the dangers of abuse, racism, and xenophobia this game could potentially be a solid learning tool to help them down a better path. I look forward to what Monokel has in store for us with their next title as there is clear talent on this team, and they are not afraid to tackle some very delicate topics.

There have been a few greyscale 2D platform puzzlers ever since LIMBO's release back in 2010 so let's see how White Shadows fares.