"No Light Within The Darkness"
On paper, "Contrast" seems to be a bit of a clever puzzle platformer, incorporating a 2D shadow platforming element on top of a normal 3D platforming style. However, this is the only idea the game seems to have, and it was executed pretty poorly in my opinion. The developers tried to toss a generic story on top of it as well, but that did little to save this game from its tired game mechanic, poor platforming, and lack of worldbuilding.
The shadow mechanic in this game is really simple and utilized really poorly. You transition in and out of a shadow state, allowing yourself to platform on the silhouettes of objects in the environment. However, the platforming is really janky, and the physics just make little sense most of the time. The game tries to distract the play from this by providing a bit of a plot, but that too was mishandled.
The story here is really dry - you're the imaginary friend of a little girl, and you help her discover some drama between her parents and help them succeed in their ventures. It tries to be dramatic, but the voice acting is unconvincing and therefore doesn't help with immersion. Additionally, the setting is poorly utilized, and it just serves as an art style rather than an important piece of the narrative.
This game was honestly such a missed opportunity. Instead of giving players a unique dimensional puzzler, it instead devolves into a generic gimmick with a weak story and setting. The platforming here is just too wonky for any real fun to be had, and the empty world and lackluster presentation don't really give it much lift. I would Not Recommend playing this one unless you were willing to essentially kill a few hours.
Final Verdict: 4/10 (Below Average)
On paper, "Contrast" seems to be a bit of a clever puzzle platformer, incorporating a 2D shadow platforming element on top of a normal 3D platforming style. However, this is the only idea the game seems to have, and it was executed pretty poorly in my opinion. The developers tried to toss a generic story on top of it as well, but that did little to save this game from its tired game mechanic, poor platforming, and lack of worldbuilding.
The shadow mechanic in this game is really simple and utilized really poorly. You transition in and out of a shadow state, allowing yourself to platform on the silhouettes of objects in the environment. However, the platforming is really janky, and the physics just make little sense most of the time. The game tries to distract the play from this by providing a bit of a plot, but that too was mishandled.
The story here is really dry - you're the imaginary friend of a little girl, and you help her discover some drama between her parents and help them succeed in their ventures. It tries to be dramatic, but the voice acting is unconvincing and therefore doesn't help with immersion. Additionally, the setting is poorly utilized, and it just serves as an art style rather than an important piece of the narrative.
This game was honestly such a missed opportunity. Instead of giving players a unique dimensional puzzler, it instead devolves into a generic gimmick with a weak story and setting. The platforming here is just too wonky for any real fun to be had, and the empty world and lackluster presentation don't really give it much lift. I would Not Recommend playing this one unless you were willing to essentially kill a few hours.
Final Verdict: 4/10 (Below Average)