It’s always exciting when a game comes along that thinks outside the box, challenging normal gaming conventions and ideas to hopefully create something truly unique… or missing the mark completely. SCHiM aims to achieve the former, by delivering a unique spin on a puzzler with a sentimental narrative. What’s it Like? Avoid the light, keep up with the bicycles, and jump to it as we shed some light on SCHiM for Nintendo Switch.
SCHiM is a unique puzzle game that follows a SCHiM, which is Dutch for shadow, as it accompanies its human through various stages of life from childhood wonder, going to school, heartbreak, and moving on. It manages to tell a beautiful story in the beginning despite using no words, and it is somewhat akin to the opening of Disney Pixar’s “Up,” investing you emotionally by allowing you to perceive what’s going on firsthand, rather than being told. The entire narrative works this way and starts off by allowing the player to explore and learn the mechanics of the game, without too much pressure to achieve any objectives. After an emotional introduction, you are separated from your human, and so begins the main story of SCHiM, you are a lost shadow, searching to reconnect with your human.
SCHiM’s gameplay consists of you jumping from shadow to shadow, chasing after your human to be re-united. If you are caught out in the light, you need to restart. The levels are nice and bite-sized, allowing you to play in short bursts, although the nature of the game makes it hard to put down. You can interact with some objects like signs and traffic lights, many of which will become core interactions to complete the level, and you can even have full control over animals. You can rotate the camera to reveal more of your path, and sometimes, that path won’t be obvious, meaning there’s some trial and error involved. You can briefly hit a light area, and do a second, smaller jump should you need to, and you will use this tactic many a time during your adventure. If you fail, you are usually only knocked back 10-15 seconds or so, meaning failing isn’t very frustrating, and keeps the momentum of the game moving forward.
The art style of the game is simply gorgeous, offering a minimalistic, yet detailed view of the world of SCHiM. Levels are varied and unique and it’s interesting to watch the world go by. It expertly uses its limited colour palette to convey sentiments and melancholy, and while the world around you is populated with pedestrians, vehicles, and animals, it somehow manages to make you feel alone. This manipulation of your emotions further drives you as the player to move forward in SCHiM, and left me wanting to reunite with my human, making it a hard game to put down. Further to the art style tapping into your emotions, the soundtrack further bolsters these feelings with an almost cozy vibe.
The game is well-polished, and during my playthrough, I only experienced a single bug that forced me to restart the level. Aside from that, the game runs at a silky smooth framerate, and the controls feel just right. I never felt cheated when I failed a jump, although the game certainly challenged me at times to think outside the box.
The game may only take a handful of hours to complete, but there are hidden objects to discover, padding that time out for completionists. At just under $38 AUD, the price point may put off some gamers, but those who do invest will find themselves immersed in an experience similar to games like “The Cub.”
For my vision-impaired shadows, there are no accessibility options so to speak, but it is worth mentioning that you can manually change the palette of each level, adjusting the contrast of the colours, which may make SCHiM easier to navigate. It’s worth noting that your SCHiM will be the same colour as the shadows, and is only discernable by two small eyes, which may be hard for some to track. While there is the built-in zoom function, as always, I recommend further research to find out if SCHiM is for you.
SCHiM is a very unique puzzler that ticks all the right boxes. It’s a sentimental adventure that uses its minimalistic style to expertly pluck at your heartstrings to keep motivating the player to move forward. It’s challenging, fun, and very unique, as you explore a busy world that somehow makes you feel so alone. While it may be a shorter adventure than some expect, it will certainly stay with you, long after the sun sets. SCHiM is a wonderful game, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from developer Ewoud van der Werf.
So, What’s It Like? SCHiM is like… I guess there’s nothing I’ve played quite like it.
In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the Pirate PR, but this doesn’t influence my score.