Welcome to our review of the first-person exploration game – Shape of the World. If you are looking for an escape from work, anxiety or the stress or life itself – dive right in!
Development:
The game was successfully kickstarted in 2015 by Stu Maxwell – a VFX artist who also worked on Gears of War 4. He worked together with Athomas Goldberg (veteran in the computer graphics industry) and Brent Silk (in-game music) and so Hollow Tree Games Inc. was formed. To bring the game towards a larger audience, they partnered in 2017 with Plug in Digital and Seaven Studios to complete the game and put it on Steam, PS4, and Xbox One. What they created is a serene first-person exploration game, which has no clear goal, nor motive. You can watch the world grow around you, or destroy some trees – to plant a few more just moments later.
Gameplay:
The game has a total of four key mechanics
Experiment with an organic and mysterious ecosystem: Play with mystical animals, ephemeral vegetation and intriguing monoliths.
A dynamic soundtrack that responds to the player’s travels: The audio environment is a central component of the game, amplifying your experience of the world.
Procedural Population: The forest only materializes around you when you get close, regrowing in a new way each time you pass. Will you find your way back?
First Person Exploration: More than just a walking simulator. Slide, soar and dive through a living world, at once familiar and alien.
I could destroy trees, interact with animals looking like jellyfish (which flew up when poked), and gather berries/seeds. It was a nice touch and had a relaxing feeling to it. Every time I went through a portal, the colors became more vibrant and the music changed. The way the world shaped itself also differed once I entered a portal. A really nice touch, since the vegetation and animals evolved with me. Does this mean the game has no direction whatsoever? No, it’s indeed more than a walking simulator, since the game has actual achievements, which can be unlocked by completing certain tasks (not going to spoil). The game even features an underwater part – which is, in my opinion, more complex and interesting than everything ‘on land’. You can create your own sea/lake setting by touching certain stalactites or jump a few meters in the ‘air’ by touching an urchin (which weren’t purple, like in the iconic series of Freddie Fish, sadly).
Is it a game?
The best way to describe ‘Shape of the World’ is as an experience. You have to go through it, enjoy it and put it away for a few months. It’s not a game you can enjoy if you just want to rush from point one to the exit. If you go in for the full Stanley Kubrick experience, bump some whales, fight with weird stone-animals and plant trees – while collecting seeds and smashing weird rocks to create bridges – you’ll have an amazing time. If you don’t enjoy these kinds of things, and rather jump out of cars in the air, don’t try this game. And hey, for the people wondering how it runs on my medium-build gaming PC – well it runs smoothly at 60 frames per second – so, go play this in ultra settings with extreme resolutions, you won’t regret it.
Conclusion:
My time with this game was very intriguing. It’s not a game for everyone, but if you are looking for a nice change of pace from Dark Souls, Fortnite or Rocket League, and just want to unwind.. Then Shape of the World is a game for you. Even if you don’t like walking around for hours, you should totally check the game out for the outstanding artwork and music. And hey, even my cat enjoyed watching evolve the world with all its vibrant colors (especially the green/blue parts). I added a videotrailer of some gameplay if you wonder what the game looks like in full throttle. You can buy the game on Steam, right here.
Tested on PC – Steam
