SCHiM has to be one of the most unique platformers I have played recently as it combines gorgeous hand-drawn graphics with interesting and innovative gameplay. It’s an amazing premise but is it enough to keep you entertained? Let’s step into the shadows.
Lost and alone
The game is all about a SCHiM, a Dutch word for a shadow. The game is created by Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman, it started as a student project but became a fully-fledged game thanks to its unique style and gameplay. It’s a Dutch indie game that can compete with the industry’s bigger names as it combines a touching story with cozy yet challenging gameplay. There’s no other game like SCHiM, and I fell in love with it from the first few minutes I started playing. At the start of the game, we see a playful child going through adulthood, facing the frustrations that come with it. One moment you’re carelessly riding your bicycle through the picturesque Netherlands and the next moment you’re getting fired from your corporate nine to five. The introduction handles a lot of themes and sucks you in without speaking a single word. In SCHiM the graphics tell the story and especially the colors tell the story which really elevates the overall experience. I was sucked into this gorgeously created world in seconds and felt the pain of the little SCHiM that got disconnected from its human. From that moment on, it’s your job to reconnect the SCHiM to its human by staying out of the light and by using the shadows as your bridge to reconnection.
From shadow to shadow
After the touching introduction, it’s time to play the actual game which is a platformer with an interesting twist. As a SCHiM you can only move around in the shadows of other objects or other creatures. It’s your job to jump from one shadow to the other without landing in the light. When you do land in the light, you can make one more jump to land in the shadow but if you miss that one, you’ll be sent back to the last autosave. It’s a unique concept and it’s fun to explore the world from the shadows. Once you land in the shadow, you can also interact with the object/person by pressing a button. When you’re in the shadow of a car, you’ll honk the horn if you press the button for example. This adds to the exploration and there are a couple of secrets hidden next to the main path so it’s certainly advised to explore and enjoy the scenery.
Although it’s a great concept it sadly isn’t flawless. Jumping isn’t as precise as I hoped it would be, which isn’t that good for a platformer of course. In the first couple of levels, I often missed a jump because my little SCHiM didn’t go exactly where I wanted it to go. It’s something I had to get used to and shifting the camera perspective often helped in landing the more difficult jumps but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the controls could have been slightly more accurate. It’s not something that took me out of the experience completely but it’s worth mentioning nevertheless.
The exploration on the other hand is what this game is all about for me and I really like how clever the levels are created. It’s not always that clear where you need to go next and I often end up in a place without shadows, forcing me to rethink my route and find a different solution. This might be frustrating for some but I love this sense of freedom and the multiple solutions that come with it. At its core, this feels like a cozy platformer that you simply don’t have to rush. Take your time, jump around in the shadows, interact with the objects, and just enjoy the gorgeously created world you’re in. It’s not a fast-paced platformer and that’s perfectly okay for me. SCHiM feels like a breath of fresh air when it comes to the platforming genre as it combines cozy gaming with true platforming, which results in a fun game to play! Perhaps it’s a bit too short to justify its higher price on the indie market but I had fun with it nevertheless, although I also hoped it would have been slightly better.
Conclusion
SCHiM is a gorgeous game that combines coziness with true platforming, resulting in a unique and fun game. It’s a bit rough around the edges sometimes but in the end, I enjoyed playing this. If you’re looking for something different, be sure to give this one a go.
