Shape of the World | Xbox One Review
From what started as a Kickstarter-funded game, it has since achieved the great accomplishment of being released. Shape of the World is a game developed by Hollow Tree Games. It is a gorgeous little world with beautiful artwork. When I saw the trailer, I was mesmerized by the astonishing beauty and layout. So let’s dive in to what the game was all about and my overall thoughts.
The controls overall are simple to the point of only using three action pieces (jump, plant, and interact) and both analog sticks (move and look around). At the start, you really don’t know what to press or do, because it appears to be a loading screen. So I stood still for about five minutes until I pressed forward on the analog stick to move and realized that this is part of the world. A small tutorial is in place to help tell you what is an action in the game, but not for movement. After you learn the actions, they become easy to use and felt comfortable. Most of the time you will use the interaction button and walk around. I didn’t have to overthink what action was needed.
A Beautiful World
The level design was phenomenal with how it would shape itself as you walked around the area. I honestly was confused at first where to go and what to do. When you first start out in the game, it feels like you are in a world of emptiness with it looking like a white canvas with a tint of red on the portal and some interactive materials. Once I passed through a portal to continue to a different part of the world, a kaleidoscope of colors would take over. You could actually see the world design and how it looked from afar. When you start to walk you see life, you see rocks forming, and you see plant life sprout from the ground close up.
Seeds are part of the game that I found very interesting. They are nice collectibles with many different varieties. After you collect five of the same items that are pretty clustered together, I could use them to plant other trees in my world. When I looked back to see if a tree I planted was still in place, it wasn’t to be seen. So I felt like the seeds were cool to collect, but not very useful.
Music to Guide You
The soundtrack was well done, giving me a feeling that I had time to see the sights. As I progressed further, you can hear some of music start to pick up. It helps to make it feel like the end of the game is close. Even though it felt like a rush, I still wanted to take the time to look at the wildlife and enjoy some of the design before I continued the adventure.
There are many ways you can play this game. You can play as an explorer, taking your time and collecting everything you see in the world as you progress; enjoying all the scenery and watching as the world morphs around you. You could also be a speed racer to the top and just complete the game as fast as you can. Overall the game is relaxing, enjoyable, and simple to the point where anyone can enjoy a piece of this game.
This review is based off of an Xbox One review copy provided by Hollow Tree Games and Evolve PR for coverage purposes.
Pros
- Beautiful Artwork
- Great Soundtrack
- Terrific Level Design
Cons
- Superfluous Collectibles
