Shady Part of Me | Xbox Series X Review

Ten years ago, developer Playdead released Limbo to the world and a few years later, the even more intriguing Inside. Although these obviously weren’t the first puzzle-platformers to exist, they popularized the genre in a way that blindsided me. They showed that games of this kind could be more than simple puzzles or easy jumps. They could also invoke a sense of emotion and unease. Since then, we’ve seen a bevy of titles trying to capture that same magic. While it doesn’t quite reach the same caliber of quality for me, French developer Douze Dixièmes’ Shady Part of Me is something quite special to experience. It exhibits a mood of unease while offering a unique play mechanic that is just challenging enough. And I’d encourage you to give it a try.

There once was a girl who was trapped in dark

With naught but her shadow for company.

A journey to escape she did embark

And her shadow followed distrustfully.

Never Ever Want to Grow Up

In Shady Part of Me, you play as a young girl and her shadow. Your goal is simple: escape. From what, exactly, is honestly a bit of mystery to me, but I honestly can’t decide if that’s a fault of mine or the game’s narrative. It was unclear to me where the girl wakes up, who is talking to her, and why she needs to get out of her current situation. Thankfully, that didn’t matter much to me, as I was taken in by the game’s core mechanic and moody atmosphere. Both sucked me in and delighted my senses throughout the entire four-hour rollercoaster descent through apparent madness.

Confusing plot aside, the puzzles offer a perfect amount of difficulty to provide satisfaction without making you feel incompetent if it takes you a minute or so. As the girl, you move in a 3D environment but lack the ability to jump. She’s also afraid of the light, and disintegrates when coming into direct contact with it. At any time, you can switch to the girl’s shadow that casts against the back wall of each scene. Conversely, her dark counterpart actually needs the light to survive and will disappear if there’s not enough of it. She can jump, however she can only walk on silhouettes of objects in the real world environment.

This opens up all kinds of puzzle opportunities for the player. You’ll switch back and forth between each character, manipulating the environment that allows their counterpart to proceed to the next section. Each section get progressively more interesting and unique.

To Die Will Be an Awfully Big Adventure

What I appreciated most about these puzzles is that they never felt overly difficult or lengthy. Each one felt bite-sized and satisfying, and could be easily figured out with some simple trial-and-error. If you’re looking for an added challenge, you can also attempt to collect paper birds scattered in hard-to-reach places. These are a bit more tricky to reach, but offer even more clever manipulations of the environment and are even more satisfying.

Although it’s not fair to compare it to another title, this game reminds me so much of why I enjoyed Limbo and Inside as much as I did. Where those two games use silence and a monochromatic art style effectively to set the stage, this one offers a bit more. There’s definitely more color that gives a bit of a vibrant feel to an otherwise bleak universe. To make things even better, the game’s soundtrack is completely peaceful throughout the entire ride. I never felt pressured to complete a puzzle in a timely manner, and it was a throughly relaxing and enjoyable experience.

If I could change one thing, however, it would be the voice of the girl. Hannah Murray, who played Gillie in HBO’s Game of Thrones, lends her voice for both main characters. While I’ve always appreciated her role on my favorite television series, I found her portrayal of the girl to be somewhat annoying right off the bat. Her work as the girl’s shadow is much more calming, however. I get what the developers were going for in the sense of juxtaposition between the girl and her shadow, but it was a lot to deal with for multiple hours.

Who and What Art Thou?

Shady Part of Me is the best game of its class I’ve played in years and should not be overlooked. It may not be as challenging as others, but I look at that as a good thing. It’s a delicate art finding that perfect balance between challenge and satisfaction, but this game succeeds admirably. It may not be one I want to revisit anytime soon (if ever again), but it’s an experience I’m glad I had. Then again, I would like to understand exactly the message the developers were trying to share with my slow mind. But don’t let my lack of understanding of the game’s narrative distract you from an otherwise pleasant experience.

To hear me talk more about Shady Part of Me, be sure to listen to Episode 325 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 49:15 time stamp.

This review is based off an Xbox Series X copy of Shady Part of Me provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and The Epic Games Store.