Builders typically pay tribute to their beloved pets within the credit of their video games, a development I’ve observed more and more within the indie sport scene. Generally it’s a easy point out of the pet’s title and lifespan, different occasions a heartfelt image accompanied by sort phrases. It’s a touching reminder that sport builders are actual folks with lives and passions past the digital worlds they create.
Shines Over: The Damned contains a beautiful dedication to a canine companion in its credit, and all through the sport, a canine serves as your spirit information by means of its unusual, but sometimes irritating, world.
This primary-person journey is a curious expertise. Whereas the visuals and soundtrack are distinctive, the gameplay mechanics and summary narrative will be considerably underwhelming.
Let’s begin with the story. It revolves round a protagonist transported to a purgatory-like realm, seemingly trapped in time. You’re trying to find a mysterious girl who led you to this world, however the narrative is fragmented and elusive, and that is me selecting at bits and hoping they stick. There are not any cutscenes or express exposition, leaving you to piece collectively the story by means of environmental particulars and delicate cues. Whereas I admire summary narratives, this one feels considerably missing in function and course. And it’s not helped by the extraordinarily quick playtime, clocking in at round 30 to 45 minutes, which additional contributes to the sensation of incompleteness.
The gameplay works as a mix of strolling simulation, puzzle-solving, platforming, and light-weight fight. Exploring the sport’s world is initially intriguing, with its uncommon topography, summary parts, and evocative location names drawn from fantasy literature. A canine sometimes guides your path, providing a welcome presence amidst the gloom. Nevertheless, the platforming sections, the place you will need to leap throughout chasms onto invisible ledges, are irritating. First-person platforming is inherently difficult, and the sport’s mechanics don’t alleviate this problem.
As you discover, you’ll encounter unusual, twisted demons that emerge from swimming pools of sunshine. These encounters contain quickly tapping the LB and RB buttons to banish the creatures again into the darkness. Whereas initially novel, this mechanic shortly turns into repetitive and tiresome. The puzzles are pleasant however comparatively easy, providing a quick respite from the much less participating gameplay parts.
Additional to that, there have been situations the place respawning after dying positioned me in disorienting positions, making it troublesome to regain my bearings. General, the gameplay present in Shines Over: The Damned is a little bit of a combined bag, with moments of intrigue overshadowed by irritating platforming and repetitive fight encounters.
The visuals are a spotlight, with a hanging and imaginative aesthetic. The summary environments and dreamlike environment are successfully rendered, and the lighting is well-implemented, even when it does typically really feel darkish. The boat sections are significantly visually interesting, while the soundtrack, composed by the developer, is equally spectacular, that includes haunting melodies and melancholic strings that completely complement the sport’s environment. The opposite sound results are additionally well-suited to the gameplay.
Whereas I usually take pleasure in strolling simulators and narrative-driven adventures, Shines Over: The Damned falls in need of its potential. The visuals, soundtrack, and world-building are commendable, however the gameplay parts, significantly the platforming and fight, are irritating and detract from the expertise. The quick playtime additionally leaves you wanting extra.
Nevertheless, in case you’re searching for a quick, atmospheric expertise with a singular visible type, Shines Over: The Damned is perhaps value a glance.
Shines Over: The Damned – A Haunting First-Particular person Horror Expertise for Xbox – https://www.thexboxhub.com/shines-over-the-damned-a-haunting-first-person-horror-experience-for-xbox/
Shines Over: The Damned is on the Xbox Retailer – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/video games/retailer/shines-over-the-damned/9N3FKFKBSWNB
